Petty Family, including Walt Ridley, 1930s

 

The Pettys at the home near Cohutta, Murray County, Ga., they called the Red Hills, c 1937.

Left to Right.

First Row: Osmo Petty (1915-1978), Opal Petty (1913-1992) , Thelma Cox Petty (1908-1994) (wife of Wallace), Wallace Petty (1910-2007), and Sarah Petty (1927-1999) (will become wife of Bill McLemore).

Second Row: Cecil Grant (1901-1958), Georgette Petty Grant 1906-1966), Walt Ridley (1888-1954) (Grandma's brother), Janie Petty Hunter (1918-1996) (Mama and wife of Ed Hunter), Viola Ridley Petty (1885-1968) (Grandma), Mary Jo Johns Petty (1913-2000) (wife of Tom) and Tom Petty (1908-1979).

Behind Walt: Probably Roy Petty (1921-2000). But where is Leonard Petty (1924-2001)? If that is Leonard, where is Roy? Maybe the missing one is taking the picture.

Nashville and Panama City

 

Yesterday, we had an evening social in our neighbor Jane’s carport.  I was offered a beer, which I took.  I think it loosened my tongue.   I told these two true stories:

In late May or early June, 1959, Marietta students went to Panama City.  To  yet be famous singer Billy Joe Royal wanted to go to be with his girlfriend Georgia.  His brother Jack, and Jack’s friend Charlie, and two others wanted to go too.  We had saved $30 so we pooled our money.  We had a total of $35. I don’t know why my parents allowed me to go but somehow I got to go.

In Panama City, we stayed in a cheap hotel for $8 s night, the name was Key of West Motel.  The room’s bathroom was also the bathroom for another room. 

We went to the beach and got all sunburned.  We met up with other friends and we all went back our room to get out of the hot sun and drink cheap beer.  Our friends had yet got a room, mainly because they had no money, so they stayed with us.  It was crowed so some of them used the adjoining room.  In the middle of the night a honeymoon couple rented the adjoining room.  They opened the door and a bunch of friends of our were all over the bed and floor, sunburned, so almost naked.  We were kicked out.  The owner wisely searched our suit cases and found 2 or 3 motel’s towels.

With no money and no place to sleep we drove to Valdosta, Ga to look up Billy Joe’s and Jack’s kinfolks.  They did not have enough room for all of us, so 2 or 3 of us went to their other uncle in Tifton, Ga.  That night the uncle and aunt in Tifton took us to the American Legion in Syvester, Ga. And we all got drunk.  I slept behind their house by a pond that night.

We went back to Valdosta.  Billy Joe played a lot of music on their piano and a guitar.  Their uncle was a member of a local band that played in a furniture warehouse weekly.  He invited Billy Joe to play with them.  That was Bily Joe Royal’s first singing gig.  

Billy Joe decided to stay and play with the band.  He was the one with the car.  Their mother, Mrs. Royal came and brought us back to Marietta.

 

Another true story I told in th carport last night:

In the Spring of 1963 I was to go into the Navy active duty soon.  I wanted one last fling before I went so a bunch of us went to the Grand Old Opry in Nashville.

We went in my Volvo, which my friends just fixed my brakes.  In the mountains between Chattanooga and Nashville going down a steep hill my brakes gave out.  Back then on state highways they had “runaway ramps”… which I’m sure saved our lives.  The same friends that installed my brakes were in the car so they fixed the brakes.

In Nashville we got a room almost next door to the Ryman Auditorium .  Before we went in to the concert we went Woolworths to eat.  We were sitting in a booth in the window when an old man in raggedy clothes with a guitar stood outside and watched us eat.  We motioned for him to come in, which he came in.  We bought him a dinner.  He told us he and Cowboy Kobus grew up together.  He said Cowboy Kobus told him if he was ever in Nashville he would put him on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

We had balcony seats in the Opry.  We saw several big name stars sing, such as Patsy Cline and I forgot who else.  Then, in the aisle on the first floor I saw the old man in his dirty old raincoat and guitar wanting up the aisle towards the stage.  I told my friends, “Look!  Our buddy!”

Our buddy got only a few more steps and was blocked by ushers or security.  As they drug him off he hollered to Cowboy Kobus to let him up.  Cowboy Kobus went on with his routine without  even looking at his fold friend.

Afterwards we went to a bar named THE JUNGLE.  We made friends with the waitress name “Bunny”.  She told us to call her anytime.  Which we did the next morning and got to listen to her irate husband.

 

Shortly after that, maybe that same night or the next weekend night Cowboy Kobus and Patsey Cline  was killed in a plane wreck in Tennessee.

 

Fun and Laughter in front of Krogers

Today at Kroger’s I parked in one of their Handi-capped places.  While I was parking two elderly* women were unloading their groceries from a shopping cart into their car.

When suddenly their cart started rolling away.  The tallest of the two elderly women started chasing it.  The other elderly woman broke out laughing.

As I was getting out of the car the taller lady retuned with the runaway shopping cart.  She ask me, “Did you see me chase this cart?  I did not know I could move that fast!”

I replied, “Yes, I saw it, that was funny.  What was even funnier (pointing to her friend) was she cackling laughing.”

They both cackled.

*They looked even older than me, and I’m 83.

Us Mountaineers Scavengers

 

About ten miles north of Dahlonega on Hwy 19 is a fork in the road. With a big pile of rocks or stones. The body of Indian Princess Trahyla is under those rocks. She lived nearby. She heard if she drunk a certain potion it was give her eternal life. Well, the proof is in the pudding. She is dead under a pile of rocks.

Also, Princess Trahyla started a fad. A new superstition that travelers traveling by, if they would throw a stone or pebble on the Princess’s grave they will eternal youth. Again?

If you stayed on Hwy 19 you would enter Union County and go over blood Mountain. On the way down you would cross over The Appalachian Trail, see Volge State Park, and finally reach Blairsville,.

If you took the left Fork you would be on Hwy 60. There you would so through the little town Suches, and next a bigger town, Morganton.

In 1960 I got drunk, or tipsy, with Billy and Buddy. And ended up spending the night at Buddy’s house, who lived on Page Street. I suppose I made arrangements with Larry to pick me up at their house. Larry and friends came and picked me up before midnight.

We had a plan.

Larry drove us through Dahlonega and turned left at Princess Trahlyla’s stone grave, went a couple more miles and pulled over.

On one side of us was a mountain and the other side was a cliff.

The bottom of the cliff was the root of our plan. Larry heard that at the bottom of that cliff were many smashed cars. He heard the locals would push their cars off the cliff at that point and then collect from their insurance policy. Larry figured there were probably some good auto parts we could salvage.

However, at that moment it was pitched black over the cliff. We would have to wait for daylight to come.

Anytime we had idle time Larry would build a fire. We looked around the edge of the woods and found kindling wood, logs, and all we needed. We built a big fire in the middle or the road. We figured no fool would be driving on it in he middle of the night.

We were sitting around the roaring fire talking and laughing when I thought I heard the distant noise of a truck engine. I called my friends attention to the noise. It was getting louder. Then we cold see two headlights going around curves not far away.

We decided the only thing we could do is run!

A big truck was upon us as we scattered. The driver did not even apply his brakes, he might have even stepped on the gas and plowed right through it. With burning logs rolling and red sparks flying up in the black air.

I don’t know why we didn’t get the heck out of there. But we didn’t.

When daylight came Larry pulled out long ropes and cables out of his trunk and we began to lower ourselves down on the ropes.

As I said, only a few hours before I was drunk. Now, I was dangling on a waving rope in midair. I got sick, my head started spinning and all I could do was hold on for dear life. I vomited.

Jenky was below me hanging on the same rope. My puke splattered on him. He hollered, but hung on. He did not see the humor in at that moment but later he did.

At the bottom of the cliff there were a few cars turned all which ways. But all he parts have been stripped. A bunch of crooks beat us to our plan.

Jenky died in a drag race a couple months later.

It also reminded me of an Atlanta Postal Maintenance guy named Mr. Wellborn. Mr. Wellborn worked at the Federal Annex in Atlanta. He was an air conditioner specialist. I was a clerk in the maintenance department for a few months. I was a clerk there when astronauts first made “One Step for Mankind” because we were all kidding saying such an elaborate present for my birthday.

Anyway, back to Mr. Welborn. He was from Blairsville and went there often to see his property. He also worked on my home air conditioner for several years I remember he was easy going and deeply religious.

One time on the way to see his property he pulled ovrer to admire the valley. He stood on the edge of a cliff admiring the view, God’s gift, when a car sped around the corner and couldn’t make the curve and hit Mr. Wellborn’s car, which hit Mr. Wellborn and off he cliff he fell. He lived, but narrowly. He retired after that.

Dick Day, Old Navy Friend

 

Out of curiosity and pure nosiness I googled my old Navy buddy Dick Day to find out what ever happened to him.

We were stationed at NAS Lakehurst, NJ, at Helo Squadron HU-4. He was the squadron's journalist and I worked almost next door at the Information and Education Office.

After we both got out about two years later I visited him and his wife Nancy at Harrisburg, Pennsyvania. I spent Saturday with him at the NBC radio station he manned for a few hours. Our friend Don Lash also came in and had a mini-reunion.

Another time he and Nancy visited us in Smyrna, Georgia. We showed them what we felt were the high lights of Atlanta.

Later that night, after bedtime, Scatzi, our Snauzer dog, decided to give births to her puppies, in bed with Dick and Nancy.

I have not heard from Dick in decades, not since we had kids, which is near 50 years ago

SAG-AFTRA member and WTOP news anchor Richard Day signed off for his final time on Sunday, January 27, 2013 as he journeys into retirement. He had been with WTOP since 1985, though his first job in radio was in 1958 in his hometown of York, Pennsylvania. He also worked at NBC in Washington, WCBM in Baltimore, and as a reporter/producer for syndicated television.

Richard Day

Day was also an accomplished musician and actor; he was in a band before he was old enough to drive, and worked in amateur theater before attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he trained in Shakespearean theater. While there, he was a page for CBS, before pursuing a career in advertising. But the world of broadcasting beckoned him back after a three year stint in the Navy.

Richard Day will be spending his retirement doing the things he loves, like playing tennis, skiing, reading, playing piano, and taking in concerts and the theater. Jim Farley, WTOP’s VP Programming, said in an email to the station that “Day is a Class Act and I will sorely miss his quiet professionalism.”

We wish him the best in this next chapter in life, and congratulate Day on his retirement

Don't get me started.

 We went by the Cobb County Water Department to pay my late sister's water bill.  We are still sorting things out and told the lady at the window we still need the water, and wanted to pay it is person instead of losing it in the mail.

She more or less said, "Postal delivery?  Don't get me started!"

SUNDAY FUNNIES! TRUMP Magazine GIANTS

 

A couple weeks ago on TV we watched a special on Elizabeth Tayor.  It looked at her marriages some of her movies.  It had a few scenes from the movie GIANT.  GIANT is a movie about Texas, cattle and oil and Texas habits.  James Dean is in it.  It was James’ last movie.  He was killed in an auto wreck before if was completed, but somehow the editors and producers worked around that.

It reminded me of TRUMP Magazine and its satire on the GIANT.  They called it GIANTS.  TRUMP Magazine was a satire magazine published by Hugh Hefner, publisher of PLAYBOY.  It lasted only 2 issues.  TRUMP Magazine was Harvey Kutzman who earlier created MAD Comicbook.

TRUMP Magazine was in no way connected to Donald Trump, except the name.

Here is TRUMP Magazine’s GIANTS movie.  Story by Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by Georgia’s own Jack Davis.

Go West, Young Pettys!

 

John Franklin and Adeline Woody Petty. John is the son of Elijah Petty and Sarah Parker. Adeline is the daughter of Conrad Raburn and Elizabeth Hunt Woody. Adeline was born in Fannin Counry, Georgia, 1859 and John was born in the same county in 1856.

They were married 1881 in Fannin County. They had ten children.

Here is the only note I have about John:

John received the bulk of his father's estate.

In the book "PROGESSIVE MEN OF WYOMING" They moved to Sand Creek, Laromie County, Wyoming in 1887. Later owning a farm on the Wheatland Flats.

- Gary Griswold

Here is a far fetched thought: John Petty is the brother Daniel Webster Petty. Daniel Webster Petty is the father of William Elijah Joseph Petty (my mother's father). William Elijah Joseph was also born in Fannin County. William Elijah Joseph Petty moved his family to Gillette, Wyoming for a few years. I wonder if Wm Elijah Joseph was aware his uncle John lived in the same state? And if so, is that why he moved there?

Kudzu, Cactus, Rabbits, & Squirrels

 In our college biology class the professor gave a lecture that essentially said this: When the British took over Australia an officer’s wife brought cacti to decorate the back yard with plants. The cacti took over the country side. Why, because there is no natural enemy to cactus in Australia. To get the cacti under control they imported in rabbits to eat it, which got it under control. But the rabbits had no natural enemy, so the country side had too many rabbits. Then they imported snakes to take care of the rabbits and then…..” guess what?

Georgia had a similar problem. The farmers were having a hard time with erosion. Good fertile soil was hard to keep in one place with heavy storms and all. Some genius (?) suggested they plant Kudzu. It was deep rooted and keep the good soil from being washed away. Georgia bought Kudzu from Japan and planted it. Guess what? It had no natural enemy and got out of control, I took this picture only one mile from our house about 25 to 30 years ago.

Problem solved! The Kudzu is no longer there. A subdivision is in its place. Humans need housing, roads, ball fields, tennis courts. Yep, they found the natural enemy: Humans

POW!

 

Remember when you were a kid and you broke your arm, got a deep cut, or got a black-eye you wanted to show it off in a subtle way, like “nothing to it!”? I know I did. This picture was my Navy friend Don Lash, on the outside stairs of our Navy baracks showing me his blackeye he received the night before.

How it happened, we were station at NAS LAKEHURST, NJ 08733*, deep in the winter, literally snowed in. No one could come or go.

People were getting stir-crazy and cabin fever.

We couldn’t leave the base, even if they said we may, we still couldn’t. Too much snow.

But we could walk to the EM Cllub!

Back in the near mid 1960s all bars, it seemed, had video jukeboxes. The EM Club was no exceptions.

The EM Club was full of drunk people. Many was irritable too. It seemed the Marines were louder and more irritable. One Marine were really dancing to the rock and roll music wildly. We started imitating him. One of his friends saw us and punched him and pointed to us.

Mind-set he rushed over to us and smiling Don complemented him on his music moves. Then the guy floored him.

That’s All Folks!

*08733! Every time I type Lakehurst, NJ, I automatically type the zip code 08733. This is me bragging that I still remember the zip code there.

James Marion Prance - COTTON 10 CENTS PER POUND

 

Ava Pearl Prance 1890-1915

 

Ava Pearl Prance (1890-1915). She lived only about 25 years. She is the daughter of James Marion Prance

3 Legged Andy and Nancy Pannell Morris

 

From Marie's Picture collection: Andy and Nannie Pannell Morris. Nannie is sister to Mary Jane Pannell Prance. It looks like Andy lost a leg

Sarah Moody Tyson

 This is a blog post that I posted in 2006. Because last Saturday we were at Conn's Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, in Ball Ground, Ga., Sarah Moody's old stomping grounds, pull it up out of the archives, just for breath of fresh air. And to spruce up the editing of it:

This tin-type is my great-great grandmother Sarah C. Moody Tyson (1815-1895). She was born in South Carolina and died in Cherokee County, Georgia. She was the second of ten children of Allen Nancy Murphy Moody. I think she spent her formative years in Ball Ground, Cherokee County, Ga.

She married Robert Cabel Tyson (1821-1864) on September 3, 1843, and they had eight children.

She looks like she may have been Indian.

Ball Ground was named Ball Ground because it was where the Indians met to played ball. Now it is a place to go unique restaurants and go antiquing.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! MAD Magazine #24 Veracryz

Story by editor Harvey Kurtzman and art by Georgia's own Jack Davis

Boy Scout Camping & Tree Tricks

 

Boy Scout Camp, Troop 132. Camping out at George and Mike Hobby's daddy's property he bought off Macland Road.

Left to Right: Mickey Griffin, ?, Me, and Tony Hester.

That was the night George Hobby raised my sleeping bag up on a flag pole and blasted it with a shotgun. .... all, in good old boy fun.

Mickey Griffin was a fun loving kid. He used to walk around with me and my dog named Skipper when I delivered The Atlanta Journal newspapers and we do all kinds of mischievous tricks.

When I think of Tony Hester I remember the time I was showing him and Gene Sanges a trick I learned: climb up one small tree, and at the top get it swinging and when it swung wide enough I could gracefully grab an identical size and type tree, latch on to it and artfully shinny down the tree. I already did it twice alone, now I was ready to show off for an audience. I got Tony and Gene down at the bottom watching me and I skillfully climbed the tree near the top and got it swinging back and forth like I did two other times. That is the last thing I remembered for several hours, the tree top broke and I fell to the ground and was knocked out. Tony thought I was playing a joke and went home and got his wagon and came back and he and Gene put me in the wagon and carried me to his back yard where his two little sisters Peggy and Lulu were playing with their dolls. Tony told me if I didn't get up he was going to take off my clothes. I didn't get up and they took off my clothes. Then they thought I was dead. They put me back in the wagon (naked) and carried me home, over a block away. Nobody was at home so they left me in my bed an left.

Later my parents came home and was startled to see me in bed in the middle of the day, naked, and I had no idea why.

The lightening in that picture looks something like the Blair Witch Project doesn't it?

John & Lizzy Hawkins Huey

 

John and Lizzy Hawkins Huey. John is the son of my (and my Hunter 1st cousins) g-great grandparents John T. and Drucilla Wilson Huey. The Hueys lived on and near Carmel-Bascomb Road in south Cherokee County, Georgia.

It looks like John and Lizzy just got caught smooching behind the barn doesn't it?

MAD PODCAST

I am  beginning to check out Podcasts some while I walk.  I just finished listening (3 days of walking) to a Podcast apparently comedian Drew Friedman is the captain, or M.C. or whatever.  In the PODCAST section on my phone I searched for Harvey Kurtzman.  Who is Harvey Kurtzman?  Harvey created MAD Comicbook and I have been a life time fan, since the 7^th grade.  Harvey died in 1993 at age 68.HH]H

The Podcasf I listened had Drew Friedman, Al Jaffee, and Dick DeBartolo.  Harvey died in 1993 at age 68.  In the 90 minute or so PODCAST Harvey was mentioned a couple of times but it was mostly a conversation of MAD artists Drew Friedman, Al Jaffee, and      MAD writer Dick DeBartolo.  It was very educational of what went on behind  the scenes.  MAD artist Will Elder was mentioned also.

I enjoyed it all but the horse laughing.

Clay Homes Vanished!

 

I took this years ago from a window by the big clock of the latest Cobb County Courthouse.. Like all pictures, it is the subject matter that is the important part of the picture. But in this case it is what is not in the picture. The Clay Homes is not there. You can see the old Greyhound Bus Station that transformed itself into a unique shaped lawyer’s building but not the Clay Homes. They had been bull dozed away and left a vacant lot. But now yuppie replacements dwellings have arrived.

I know a bunch of people who spent their formative years in the Clay Homes. When they bulldozed the Clay Homes they bulldozed away an important part of our lives.

It was sudden Gentrification.

Wildman, Bluto, & Skip

 

Left to right: Dent “Wildman” Myers, “Bluto” Peck, an the late Underground Cartoonist Skip Williamson. I took this picture in November 2001, about a week or two after 9/11

It is fairly well known that Dent Mayer’s Wildman Store specialized and delt in “Old South” Lore, which had a lot of racial material. Months ago Dent Myers died and the community thought so did Wildman’s store in Kennesaw. On the news tonight thy announced it was back in operation. The lady that has a shop next door to Wildman’s is not happy at all, she is moving.

I remember Dent took his Civil War relics very seriously. He was also considered very well educated and an expert on the Civil War, troop movements, and so on.

Blood Blockage

 Collateral Circulation

I am reading the book SET LIST: a novel by Raymond L. Atkins.  It is mostly about a bunch of young men with a common like for Rock music and an insane mother and maybe the daddy too. 

Yesterday I read that the protagonist had heart troubles.   His artery was blocked.  Nature saved his life.  Nature built a series of blood vessels to carry the blood over the blockage.  The cardiologist in the book called it Collateral Circulation.  He added the protagonist was lucky to be alive. 

I had a similar series of blood vessels creating a bridge over a blockage.    My cardiologist did not call it Collateral Circulation.  But he explained the blood veins rerouting my blood stream than shook my hand and said, “Nice doing business with you.”  That was probably more than 30 years ago.

I felt lucky too.

Charles Roscoe Collins of Union County (kin)

 

This is a bust statue of Charles Roscoe Collins (1907-2000) in the Union County History Museum which was the old courthouse in Blairsville, Ga. Roscoe and I are both descended from John Hunter, pioneer of Union County. When I went to the Hunter Reunion in Union County every year I would talk to Roscoe, he always came alone, I was always surprised he remembered my name and that I was Marietta - every year, he had a sharp mind. I am always surprised when someone remembers my name after an hour or two lapses, but a whole year...wow!

I remember he and a Union County Congressman relative who also attended the reunions were the only two who wore ties or in Roscoe's case, a bowtie and a button cap - that is like Sunday Casual

Roscoe was a pioneer educator and founder of several things, such as the Air Civil Patrol in that county.

I have read several essays he had written about John Hunter's children. The one that comes to mind is john's son Andrew's trips to Augusta to sell the whiskey his father had made. Augusta was the closest market. His trail was the name of a certain highway, which was no wider than a cow path.

He is my 3rd cousin, once removed. I'll take a claim to fame anyway I can get it.

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

 

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

Goodbye Summer!

 

art by Jack Davis

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! Skip Williamson, R.I.P.

 SUNDAY FUNNIES!!  

This is Atlanta’s DragonCon weekend.  It is on Labor Day Weekend.  My late friend Underground Cartoonist  Skip Williamson had a booth at DragonCon at least once.  I visited It and he got my son and me in free. Mervyn Wilton “Skip” Williamson died in Albany NY, Mar 6, 2017, art age 72.

Denis Kitchen of Kitchen Sink Publishing at DragCom Years Ago.

 

Here is another notable person I ran intro in the only DragonCon I went to.  He is Denis Kitchen, owner of Kitchen Sink Publishing Company.  He published a lot of Harvey Kurtzman stuff and comic related stuff.  If I remember correctly a bought reprints of Al Capp’s newspaper funnies one book per payday at a time.

I’m not sure but I don’t think Denis is still in the comic reprinting business.

He told me his plans of reprinting Kurtzman’s HELP Magazines into books form.   That was 20 years ago, as far as I know it never came to be.

Osmo & His Folks Visit Marietta

 

Throwback Thursday: In the early 1950s in Indiana Uncle Osmo threw his family in the car and drove to Marietta, Ga. to see his siblings and their kids. There we are, in our front yard on Manget Street. When he came usually he started a fight among his sisters. then he left. It probably happened on this visit too. In the background look! Larry Bell Park!.

DragonCon c 2011` & Al Feldstein & Skip Williamson

 

Labor Day is just a couple days away.  In Atlanta soon comicbook dressed along with Sci-Fi dressed characters along with old fashioned Movie Monster characters will be all over Atlanta to attend DragonCon, which occurs every Labor Day weekend in Atlanta.

One time Anna and I were flying in from Chicago just before Labor Day and a bunch of people scattered about the plane were dressed in full fictional characters.

I heard tickets for DragonCon are going for $200 this year.  Wow!

I think it was just a week or so before 9/11/2011 that I took my son Adam.  Adam was healing from a wreck with a broken leg and thought a little cheering up would help.

At the time I was friends with underground cartoonist Skip Williamson.  Skip had since died.  Skip and his wife Harriet bought a house on Gordon Combs Road around in west Marietta.  He bought the house from Stan, who used to be my boss at the Marietta Post Office.  Stan also had a pat time self-employed auto painter.  Stan’s garage had special lights that helped in painting cars.  Also, they were just the kind of lights needed for inside auto painting.

When I heard Skip Williamson had moved to Marietta I called him up to welcome him.  After we talked  we concluded we had the same MAD artist heroes and he invited me over for a beer..  We got along great.  He offered me two free DragonCon tickets.  They were not really free tickets.  Each artist was allowed to bring two helpers to help set up things.

We took him up on it.

While there I got to talk to Al Feldstein, editor of MAD Magazine for over 30 years.  He was the second editor of MAD, the first being Harvey Kurzman, my hero.  Now Al has moved to Colorado or some such western state and spent his time  painting Native Americans and Western Scenes and he was hawking EC Comics 3 Witches from TALES FROM THE CRYPT and other horror comics that he created.  He was getting very little visitors so we had plenty of time to talk.

Dragon Con:  The first pictures are Al Feldstein (and me).  The last picture is Skip Williamson.

John Hunter's Cabin, the Savings of

 

My great-g-g-grandfather John Hunter (1775-1850) built the above cabin in Union County, Georgia, not far from Volgel State Park and Blood Mountain. Up until recently, although deserted, was considered the oldest man-made dwelling in Union County.

It sat in the middle a field with Notley River behind it. Not that it has anything to do with this but the Notley River is one of the rare rivers that flow north.

Once my sons and I visited the cabin and I was amazed how small it was inside. I think our den is bigger than the whole cabin.

About five years ago, the land John Hunter’s cabin was on. The new owners said it would have to be destroyed to make way for a “mountain cabin” development.

Nope! My distant cousin Charley Hunter came forward, bought it, and paid to have the boards and thing marked and cataloged so one day it could be reassembled.

Picture:

Charlie Hunter, his nephew Prof Andrew Wallis, and behind them, the cabin packed and tagged.

Betty’s email said that the day is here.

The reassembled cabin will have its grand opening at the Blairsville Farmers’ Market, this Saturday, I suppose it will be on display there from now on.

In care any Hunter relatives are interested in attending, I Googled the Blairsville Farmer's Market and it is 148 Old Smokey Road.

Playing Pool and Watching a 9 Ball Movie

 

Last night we watched the movie THE COLOR OF MONEY (1980) directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruise is young and hyper, which he plays hyper so well.

It was a movie about the game of pool, mostly 9 Ball, and pool sharking.  I haven’t seen it before.  It brought back memories.  Memories of the Past Time Grill one block from the Courthouse in Marietta and of course the game of pool, of the owners Neal and his wife, and Howard, the sour crippled man who racked the balls.  And a late friend who gambled away his family’s grocery money for the week.

When we went to Past Time Grill we were under 18 and it was an age requirement so we needed a note from our parents.  A classmate named Nancy wrote  our permission notes.  I wonder if Neal ever realized that all our mothers had the same handwriting

In the movie one of the pool halls frequently visited had a set of long narrow stairs to get to.  I remember once in 1960, on Marietta High School’s Senior Day, a bunch of us went to a pool hall on North Avenue in Atlanta, one block from The Varsity Restaurant and It had an identical staircase.  I think I vaguely remember somebody of high school authority saw us leave and we had some explaining to do.

After we were married and had two boys we bought a used regulation pool table which I think was a good investment at the time.  Then in time our boys moved out and the pool table in he basement was used only to fold laundry so we put it up for sale.  There were no takers so we put It up for free.  There was one young man who wanted it but taking it apart and moving it would take some expertise which he did not have, and the young man couldn’t afford to pay for it.  So we paid for it.

I am not completely pooless now.  I have a computer game 3D POOL SHARK which looks like real colored balls with the right color with the right balls, applying the right English works, even the clicking sounds of balls hitting each other sounds realistically.  But no electronic Howard to rack the balls for us.

Valley Forge in the Summertime

 

This is Valley Forge, Pennsyvania.  The house is was General George Washington's Winter Headquarters in the Revolutionary War.  The two kids are our sons, Adam and Rocky, many years ago.