Spent a few hours wandering through a local flea market this past weekend. 95% of the stuff was junk, but, of course, there were a few treasures to be found. I especially like picking through old postcards and old photographs, like the one below (25cents). Who are these people? What is their story? What became of them? Who took the photo (shadow in the bottom right corner)?
As a fun exercise, let's imagine this boy's story, starting in the moment pictured in the 1940s, and moving forward, through decades and God-knows-what, to the present moment.
As a fun exercise, let's imagine this boy's story, starting in the moment pictured in the 1940s, and moving forward, through decades and God-knows-what, to the present moment.
The boy named John went to a picnic with his family for fishing one weekend. His father took picture when John was really excite about the fishes they caught. The family was from Maryland. In his family, he has one elder brother and one younger sister. He is from a middle class but happy family. They always enjoyed with what they had. Everyone in the family was hard working. All of his siblings were very brilliant in their schools. His father always wanted him to become a doctor. Even John's dream was to become a doctor. After many years hard work and patience he graduated from the high school with the top grade and full scholarship for his graduation from University of Virginia.He faced many problems as it was first time that he was away from home. It was tough for him to cope up with his huge workload and part time job to save money to get the doctor degree.But finally he was able to graduate with good grades to get admission in John Hopkins University, his dream University.
ReplyDeleteFinally after his graduation, he became a successful doctor. His family was really happy for him. This was the story of a boy with the happy ending with the fulfillment of his dream. From this story, i think it is very important for every person to have a dream as it gives a person the encouragement to fulfill his/her dream.
This photo of Tucker was taken in the blazing North Carolina summer of 1963. Record-breaking temperatures were recorded that summer. He was only five, but his father took him fishing anyway. You see, that was their “thing.” Every summer, regardless of his father’s schedule, the two made the trek to Asheville to fish for trout. Seven years later, Tucker was dropped off at Deerfield Academy, the college-preparatory school, in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It was feat for him to garner acceptance, but no one was particularly floored considering his father, and grandfather both attended (giving him heavy leverage in terms of legacy).
ReplyDeleteOnce at school, he became privy to his natural talent in theatre. Thought it initially angered his parents who fancied him more the lawyer-type, they eventually came to terms with it. While at Deerfield Tucker had roles in Much Ado About Nothing, The Little Foxes, and Romeo and Juliet. His talent was blatant and difficult to ignore. That being said, it came as no shock when a representative from Brown University’s theatre department came to watch his production in The Importance of Being Earnest. The representative was thoroughly delighted and offered Tucker a spot in the theatre program immediately.
Tucker didn’t only seize the attention of the scout; he also had become quite fond of Lillian Maywether during his time at Deerfield. Though Tucker lived in Higgins and Lillian in Choate, they spend an inordinate amount of time together. Once Tucker gained acceptance to Brown, Lillian had to break the news that she had already committed to Vanderbilt. Tucker was completely distraught at the revelation but assured Lillian their relationship could withstand the distance.
At Brown, their relationship fizzled quickly and Tucker quickly realized he was in an entirely new realm of skill. He was no longer immediately cast as the lead and was often swept to the back in the chorus. The culmination of events frustrated him terribly. His grades took a turn for the worst and in the end of his freshman year of college, Tucker suffered from a severe anxiety attack. Following the episode, he couldn’t return to Brown with his fragile psyche, and instead remained at home. His parents grew increasingly impatient with Tucker’s lack of effort but continued insisting that it was only temporary.
After years of pushing and prodding by Tucker’s parents to either return to school or acquire a job, they reluctantly cut Tucker off financially. Tucker had been sheltered his entire life and had no social means to thrive in society without the support of his parents. Considering he has solely relied on his natural abilities, he completely lacked the work ethic to conduct himself responsibly. This resulted in Tucker’s subsequent alcohol abuse and homelessness.
From time to time, Tucker would entertain the other homeless families in shoddy productions of plays he performed while in boarding school. His peers were amazed by his talent but constantly baffled as to why he was in these dire circumstances. They would never know the life Tucker had once lived.
This picture is one John turns to in times of trouble and dispair, which seem to happen a lot these days. He remembers this as the last happy memory he had, back when he still had his naïvety and innocence. He was eight years old in this picture, at the lake down the street from his family's summer house in the country. His dad was teaching him how to fish, or at least trying to. He didn't catch a single one of those fish, but his dad didn't want John, or Johnny as he called him, to feel left out so he decided to tell the town his son had one hell of a lucky day on the lake. John always laughs at this memory, remembering how humble his dad was in the short amount of time he knew him.
ReplyDeleteJohn's dad was loved by everyone in his small little town, always known as the "perfect neighbor" and an excellent role model for his son and John's friends from around the town. He always tried to lead John on the right path in life, always urging him to work hard in everything he did and to never give up on his goals. John's mother on the other hand, was quite the opposite of the positive influence that his dad was. When John was ten years old, his mother was caught cheating on his dad with a man from the next town over who owned a hardware store. After John's dad filed for an immediate divorce and was rightfully given full custody of his son, they both moved from their quaint suburban home into an apartment building only a few blocks away from John's grandparents' house in order to have someone to easily take care of John while his father worked in order to support the two of them.
Unfortunately, only two years later, just weeks after John's twelfth birthday, his father had succumbed a sudden heart attack while John was at school. His grandparents him signed him out of school early that day due to the family emergency, and John was unaware of what was happening until he saw his dad hooked up to all of the life support tubes and was breathless. His dad kept trying to speak, but no sound was escaping no matter how hard he tried. John tries to think that he was trying to say "I love you" or "it will all be okay", but John knows he will never truly know what his father wanted his final words to be.
After the funeral John stayed over his grandparents for the night, but he was unable to sleep. He snuck off to his fathers tomb stone later that night, not moving, not speaking. His grandparents were worried about him, he didn't seem like the same John they knew. Something died in him that night, and he couldn't cope with the pain of losing his father and his best friend, so he ran. He just needed to leave, needed a fresh start and that's exactly what he got.
He ended up on the streets, begging for change and spending what he could on crystal meth. All he had was a box full of pictures of old memories that he would turn to every so often in times of extreme depression, but even they were sold for pennies to feed his addiction. No one knows where little Johnny is now, or if he is still alive for that matter. But you can find the remains of his once happy life in the pictures of his childhood.
This is Michael's fondest memory. It was taken by his father in 1946 outside of Baton Rouge, LA. He is 11 years old in this picture and this trip was the first since his father, James, returned from the Second Great War. His father was a Naval Officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise during the war and loved the water. He was away from the start of the war some 5 years earlier. James was lucky to have escaped Pearl Harbor alive and from that moment he treasured eveyday he had back home.
ReplyDeleteJames grew up in Baton Rouge. He was the youngest of 8 and understood the importance of family. Michael was James' only surviving child after the great depression took his 2 older sisters. James brought Michael here to where his father used to bring him as a boy to help teach the importance of family. Although his father passed away when he was 18 from complications from his time in the Navy, it was a lesson Michael would hold dear for the decades that followed.
Michael met Etta, his wife at the age of 23. After years of trying to concieve Etta finally gave birth to a beautiful boy named Robert. James' Lesson were not lost on Michael. Every year, Michael took little "Robbie", as they called him to the same fishing hole his dad took him. While most years they spent more time fishing than catching, the bond that grew through the years became an almost unbreakable force between them.
After spending a long day at his parent's farm pond in Virginia, catching his family's dinner, Joseph's excitement couldn't be contained in this photo taken by his father. Joseph went home with an empty stomach and fell asleep with a full one. He even had leftovers for the next day. Joseph spent his weekends fishing and his weekdays in school. This pattern continued for years. Things stayed the same for Joseph until he met a girl while in the eleventh grade. The two were inseparable and even attended college together. Fishing became a hobby Joseph had less and less time for, especially when he married his high school sweetheart. It wasn't until he had two boys of his own that Joseph's love for fishing resurfaced. When the boys were 5 and 7, Joseph and his father took them to the pond on their family's farm and they had the same success he had had all those years ago. Today, Joseph's mantle is full of photos. None more important to him then the old black and white photo his father took of him and a newer photo Joseph took of his boys on the same dock in Virginia.
ReplyDeleteThis young lad in the picture goes by the name of Billy. Growing up in Nashville Tennessee, Billy loved the simple farm life. He had a strong connection toward his family. Billy shared many of his fondest memories fishing out on the lake with his father as a child. He and his father shared a special connection that nobody else would ever get the chance to enjoy. Billy was not always able to spend time with his father however. It wasn’t until the age of 9 when Billy was able to see his father every day.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up was often times a struggle for the young boy. His father was drafted into World War II just as it had begun. Life was hard without a father figure in his life but Billy found ways to keep his mind of the subject. He would play with friends of his quite often skipping rocks, playing through fields, and other assorted adventures. During this time Billy was forced to grow closer to his mother. He took on the duties as man of the house while his father was out fighting in the war. He helped clean, cook, and sometimes even watched his two younger siblings to give his mother a break from al the stress. He must have known that the war was getting to her as well.
One day while Billy was out playing his life changed for the better. He came rushing home to find that his beloved father had returned from the war. Billy was itching with so excitement that he could barely control himself. His father let out a couple small sobs and promised his son that he would never leave again. The two of them spent almost every summer together living peacefully at their Tennessee home. When Billy turned 18 his father presented him with an interesting proposition. He was offering his son the chance to go to college. If Billy rejected this idea, (which his father doubted he’d do) he would resume working with his father on their farm. Billy gladly acted his father’s offer but knew that he would deeply miss his father during the time he spent away.
A couple months would pass until that special day when Billy got the news that he had been accepted into Harvard Medical School. His parents couldn’t be more proud. Before he left for college his father made Billy promise to try his hardest and never forget the time he had spent with his father as a child growing up in Tennessee. Billy promised as he gave his father one last hug goodbye.
Years passed and Billy became a successful doctor right out of Harvard. He now lives with his wife and three children in a beautiful Colorado mountain house. Billy visits his family often and often refers to his father as the one who had the greatest influence on him as a child. Whenever Billy has time off from his job to sit around and relax he often drifts away to remember those times spent with his father.
This boy's name is steve. This was taken by his father when they went on a fishing trip. It was the most fish he had ever caught and when they got home his mom cleaned and cooked them. They had them for dinner and had left overs for a few days. Steve went though his school years during the Cold war between the USA and the Soviet Union. When he finished his high school education he joined the army.As he went though his military training he met his best friend john who was also in the army. After the year of training they were readied to be sent to vietnam. When steve reached the military camp he was put in charge of a squad that also included john his best friend. Their first assignment was to patrol the forest around the camp. it was going well until they walked out of the forest into the open field. Then things start to go wrong john gets shot buy a sniper in a building across the field. Steve rushes to his friends aid as the rest of the squad lays down cover fire. He then pulls john back into the cover of the forest and starts calling for the medic. As the medic comes over steve realizes that the found caused to much damage to john's vitals and there is nothing the medic can do for him. Steve watches his best friend John die in his arms. About a year later Steve received another mission to rescue a squad that was trapped by enemy fire. When his squad got to the fight they realized that they were greatly out numbered. He came up with a plan to flank the enemy which worked but as steve was moving around some cover he took a bullet in the chest that the medic could not fix. Steve died that day but the plan he set up for his squad helped save every other person in the other squad that day.When the military brought home his body to his parents they also gave them a medal of honor for steve's performance in battle. This medal now hangs in his family's house next to a picture of him and he is remembered by everyone in his family and by all the people he saved that day.
ReplyDeleteThat picture is of a little fellow by the name of Sam. It was taken in the summer of 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia at small local fishing lake. Little sam was known all across the neighborhood he lived in. He would ride around on his little 1950's sears bicycle with his cowboy hat on, yelling and screaming as if he was in a wild chase after a stallion. Sam grew up with only his father, because his mother had passed away while giving birth to him. He also had a sister who was 4 years older than he was. Both of them grew up alone with their father, who never married. Sam was a stout young fellow who did great in school. His wild imagination ever since he was a little boy always give him an edge over all the other kids in the neighborhood. His dedication to being a cowboy led sam to join the police force out west, and he became a ranger in the lone-star state of Texas. Sam's father, who was the owner of a local grocery store, remained in Atlanta when sam moved out west at the age of 22 in 1980. He joined the force in Dallas, where he was a ranger. Sam grew up with a love for horses, but advancement of technology limited him from riding one around town. So instead he drove around in his 1980 ford while on the hunt for criminals. It was during that cold december day of 1986, that he made a bad decision with a traffic stop. Sam knew there was something funky about this lincoln town car he had just pulled over for speeding, so he called for backup. He was never someone who would wait around, however, and was very hasty with decisions. He stepped out of the car and walked over to the driver side of the town car, only to come face to face with the barrel of a .42 magnum. Sam was shot directly in the face by Ashid Rhama, a local drug lord who had been carrying over 100KG of cocaine in the trunk of his town car. He knew he wasn't going to get away with it, so he decided to solve the problem on his own. He peeled off after he shot Sam, who died immediately. Backup arrived just seconds later, but seconds too late. An immediate call for the pursuit of this town car was called, and an ambulance was called. The bullet from the gun pierced Sam directly through the head, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. His father and sister were phoned in, and came to sams funeral in dallas where he was placed in a memorial cemetery with other fallen officers. Sam was never married, he lived on his own. He left behind a small apartment and a young pitbull puppy. This photo now sits on the desk of his father's grocery store, that is still in full operation today by his father, Jim, and sister, Carolyn. It is a keepsake of little Sam, who was one of Dallas's best on the force, and Jim's little cowboy.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking through old family photos for her school assignment, Kelly finds one of a young boy beaming with delight. This photo captivates her and she stares at the image completely motionless. Suddenly she turns to her grandfather and asks who the young boy in the picture is. Nathaniel looks at the photo and then back at his sixteen year old granddaughter. “It’s me. This was taken on one of the fishing trips my older brother would always take me on.” Kelly had never heard about her grandfather’s childhood let alone his brother, so she begged him to tell her more. As a child, the happiest moments Nathaniel had were with his brother, specifically their fishing trips. They’d wake up early every Saturday morning, grab their fishing rods, and walk to the lake right outside town. On the way there Nathaniel’s brother would take him to eat at the local café. Every Friday was the day he would get paid. They’d spend the whole day together catching fish, talking, laughing, and enjoying their time together. The lake was a place where the rest of the world didn’t matter. This was their haven. This was a place where they could escape the troubles of an abusive brute of a father. This was the best excuse Michael had to get his little brother Nathaniel away from all the anger. This was the reason Michael stayed in his father’s house. Here he could talk to Nathaniel about anything and everything, comfort him, and try give him the childhood he deserved. Their father was not much to look at, average height, thin, and kind to everyone he met, but he had a temper shorter and fiercer than a German Blitzkrieg. Together, Michael and Nathaniel dreamt of what it would be like if one day they went walked through the door and their mother Clara would say the words they’d die to hear. “He’s gone”. The details didn’t matter to either one of them; all they wanted was for him to disappear into a haze like a bad dream. With the US joining the next World War, their wish realized itself. Eventually their father was drafted and shipped off to the front lines. He died in battle. Life was hard at first for Nathaniel’s family, but it improved over time. Clara found a full time job and both the brothers took it upon themselves to take care of the housework. The first time Nathaniel really looked at that old photo, examining it like his granddaughter did was when he was thirty one and Michael passed away. His brother meant everything to him it was hard to let him go. Every time he went through a difficult time in his life his brother was there to get him throughout like he had since they were children. After his brother passed, whenever Nathaniel felt like his world was crashing down he would find his photo album and look for that picture. He told Kelly “Whenever I look at that picture, I can still feel the sun warming my face and I can still hear my brother’s laughter”.
ReplyDeleteThis picture tells a story about a boy and his first fishing trip with his father. The boy in the picture is mike posing for his father excited to see his son catch his first fish capturing the moment for the net generations to see. Mike was the youngest of four having two older brothers jack and john and one older sister sam. There was a strong family tradition in mikes family the tradition that involves father and son fishing ventures his mikes father did the same with his father and so on even his sister and older brothers took a part in father and son fishing trips around the same age eleven years old. As years past mike grew older mike seemed to surpass all of his siblings in education his lifelong goal was to become a very successfully lawyer, after many years of long hard work going to school and working to pay off his college debts he finally achieved his goal graduating from Harvard law becoming a lawyer and being very well off financially. During law school mike had met this one girl that he fell deeply in love with ended up getting that first date and as years past on even getting engaged and married. As mike started his new carrier and being just married he was living the life, and then eventually mike and his wife had children. As years past on and three children later and his carrier taking off faster than ever mike began spending more time on his work then paying attention to his family. One day while mike was going through his old albums he came across this picture of him when he was just a little kid just doing what children love to do most having a good time with his father with all these memories coming back to him he sat back and realized what he has missed out on with his own children what that family tradition that his father has instilled in him was really about, it was about bringing the family closer together and creating that strong net relationship something that mike has clearly lost focus on. He soon enough realized how much of his children’s life he is actually missing out on to busy trying to provide for his family. He wasted no time the next morning he took all of his sons out to the place that his own father brought him to when he was just a little kid and showed them what their family tradition was and what it was really about. After that year mike took his children out at least once a year on a family trip to the place where his father took him and mike truly had everything now a loving wife the love of his children and a thriving career.
ReplyDeleteSummer 1947:
ReplyDeleteHarry’s parents sent him and his sister to spent their summer at their grandparents beach house on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California. For Harry’s seventh birthday, Harry’s grandfather took Harry on his boat for an afternoon of fishing along the peninsula. Pleased with the results of his beginner’s luck, Harry insisted his grandfather take a picture to send to his parents. His Grandfather agreed and asked one of the attendants at the yacht club to fetch him a camera. Harry posed on the dock smiling from ear to ear and holding his catch up high. Harry returned to his grandparent’s beach house each summer and the two of them continued the birthday fishing tradition.
Summer 1958:
Harry returned to the beach house for what he knew to be last time for quite a while. He would be leaving for college at the end of the summer. As tradition required, Harry and his Grandfather went on their annual trip. Harry noticed how much his grandfather had aged in the past 11 years. When it was time to return home, Harry’s grandfather asked him to go in a different direction. Worried that his grandfather was simply confused Harry attempted to assure him that he knew how to get home. However his grandfather insisted he knew where he wanted to go. To avoid upsetting his grandfather, Harry followed his grandfather’s directions which lead to the Balboa pier. He had Harry move the boat right next to one of the wooden posts which held up the pier. His grandfather then pulled out a knife and carved their names and the date into the post.
After college, Harry settled down in New York City. A year later he got married and had his first child. He had an extremely successful but time consuming job working in the entertainment industry. One afternoon at work Harry’s assistant pulled him out of a meeting to give him an urgent message. Harry’s sister had called and requested that he return her call immediately. When Harry returned her call she informed him that their parents had died in a car accident. His sister was then given an envelope which contained a letter from their parents in which they shared secrets they had kept from their kids. According to the letter, Harry’s parents were notorious bank robbers. They committed their crimes during the summer while they sent their kids to a random family’s home. In exchange for a significant amount of money, an old man and woman watched both Harry and his sister while their parents committed their crimes.
Disappointed in his family’s dishonesty, Harry cut ties with what he thought to be his family and never spoke to any of them again.
Raised in a secluded Alabama home by an alcoholic, widower father, Peter had little to do with his free time other than explore outside. When his father was loud and violent, Peter often fled to the lake near his house and watched the animals that passed by. He taught himself how to fish, and over the course of a few years of solitude he managed to become fairly skilled.
ReplyDeletePeter never forgot the day his father died. He wasn’t particularly sad; after all, his father had always been a pathetic figure in his life, shirking his parental responsibilities and wallowing in self-pity and bourbon. His father died suddenly of what might have been a heart attack. Peter was left alone, with no family to turn to and no one to hear his plight.
Peter fled, taking with him only what food was left in his house. He left his fishing rod; there would be no use for it. After a long while, he managed to find a small mining town and was given meager jobs until he was old and strong enough to mine coal.
Peter was an efficient worker; he soon grew strong and was widely respected in the mines. He spoke to very few people, and thought often of his life by the lake. He yearned for a better life, a life free of coal dust and crippling poverty. Tired and unfulfilled, Peter fled once more.
The next few years of Peter’s life were spent in transit. He lived in countless towns across a number of states, never staying in the same place for longer than a few months. He rode cargo trains often, and for all he knew Alabama was several states away. Again he found himself dissatisfied with his life, and wished only for stability.
Peter met Jane while he was staying at a bed and breakfast. She was a kind girl with a tired face and a friendly disposition. A victim of domestic abuse, Jane was hesitant to become attached to many people, but she saw something different in Peter. They started to spend a considerable amount of time together, and Jane showed Peter all of her favorite places around her town. To Peter's great surprise, she took him to a secluded lake. It was a sobering experience for Peter, to be reminded so clearly of his childhood and his old refuge. But it didn't matter. The two sat down together by the side of the lake. And for the first time in a long time, they were both happy.
It was early in the morning when the young boy rose from his bed. He fought off a yawn as he saw a distinct lack of sun out of his bedroom window. “This is the day”! He thought excitedly, as a natural smile strong-armed its way onto his face. This was the day that his old man was going to introduce the young boy to the wondrous past time of fishing. His old man had prepared him for this day for about a month now, telling him stories from his childhood when he would go fishing with his dad, and what it was like, what to expect. He reminded the young boy that fishing was a sport of patients, and that it can take a very long time to catch anything. The young boy listened intently to his old man through all of his stories, and everything he had to say, only adding to his excitement. The young boy and his old man got ready, packed up their car with their fishing poles, tackle boxes, and a lunch for each of them. They got in the car, and were off. By the time they made it to the lake, the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. The young boy and his old man unloaded their fishing equipment from the car and got all set up on a near by dock. The old man then started to instruct the young boy on the basics of fishing, how to cast, where to aim for, and most importantly, how big the fish were. The young boy was a little disappointed when he found out that it was unlikely that any fish they would catch would be bigger than his hand, but he was so excited that it barely changed his mood. It wasn’t long before the young boy cast his first line into the lake. He watched as the hook and bait landed on the water, floated for just a moment, and sank under and out of view. Then, he waited. And waited. During this time he talked to his old man, and heard more of his fishing stories from his childhood. These stories were starting to add to his disappointment now. The young boy was starting to realize how difficult it was to be patient. The sun was slowly starting to rise. It was now almost a quarter of the way through the sky and still nothing. The young boy asked his old man if there was anything he could do to make the fish bite faster, but the old man told him that the best thing he could do was be patient. And so the boy waited some more. The sun was now almost at the middle of the sky, and so the young boy and his old man decided to break for lunch. This could not have come any sooner because the young boy was very hungry, and felt like he was going to die from boredom. Right before the young boy put down his fishing rod he felt a tug. “THE FISH ARE BITING!” The young boy exclaimed. His old man started to instruct the young boy on how to reel it in. As the young boy reeled the fish in, the tug became stronger, and the rod started to bend significantly. The old man had to help the young boy hold on to his fishing rod, but the young boy still did all of the reeling. The young boy soon saw the fish come just beneath the water, and soon it broke the surface. When the young boy finally had the fish reeled in, he saw the reward of his patients. The fish he caught was not the size of his hand, but rather the size of his arm! The old man told the young boy to hold up the fish he caught by the fishing line so he could take a picture. The young boy did just that and had the biggest smile on his face. This went on to be the best moment of the young boy’s childhood.
ReplyDeleteRob Carson and his family were known as the travelers of Mt. Clementine and every year they would leave for a quest and find new places to hike and fish. They were always known as the adventurous type that traveled to far or unknown places. This summer they decided to travel to Colorado. The ride felt extremely long, however, with the large family they had, the rides were always just as enjoyable as the vacation itself! During the ride there, they would sing songs while Rob’s uncle Bert played the ukulele. His mother mainly sang and everyone else would join in. As fun as the singing was, Rob’s undeniably favorite part of the car ride had to be the plethora of snacks his sister Nymphadora would pack. Rob’s family lived meagerly; however, they never skimped on anything having to do with food. The family had guests over the previous night, so Rob’s mom, Aiswariya had prepared an amazing dinner, complete with all the works. For starters, she had made miniature beef wellingtons and corn pudding. The main course was equally mouth-watering, if not more; Mrs. Carson had certainly outdone herself with a roasted fowl, root vegetables, and freshly baked sourdough for dipping. Last but not least, the Carson family and their guests enjoyed blueberry compote with a brown sugar and molasses crumble to top it off. That being said, all of the leftovers of these dishes were now neatly packed into the Carson icebox, ready to be consumed by ravished mouths on their way to Mt. Clementine. After eating his snacks, Rob peered out the window of his wagon, and exclaimed in joy. “EUREKA! I see it! I see it,” said Rob. As the wagon drew closer and closer, the family began to see what Rob had become so excited about. Peaking through the horizon, lay the famous Mt. Clementine, its peaks lightly dusted with a fine layer of powdery snow. Nearing a clearing, Mr. Carson pulled the horses to a screeching halt. He then proceeded to tie the mares to a nearby tree while the rest of the family began to unpack. After setting up his sleeping grounds, Rob set out to explore the area. While the family was unpacking, the sun had begun to set, and the wind was characterized by a soothing chill. Johnny put on his warmest coat and sturdiest shoes, and set out with a whale oil lantern. Climbing through the fallen branches and shrubbery of the neighboring forest, Rob carefully absorbed all of his surroundings. To his left he saw deer quietly grazing, protecting their young with an outer-inner circle mechanism. To his right, Rob observed a bubbling waterfall. Excitement growing within the depths of his stomach, Rob made a mental note to return to this very spot and headed back to camp for a nightcap. Later that night, Rob began to scheme about the interesting adventures he could pursue the following morning. Content with his findings, Rob settled into a deep and restful sleep. When he awoke the next morning, Rob jumped out of his blankets and headed towards the direction of the waterfall he had found the previous night. Equipped with his favorite fishing rod and other related gear, Rob made a mad dash through the shrubbery and branches, ignoring the painful scratching sensation. Upon arrival, Rob dropped his equipment and began to set up all that was needed for a successful fishing escapade. Armed with a trowel and a large leaf, Rob set about digging through the moist and fragrant mud for unwilling earthworms to serve as bait. Once Rob had found sufficient earthworms, he hooked the unfortunate worms and threw his line into the water. Lucky for Rob, nearly each pull came up with a decently sized fish. At the end of the day, Rob strung all of his fish together to display his fishing prowess and smiled for an incriminating snapshot.
ReplyDeleteIt was 72 years ago, 1940, I remembered as I pulled the old photograph from my father’s oak dresser. I was just 10 years old when I had one of the best days of my life. My father Bill and I went fishing, something we enjoyed doing together. I had 12 siblings and the fact I got the day alone with him was like magic. We stepped into an old boat and rowed for hours. That day was the bluest sky I had ever seen. The frogs were croaking on the outskirts of the lake as I casted away into the murky green tinted water. Fish kept jumping onto my line like nothing I have ever witnessed in my entire life. The first photograph my family ever possessed was this one I would hold in my palms 72 long years later. Bear lake in good ole Michigan. Although this was the best day of my life, the next would be the worst. My father went to work on the railroad as he always did, but he didn’t return with my supper like usual. I was now the man of the house and I had no choice but to help fend for my family at only ten years old. This magical day I had experienced with my father had turned into my career. I returned to the lake everyday since his death to catch fish for my family. I casted the line as he did, I looked towards the sky, that same bright blue beautiful sky. I could feel the magic as the fish continued to jump onto my line, day after day. As I became older I left Bear Lake to start my life with my wife Linda. Linda and I returned to Bear Lake with our children to show them how I saved my family after my father’s death. As I stare at this picture of me as a child I reminisce on the memory of my father. My favorite place in the world ended up being my job, but it got me through the hardest days. The magic continued. In this spot I proposed to my beautiful wife, got married and even had my honeymoon. As I look back to this day a smile glimmers across my old wrinkled face. Now, 82 years old I plan on moving to Bear Lake to end my life as my father did. He was not an old man, but he was wise. He promised me that no matter what happened Bear Lake would always hold the memories of him. These memories are the ones I will cherish until I die. So, I will continue to cast my line into the lake looking at the beautiful Michigan sky. One day I will return to that sky with my father looking over Bear Lake forever thanking the fish for keeping us alive and our memories.
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