Mad Man's Fishing Special

   My Grandpa Davis (Everett) was a big man who who did manual labor to make a living for his wife and 10 kids.  He could also listen to a bird sing and tell you what kind of bird it was.  My Grandma Davis (Minnie) evidently was the 'glue' of the family.  I'm happy to say I inherited my Scottish descent from him & the Irish descent from her.  From the stories I've heard, the kids were, at their mildest, ornery.  The brothers once trapped my Aunt JoAnn in the outhouse.  Every time she'd open the door to exit, they'd fire their bb guns at her.  In a theater balcony, they would make 'ralfing' noises and dump cans of chili over the edge during scary parts of the show. 

   Now there are 4 kids left and my dad, Walt, is the youngest.  When he was still in the cradle, a sister nicknamed him 'Kitten' and it stuck.  I think he was in fights due to that name, preferring to be called 'Deke'.  The remaining kids still pull practical jokes, but maturity has mellowed them.  My dad is now the 'glue' of our family, he spoils his wife and is an absolute gentleman.

  Dad keeps spotless cars, washing them more in 1 month than I do mine in 2 years.  But, the family has always been into cars.  My brother Dave owns a '64 Mercury Montclair with the rear window breezeway.  I prefer the '68 Camaro, fastback Mustang, Corvair or Karmann Ghia but they just aren't practical for gravel roads, car camping and fly fishing.  So, when Dad brought pictures to our Father's Day get-together and told us we could take what we wanted, I snatched up the one with my dad in it, sitting on the 'Mad Man's Fishing Special'.  The car is a 1931 Dodge, the first vehicle owned by my Uncle Dave, who was then 13 years old.  While many of my pictures can only be viewed from my laptop or pulled from a box, this one will readily be framed.  It seemed to cross generations and meld family interests.

   Unknowingly, Dad gave his daughter a great gift on Father's Day!  While I have many paintings and photos waiting -some for years- to be hung, that photo will be the first to be officially hung in my tying room. 
   To my Dad, to my friends or to their fathers, & to those other dads kind enough to take the time to become a 'follower' on this blog, Happy Father's Day!