Reddick Family Web

Nobility, Humility, Loyalty

Clear water – freely given

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(ATHENS, OH) We were poring over Daly family memorabilia when cousin Julia served us water from recycled jugs. She bragged about the water quality and promised she would take us to the Appalachian spring where she – and some of her neighbors – harvest their fill at their leisure.

Free Spring Water
Appalachian spring

So Wednesday afternoon we made the short drive up the highway from Athens, past The Plains and Chauncey to Nelsonville and then out to the spring where other other folks were likewise filling jugs. Local citizens have inserted three, three-inch pipes into the hillside spring, built a basin, and created three drive-up slots, labeled “Cars” and “Pick-up trucks” as the only restrictions upon gathering this freely offered resource. The water is wonderful.

Coming as we had from West Texas, we had to be impressed by how green the countryside is – another thing we had let subside into the recesses of old memories from our two years in Ohio.

Before supper, we drove around Athens and shot pictures of the house we lived in 30 years ago, the schools attended by our four youngest children, and other sites in town. The university has added some new buildings and refurbished others. Many downtown buildings have been refurbished since a big fire a few years ago, and some of the houses have had new exterior siding installed. Otherwise, much is the same.

The memorabilia Julia Jane Nehls was turning over to us included a number of photos going back to her parents’ wedding in 1912, some newspaper clippings, a couple of family poems, and a little box that my great-grandmother Elizabeth Fovargue Daly had used to contain sewing notions. There are pictures from a 1984 family reunion in Newark. There’s also a book from Ed and Goldie’s 50th wedding anniversary, some World War I pictures, and a photo of the 1932 Ford coupe that my mother, Julia and Ruth rode in the rumble seat from Ohio to California to Illinois and back to Ohio.

The poems are delightful and reminiscent of the things Nancy’s sister Dianne writes.

All ears for the day

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Getting all three boys to smile at once, to look at the camera at once, and sit still long enough for a picture is something of an accomplishment. The occasion for which the boys were preparing was the annual Easter egg hunt at Clapp Park. That’s the one where scores of volunteers spend weeks stuffing hundreds of plastic eggs with individually wrapped candies so that swarms of children on a given signal can scoop them up in 45 seconds or less.

It’s made a little more interesting because some of the eggs have coupons in them redeemable for REAL prizes. We saw one little girl walk away proud and as excited as possible with a doll beauty parlor set.

So Jude, Cole, and Finn stood in one line (5 and under) with their parents while Connor went to the older kids’ line with his dad, his aunt Heather, and Grandma. Somehow, they all met up in the middle of the park.

Fall is fair time

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Ani ascertained somehow that if we got out to the fairgrounds before 10 a.m. Saturday, admission at least would be free. So there we were – three boys, the baby, Jake, Ani, Ben, Heather, Grandma and Grandpa and one service dog in-training entering the Panhandle South Plains Fairgrounds before all the vendors were functioning, before all the animals were in place, before some of the exhibits were open, and before any of the shows were scheduled.

There was plenty to see and do. And the reduced crowds made the venture more tolerable. We watched some livestock being unloaded, and that was a little too much for the dog. So while Heather tended to an over-agitated trainee, the rest of us wandered first through the poultry exhibits and then over to the children’s barnyard. Not all the boys were thrilled with the animals.

But they did like the rocks that were part of the landscaping and the enjoyed the cuisine over at the midway and generally had a grand time.

Reserved parking

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Early in December the red oak trees finally let go of their foliage, and after some morning rain, the late afternoon sun ducked under the clouds. And the boys took advantage of the moment to drive and ride around Grandma’s garage and driveway.

Boys on riding toys
Jude and Cole race around Grandma’s driveway

Seizing the moment, Jude and Cole turned the driveway into a speedway and filled the neighborhood with energy. Grandpa grabbed his camera and alternated between chasing the boys and shooting pictures. Just before the sun dropped below the trees, Cole calmly claimed a reserved parking spot – in grandma’s garage. It made a perfect ending to a golden moment in late fall.

boy parking car
Cole finds his own parking place

Time warp

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Anachronism at Paso Robles: Horse-drawn carriage at a stop

The timing of our occasional visit to Paso Robles coincided with the date of our 50th wedding anniversary. We stayed in a hotel, visited with Don and Dianne, had one dinner with Roger and Betty, drove by the Riverside Property, and visited with Jaime and Melissa. On one of the days, Katie, Madeline, and Gavin came up and we drove out to Morro Bay. We had a few moments with Ron and Nancy Johnson, who live next door to Don and Dianne.

But one unique thing about the trip that was unique brought a smile to us all. Late in the afternoon we were saying our goodbyes to Don and Dianne when a horse-drawn carriage stops at the sign where Merry Hill Road / Fresno Street intersects with 12th Street. We all smiled and waved … and then reflected on the moment. Most wonderful was that it didn’t even seem that far out of place.