Kari & Grandpa Louis

I love the memories pictures evoke. I love this picture of my Dad & Kari. Kari is around one in this shot which means Dad was about 53. They were both born in May and I think this was taken in April or May of 1970.

Denny and I had rented a metal detector for the weekend before driving down to my folks.

We went into the football field (still down at the fairgrounds racetrack infield then) and found a few coins and lots of pop tops.

Dad suggested we drive down to Hawleyville to the old rodeo/fair grounds there. The field he directed us to hadn't been used for that for years, but had attracted large crowds in the past.

Romantic that I am, I was just certain we were going to find a lost ring or some rare old coins. Of course, we didn't find a thing, but we did have a pleasant outing. And I learned where the much heard about Hawleyville Rodeo Grounds were.

There is a picture similar to this one of Dad & Kari perched on an old tree trunk at the Hawleyville location. Then we came back to the folks and I took this one out in their barnyard west of the granary. Dad looks so healthy in this picture even though his health was in decline and he would be dead eight years later. Kari looks so happy to be standing on the big log with her grandpa.

What I don't remember is the large tree trunk. I think there were once elm trees along the north hog lot fence which were replaced by maples after the dutch elm disease killed all the elms. Now I need to find a picture of the barnyard and hog lot to refresh those memories.