Oct. 28, 1965: The last piece of the Arch is fitted into place 🍂

     Have you been to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri? How about to the top of the Arch? That's quite an experience! I've been to the arch a few times and have even been to the top. Definitely a must-do while in St. Louis.

Final piece being added

St. Louis, Missouri

Oct. 28, 1965

    Today is the anniversary of the last piece being fitted into place to complete the "sweeping curve of stainless steel rising 630 feet above the ground". It took 142 pieces of welded equilateral triangles rising from two separate legs to complete the arch. Engineers had to be precise with their measurements so as to not end up with a very costly (and embarrassing) mistake when then two legs came together. And it was perfect... only being about three-eights of an inch off. Who said you wouldn't need Math when you grow up? 

Check out pictures of the construction here

    The first time I went to the Arch, I was about 5 or 6 years old. It was for a field trip in Kindergarten. We never went up in the arch, but we visited the museum underneath. The most I remember about that day is walking right next to one of the legs of the arch and running my fingers against it to feel the cool steel. 

Going to the Arch
Eureka, Missouri
abt 1988

    I didn't make up to the top of the arch for the first time until I was 18. Mom and I took a day and went downtown. I didn't get any pictures, but it was a good time. Now, I am afraid of heights. Seriously afraid of heights. I could just feel my heart racing in my chest as I looked out the windows. It was a beautiful sight for sure. And I have gone up a couple times since, but yeah, it's a little unnerving. 

    If that doesn't make you shake, the ride up just might. You fit yourselves into what looks like an Egg that Mork from Mork and Mindy would have arrived in, and ride to the top. Did I also mention I am claustrophobic? Eek! It's a tight fit, only 5 people per "egg". And as you are going up, the "egg" shifts back and forth as it goes up the leg of the arch. You can see out the small window as you ride up. Not outside, but the stairs that are right outside the "egg". Can you imagine having to use the stairs?? Oh heck no!

    Now when you get to the stop, your senses will need some time to adjust. On windy days, you WILL feel the arch swaying. It definitely threw off my equilibrium. I had to sit down. But again, if you are able to make the trip, I absolutely recommend it for the experience. There have never been any accidents or problems, so you are perfectly safe. 

    I had the opportunity to take my daughter to the top when we were visiting St. Louis in 2010 (before we moved back). She really enjoyed it! We went to the top and took lots of photos. We also visited the museum down below.

Gateway Arch

St. Louis, Missouri

Aug 2010

    The last time we visited the arch grounds was in 2014 when my best friend who is like a sister to me visited St. Louis for our other friend's birthday. It had been years since she been back and we wanted to make the best of it. Sarah is an amazing photographer and took some beautiful shots. She has her own blog where she showcases her photos. 

Visit Just Shoot Pics' Blog

    During this visit, we actually got shots of the inside of the "egg" elevator along with photos inside of the arch. 

Gateway Arch

St. Louis, Missouri

2014

Have you ever been to the top of the arch? Share your stories in the comments. Were you watching the day that they put the last piece in place? Tell me what you remember.

History of 3 Musketeers Candy Bar 🍂

     What's your favorite candy bar? It's almost Halloween so we are stocking up on candy for trick or treaters. Everyone has their favorite: Snickers, Milky Way, Reeses, M&M's, Jolly Ranchers, Smarties, etc. Kids will gather their candy for Halloween, then sit around after they collected their spoils and trade with their friends. At least that's what I and my friends used to do. My favorite candy bar to get though was a 3 Musketeers Bar. It's still my favorite to this day. But you know a question was brought up recently of why was it called 3 Musketeers? So searching I went.

History of the 3 Musketeers Candy Bar

    The 3 Musketeers Candy Bar was introduced way back in 1932. Farther back than I anticipated. It was the third candy made by the Mars Company at the time. The two key components used, today, are Chocolate and Nougat. Nougat was originally put into candy bars because it resembles the flavor and texture of Ice Cream, which is why a lot of people choose to refrigerate or freeze their candy bars. Fascinating! But that doesn't answer my question. Why call it 3 Musketeers? 

Screenshot from Commercial
Super Circus - 1954

There used to be three flavors

    When it was released in 1932, it was released with not one, but three minibars, with each containing a different flavor: Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla. OH!! That's where it got its name! Never saw that coming. Eventually, because of World War II and sugar rationing, in 1945 they condensed it down to just one flavor: Chocolate. Which is what we have today. And it was marketed as being so big it could be shared with a friend. But let's be honest, who would want to share. The original cost of the bar back in 1932 was only 5 cents, which would be approximately 89 cents today. 

3 Musketeers is the same as Milky Way?!

    Did you know that 3 Musketeers is very similar to the Milky Way bar? Not the American-made Milky Way (which to the rest of the world is known as a Mars Bar). No, we are talking about the European version of the Milky Way bar. If you handed someone from outside the United States a 3 Musketeers Bar, they would say, this is a Milky Way Bar. I have never tasted it personally, but according to Candyrageous:

"Yes, the European Milky Way is reminiscent of 3 Musketeers, but different enough to feel distinct. The consistency of the fluffy nougat is about the same, but the flavour is entirely different; the stuff in a 3 Musketeers bar has a mildly chocolatey flavour, while the filling here has more of a malty kick. It’s interesting — it almost tastes like Maltesers, but soft and chewy instead of light and crispy." Source: Candyrageous.ca

     Well, there you have it. You learn something new every day. I have to say, I'm glad the 3 Musketeers is only chocolate now. I can't imaging having the other flavors. But of course, this is what I've been used to for so long. So if they were to change it, yeah I would be upset. Great, now I want a 3 Musketeers bar. 

    Well before we go, let's take a trip down memory lane with a few old vintage 3 musketeers commercials. Enjoy!

Commercial #1

TV Commercial - 1960s

Commercial #2

Super Circus - 1954

Commercial #3

Howdy Doody - 1950s

Commerical #4

TV Commercial - 1980

Sources:
Penn State University - https://sites.psu.edu/tota137/2019/03/20/three-musketeers/

Leaf.tv - https://www.leaf.tv/articles/malts-vs-shakes/

Old Time Candy - https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-3-musketeers

Candyragous.ca - https://www.candyrageous.ca/milky-way-european/

Fort Leonard Wood Yearbooks and Copyright 🍂

     If you've been following my blog, you will know I picked up a couple of Fort Leonard Wood US Army Training Center Yearbooks from the antique store a few weeks back. I couldn't bear to see them stay there and not be preserved and shared. My dad attended there for his training before Vietnam, so these books have a special place in my heart.

U.S. Army Training Center
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Company C, First Battalion, Second Brigade
23 February 1967

    I shared the books I had in some of the genealogy groups and told them I would do look-ups for people. So far I haven't found anyone people were looking for, but it's possible that could turn up later. I was asked if I was going to upload the pages to the internet so people could view them on their own. I had briefly thought about it but wasn't sure if I would be able to. For one main reason: Copyright.
    Most of you probably didn't know that most yearbooks, especially today, are copyrighted. And not just one copyright, but many levels of copyright. I have attended a few webinars that talk about copyright so I'm familiar with the topic. I honestly didn't realize how much is actually copyrighted. Especially yearbooks.
    Judy G. Russell has a wonderful blog called The Legal Genealogist. She is a Genealogist with a law degree and she dedicates her time to helping people understand the law, especially when it comes to family history research. It's actually her webinars I've attended. So I searched her blog for answers regarding yearbooks and copyrights. 

Read what she wrote on her blog
Copyright and The School Yearbook

    Definitely helpful, but I still had a few more questions. So I contacted Judy directly to get some more help and answer my questions. I just wanted to be sure that legally I wouldn't get into trouble. I had thoroughly checked through the books for any mention of a copyright notice or mention of a photographer and I found nothing. So I would assume that means it would be in the public domain. I contacted Judy on the 18th and responded on the 19th.

Judy G. Russell on October 19, 2021 at 10:51 am
From a purely copyright perspective, something published in the US without a copyright notice before 1977 is in the public domain. (See https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain) But do consider privacy issues… Not everybody wants their yearbook pictures online.

    I was so glad to hear that they should be in the public domain. That clears up that concern. But privacy... yes this is something I had thought about. How would these men feel having their pictures online? The truth is we are coming to a time where a lot of these men are no longer living or are passing away. And some of the men that are still living may want to see pictures of their old comrades; the old friends they served with. So at this point, I am willing to risk it to share these photos for family and friends to be able to view these pictures.

    So coming up soon, these yearbooks will be available online for anyone to view. I am still researching the best place to upload these yearbooks for viewing. I'm also considering creating a database. I'm not sure yet. Still have to work out the details. But I do know I want to upload these. So stay tuned for that.

    So let me end this blog post by putting this out here. I have mentioned this already in another post, but going to share it again. If you have a Fort Leonard Wood yearbook that you don't want anymore, I will take it. OR if you wish to scan the pages and contribute your yearbook to this collection, please feel free to send them to me. I will happily include them. Instructions on how to do this will come later in another blog post once I figure out where I am going to host this. But I wanted to put it out there now to hopefully draw attention. 

Anyway, thank you, and stay tuned!! 

Franklin County History Fair! 🍂

     Hey all! The Franklin County History Fair is coming back this Sunday!  

    Many groups will have booths set up, including Yours Truly. I have also donated a wooden tree with pendants for the silent auction. All proceeds collected from the Silent Auction will go to the Franklin County Historical Society to help with the building fund. Come check it out. It's a really good time! 

I had a booth set up in 2019 and had a great time. Check out the video below from the day. And then come join us Sunday!

Long Lost Rickards Cousins 🍂

     One of the joys of doing genealogy research is the possibility of finding long-lost cousins you never knew you had. I've spoken of this before when I found my Ilg family and some of Mark's family as well. It's been so great to make connections, share stories, and see pictures of family that we never would have seen before. But there is one more aspect of this that really tops the cake. Actually meeting them in person!

    A few months back, we had the privilege of meeting some of our lost lost cousins. Here in St. Louis, they have an annual Art Fair in Clayton, Missouri where they invite some of the biggest artists around to display and sell their work. And this year, our cousin would have a display! So you bet we were going to go see him. They live in Texas, so this would be the best opportunity to finally meet up.

    With nerves and excitement going with us, we headed out to Clayton to the Art Fair. Parking was going to be the biggest issue for sure, but we found a good spot (at least I know how to parallel park haha). The art fair was at least outside and it covered a couple of blocks. We still wore our masks to be safe though. And I'm glad we looked up how to find him on the map otherwise we would have gotten lost. But we didn't and we found him!

Mark, Greg, Me & Sani

    May I introduce cousin Greg Davis! He is Mark's 2nd Cousin through is Rickards line. Their connecting ancestor is Great-Grandpa Paul Jones Rickards from Centralia, Illinois. Mark's Grandpa went to St. Louis which Greg's Grandpa, also known as Big Daddy, went to Texas. That's where both families have been settled since.

Mark's connection to Greg

    Greg's mom, Sara has met up with Mark's family in the past, but this is the first time Mark is meeting this side of the family. It was such a wonderful experience. Greg and his girlfriend, Amy were so amazing. We already were talking about us coming to Texas for a visit sometime to see the rest of the family.

    I originally got in contact with the Davis family through Greg's brother, Gary Davis, who is their family historian. We've been sharing stories and photos for years now. So it was great to finally get to meet one of the family members.  I've also talked with Sara, their mom, on multiple occasions. I really do hope we can make a trip to see them all.

    I will say, not only was it great to see our cousin but to view his photography was a huge bonus. He travels all around the world and works for National Geographic as well. His art is just tremendous. He has such an amazing eye and captures so much beauty in his photographs. So, of course, we had to get some to display in our house. We are just waiting to get some frames to hang them up. If you get a chance, please head over to his website and check out his photography. You will be amazed, I promise.

Click here to visit his Website

    Since starting my blog, I have found so many long-lost cousins. They end up searching online for information about their family and my blog will come up if their surname or ancestor is mentioned. This is why I am so happy I decided to start a blog. If you are considering starting your own blog and are not sure if it's the right thing to do, I absolutely recommend it, especially if you want to find long-lost family members. Definitely worth it!

Rickards Family

abt 1922

Centralia, Illinois

Accident or Murder? The Death of William Shoults🍂

    Imagine your 20-year-old son leaving his home in Summersville, Missouri to head out with his long-time chum to visit the father of said chum who was currently in the town of Smithton, about 175 miles north. That's not too bad, right? I mean you've known the family for years. The friend just lost his mom not long ago. It's only about a 3 1/2 hour drive and they will be getting a ride. So why would you worry? There should be no cause for concern, right?
    A couple days go by and you hear nothing, but are not worried. Your son is an adult. He can take care of himself. You can't worry about him all the time. Then you receive word... "No, it can't be..." you think. "Not my baby! Why? How? When? NO!"

Source: Newspapers.com
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
St. Louis, Missouri
21 Sep 1934

    William Shoults was born near Shannon County, Missouri on January 29, 1914, to Andrew & Daisy Shoults; their fourth child and third son. William grew up in Shannon County in the township of Casto, which is just a little ways East of Summersville, Missouri. When he was old enough to work, he helped his father on the family farm. He was good friends with Bill Douthat who was a few years younger than him. They had gone to school together and both families owned farms.
    Bill Douthat's mom had died last year so he was to stay behind in Shannon County with his grandfather and siblings to care for the farm while his father, Robert Douthat, went to Smithton to go into the Cafe Business. No doubt to make some extra money for the family. So when Bill asked his old chum William if he would go with him up to see his father, he wouldn't have hesitated. Little did he know, that this trip would be his last.
    Bill wrote his father and told him he was coming up to see him, but for him to not worry cause he had a ride with someone. When they didn't arrive, Robert must have been worried. Concerned. But he probably never expected to get that call from the Democrat informing him of the death of his son. What happened? Why was he asleep by the railroad tracks when he was supposed to have had a ride? And why over by Sedalia? That's about 6 miles East of Smithton. They could have just come straight North. Why were they East? And why would they rest being so close to where they were going?
    

Source: Newspapers.com

Sedalia Democrat

Sedalia, Missouri

20 Sep 1934

    These questions would have to go unanswered unfortunately as everyone was convinced that Bill and William just stopped by the railroad tracks to rest for the night. Including the local Sheriff, the witnesses who found the boys, and the coroner. But it was the duty of the coroner to call an inquest just in case to officially settle the manner. In Missouri, the coroner is a county official, usually elected, who investigates and creates records for deaths that occur under accidental, questionable, unusual, or suspicious circumstances.
    So after some setbacks, the inquest was scheduled for September 22, 1934, at 10:00 am at the McLaughlin Funeral Chapel. It was originally scheduled for the morning of September 21, 1934, the day after the accident, but the train crews that were subpoenaed were unable to be there. A jury was selected for two inquests that were scheduled to happen on the same day. According to the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, Section 58.360, RSMo 1949, the duty of the jury is as follows: 

"The jury, having viewed the body, heard the evidence, and made all the inquiry in their power, shall draw up and deliver to the coroner their verdict upon the death under consideration, in writing under their hand, and the same shall be signed by the coroner."

Source: Newspapers.com
Sedalia Democrat
Sedalia, Missouri
21 Sep 1934

    So six men were called as jurors to view the bodies of Bill & William, listen to the witness statements, and come up with a final decision on how and why they have died. They have quite a task on their hands. It would definitely take a strong stomach to be able to view remains of this nature and then the ability to pay attention to detail and to listen to the witnesses to make the most informed decision they can. 

Coroner's Inquest
William Douthat & William Shoultz
Sedalia, Missouri
22 Sep 1934

    According to the inquest, the jury viewed the bodies the day before the actual inquest. So the day of the inquest, they heard testimony from the crew that found the bodies. The first crewman to testify was E.J. Hess. He was the engineer of No. 79 who originally spotted the boys.

Testimony by E.J. Hess

Coroner's Inquest

22 Sep 1934

    The other witness who was interviewed was George Novinger. He was the conductor on the No. 79. He examined the bodies a little more closely and had more to say on the subject. 

Testimony by George Novinger

Coroner's Inquest

22 Sep 1934

    Both witnesses stated that the Sheriff was there, but there was no investigation. He must have been fully convinced upon arrival that the boys had fallen asleep next to the tracks and that this was a tragic accident. This conclusion was also drawn by the jury members as well in their verdict.

Jury Verdict

Coroner's Inquest

22 Sep 1934

    Based on just the evidence presented at the coroner's inquest, it's definitely plausible that the boys died in this manner. Two boys traveling far away from home would get tired and take a rest somewhere before continuing on their journey. While it doesn't seem likely someone would be able to sleep through the vibrations and the sound of a train coming, it's not unheard of. Some people are very heavy sleepers. And if you are walking all that way, you would be absolutely exhausted. So again, it would be plausible that you would not wake up.
    But a good investigator doesn't just go by this information. They would ask the family. They would inquire as to why the sheriff didn't do any investigating. They would take all the information and draw a conclusion. Granted, a coroner's inquest is limited on what they are to determine based on the evidence presented to them. This is not a trial, so to speak, and no other witnesses would be called except the ones who found the body. So based on this, it's easy to understand the conclusion the jury came to.
    Although based on the information that Robert Douthat had, the families would definitely be suspicious of the circumstances. As stated, the boys were supposed to have a ride to Smithton, so it doesn't make sense the boys would stop off to rest somewhere by the side of the road when they were literally minutes from their final destination by car. And they were heading in an opposite direction from where Smithton was located. 
    The map below is from the 1940 Enumeration District Map collection. These maps were used by Census takers to help them navigate their districts. This is the map of the town of Sedalia, Missouri. Based on the information given by the witnesses from the Coroner's Inquest, the boys would have been found where the four dots in the box are located. 

1940 Enumeration District Map

Sedalia, Missouri

Source: National Archives

    If you pull up a map on Google, you can see where Smithton is located in proximity to where the boys were found. Looking at these maps definitely raises questions. The circle is the approximate location where the boys were found. That puts them about 6 miles West of the center of Smithton. The blue line coming from the South is the direction they would have been traveling by car. To head to Smithton from Summersville, they would have taken State Hwy W, but they were found near the intersection of State Hwy M and Hwy 50. Which is completely out of the way from how they would travel. 

Source: Google Maps

Smithton, Missouri to Sedalia, Missouri

    No matter how you slice this, something is fishy. There are many questions we still don't have answers to. And unfortunately, we never will. William Shoults' family has stood by the fact that this was not just a simple accident. Poor William's mother must have just been beside herself. Knowing that something bad happened, but not having the ability to prove it or get the Sheriff to investigate. She had to have felt the Sheriff was involved in a cover-up, which is not that far-fetched of a thought.
    This took place in the 1930s in the midst of the Great Depression. Bill Douthat's mom had died, his far was trying to open a new business up north, and Bill had to stay back with his grandfather to run the family farm just to keep the family afloat. It wasn't unheard of for the Mob to use desperate teens to run "errands" for extra cash. Yes, the Mob. William Shoults' mother suspected the Mob had something to do with this and that the sheriff was in on it. And if that was the case, then there definitely won't be any answers. 
    But think about it. Bill Douthat was in a hurry supposedly to get up to his dad. He supposedly had a ride with an unknown person. He and William Shoults were found west of where they were supposed to be, not very far from a crossing where bodies could be dumped. And placing their bodies on the tracks would definitely guarantee their bodies wouldn't show any sign of assault. And if the Sheriff was in on it, all it took was for him to not do any investigating to help cover up the murder.
    Whatever the case may be, the belief that the boys had laid down to sleep by the tracks so close to their final destination when they were supposed to have had a ride to begin with is pure 'kaka'. And since the train destroyed any possible evidence, there would be no way to prove it. Until her death, William Shoults' mom held to the truth that her son was murdered. And this was passed down to the rest of the family and will continue to be passed down.
    William was missed tremendously by the family and did not have the opportunity to get married and have a family of his own. So no one will ever know what would have become of poor William. He will forever be 20 years old.

Shoults Family

circa the 1930s

45s and Memories - I found Mom's records! 🍂

     So I walked upstairs from my parents' basement and told mom, I'd like to speak to her husband. I also told her she wouldn't believe what I found in a pickling crock downstairs. At the very bottom of this cock was an old brown bag and inside was a whole bunch of 45 records. Mom's 45 records! You see, we've been looking for these for a few years. She knew they had to be down there somewhere, but they weren't with the rest of the records. Dad would always just say, they are down there somewhere.
    Well, I finally found them. And I get why Dad put the records there. They have had problems with flooding for many years so he put them in this crock to keep them dry. Makes sense. But then he piled a whole bunch of other stuff on top of them!! This picture was taken before I started working in his office. Where the red arrow is pointing is where the pickling crock is sitting. 

    After I brought them upstairs to mom, we spent time going through them reminiscing. When I was a kid, I used to play mom's records on their record player in the basement. Mom also pointed out which ones were her favorite and which ones had special memories. 

Here are the records now in a box for me to go through.

As you can there were quite a bit.

    So I thought I would share some of the songs that I found. Under each video will be a description of that particular song. Enjoy reminiscing with us!

Michael Jackson - Beat It

This was my favorite 45 to play as a kid. I used to walk around the house singing, "Just Beat It!" So I was so thrilled to find this 45. So many memories.

Rod Stewart - Maggie May

Mom loved Rod Steward and this was her nickname in school.

Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters

Another favorite of mine that I would play over and over. This was a Ray Parker Jr. 45 record. On one side was this song and the other side was the instrumental version of this song. It still plays but has some scratches on it.

Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe (live version)

I used to say this to my daughter & husband all the time. 

Bobby Vinton - Coming Home Soldier

Mom had quite a few 45s of Bobby Vinton. She loved his music. But this one she said she listened to a lot.

Leo Sayer - When I Need You

This song is so special to my mom. She gave this 45 to my dad. 

When he would be away on the road traveling, she would think of this song. She was afraid this 45 was lost forever, but it was in the bag of records. 

So I put it up with his picture. 

I may make something with it for her.

    These are just a few of the records that were special. I hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me. Do you have any special songs that remember playing on 45s? Head over to YouTube to look them up. Then share them with me in the comments. I look forward to listening to them. 

Sober find in the Antique Cabinet 🍂

*Trigger Warning for Family*

This post may be upsetting to read, so fair warning.

     Anytime you decide to dig through history, you are bound to find some sobering items. I wasn't sure what I was going to come across in the cabinet, but I wasn't prepared for this. It even threw Mark for a loop & he had to take a few minutes. And to the naked eye and uninformed person, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Some might have just boxed it up to get rid of it or even thrown it away, which is what I was originally going to do until I looked it over.

    This is a wick that is used in oil lanterns and lamps. And as you can see, it contained asbestos. Most everything did at some point. It was considered a "brilliant" construction material. Not only was it cheap and widely available in nature, but it was also Fire Resistant. So naturally, when using a flammable substance like Oil, it's smart to have something that would keep that fire under control. And since Asbestos is very fibrous, it could be woven into just about anything that needed to be fire-resistant.

Photo from Ebay listing of the wick outside the box

    But of course, as most of you know now, asbestos was also very dangerous to use. It is known as the "hidden killer". It is what took my dad's life. So of course, my first instinct was to trash this deadly box, as it did still contain the wick. But then I turned it over to read the side of the box.

    My heart just sank and I couldn't breathe for a minute. Now, while most of you know that my dad had passed from Mesothelioma, what you probably didn't know is that he worked at the factory Tallman-McCluskey, along with his mom (my grandma). They were an asbestos manufacturing factory. Raw asbestos would come into the factory, and they would turn it into all kinds of materials; one of them being this wick. 
    Really it was just a reminder of the reality I currently faced. Here I was processing through my dad's antiques from his cabinet, as he was no longer living, because his life was taken from him by Mesothelioma, a cancer that is caused by asbestos fibers getting trapped in the lungs (fibers that float so lightly in the air that it was used as snow in movies) that he contracted in his life from working many jobs where asbestos was used, including Tallman-McCluskey of whose product I am currently holding in my hand and wouldn't have found if my dad wouldn't have died from being exposed to a product like this. I can hear Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic" playing in my head.
    So instead of throwing it away, I wrapped it up in plastic and placed it inside of a box. As a reminder. Not that I really need one. But with all the companies that are trying to cover up and have been trying to cover up the fact asbestos kills, or trying to hide the fact their products contain asbestos, I want proof. I'm saving the proof. For legal reasons, I can't discuss details of his lawsuits with the companies responsible, but we are still fighting with a few because they want proof. Proof asbestos was used and they are responsible. So yeah, after dealing with that, I plan on keeping this. 
    I was doing ok going through Dad's cabinet until I came to that. Like I said, it hit Mark hard and he had to walk away. But we kept on. And we did find some really neat things in Dad's cabinet. See my other post, Exciting Finds in the Antique Cabinet. I really have been waiting to go through this cabinet for many years because it is just so full of history. Good and bad. So I will do my best to preserve everything I can, including the stories behind the items. So when it comes time for me to pass these items down, my child will know and not wonder like I am with my dad. Because these stories need to be shared. And never forgotten.

Miss you Dad...