In 2022 Laurie and I went on a road trip that was primarily centered on Michigan, my home state. I was born in Carson City Michigan and lived in and near Jackson until I relocated for my career when I was about 25 years old. I am now the oldest living member of both my paternal and maternal family lines.
During the aforementioned road trip in 2022, we stopped and visited my cousin Nathan and his better half, Janice. Well, ever since then I've hassled them just a bit. It was past time for them to come down to East Tennessee and pay us a visit! Despite a close family life and having two of their children, as well as young grandchildren living near them, us oldsters finally prevailed!
But, before I start posting photos regarding Nathan and Janice's visit, here's a little family historical background.
This is Nathan's father and my uncle Nathan. (There have been 4 Nathans in the family to date) However, that beautiful little boy being held by Nathan's father is yours truly. That dates the photo somewhere between late 1944 and mid-1945. The photo was taken in front of my grandfather and grandmother's home on Prospect Street in Jackson Michigan.
This photo is from the wedding of my cousin Nathan's father Nathan and his bride Ruth. The person at the left is unknown but the second from the left is a photo of a very young (pre-US Navy) Uncle John. Then Uncle Nathan, Aunt Ruth, Ruth's sister Billie and my mother Elizabeth's second husband, Hugh Thomson. (My father Ronald was KIA in Czechoslovakia on May 6, 1945)
Another wedding photo. Aunt Ruth and Uncle Nathan were cutting the cake...with my mother, Elizabeth watching the action. (Wearing the hat at the left)
I've accumulated a lot of family history with a number of old photos. Thanks to my cousin Nathan for sending his parents wedding photos.
This photo was taken during our visit to Nathan and Janice's home back in 2022. As you can see, he's all grown up and chilling with a cup of coffee.
Nathan turned the table on Laurie and took this photo of her as she scanned the shopping opportunities. I'm not a shopper but I do like this shop. It's even improved recently with the expansion of the non-wood but classy gift items.
Speaking of my cousin Nathan...that's him above...headed straight for my mother's camera. Whatever happened to that cute little tyke? That's his mother Ruth at the left and his sister Susan is playing at the right of the photo. This was at their home in the Detroit area.
This photo is of Nathan and Janice (center) with most of their clan. (so far). From the left is their daughter Elizabeth with her husband Justin and their children Ian and Craig. At the right are daughter Nadine with her husband James and their children Charlie and Sherman. Nadine and James are expecting a third child...a girl to be named Elliot.
The photo was taken at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport at Oscoda Michigan. This airport used to be owned and operated by the United States Air Force and today it's owned by the local community and it hosts a small museum and aircraft maintenance operations.
The one person missing from the preceding family portrait was Janice and Nathan's son 'wee' Nathan as he is referred to. He's the fourth of the 'Nathans'... This photo was taken during our Michigan road trip in 2022.
...and now, ready or not, I'll take you through a part of Nathan and Janice's visit to our home here in East Tennessee.
We did some cooking and a lot of eating during their visit. Nathan took the photo and he likes his photos to be unposed or impromptu. He captured Laurie serving apple crumble for dessert and Janice struggling to open a container of gelato. At least they were both smiling!
Nathan also snapped this photo... I'm not known for my big smiles but this is the extreme opposite look. I was studying one of the items in the gift basked that Janice put together for us...and Laurie was in motion doing... It was a great gift basket with a Scottish theme...appropriate because Janice is from Scotland and Laurie and her sisters are headed to Scotland later this year to visit relatives. Janice is headed for Scotland again even before Laurie's trip.
Note: If you have a chance to visit Scotland, don't pass it up! It is one of our all time favorite places and we've been there twice.
So, when we have visitors, we do have a number of automatic and preferred destinations listed that are entertaining and speak to the area. Tellico Plains Tennessee with the Tellico Grains Bakery and Bald River Falls were destinations when Janice and Nathan visited us a few years earlier. But we hadn't taken them to the Everhart Lumber Company or the local museum in Tellico Plains.
Our first stop was at Everhart Lumber... The particular piece in the photo above is part of the company's collection of wooden folk art creations that they've accumulated from families living or who lived in this mountainous area.
Although Everhart Lumber specializes in 'natural wood furniture', slabs of wood for woodworkers and specialty building products such as wood mantles, they have expanded a bit, adding a very nice collection of gift items for the discerning shopper. Janice did make a purchase...
Laurie took this photo of Nathan as he perused some pottery, examined that nifty stag wine holder and admiring the shelving itself.
Nathan turned the table on Laurie and took this photo of her as she scanned the shopping opportunities. I'm not a shopper but I do like this shop. It's even improved recently with the expansion of the non-wood but classy gift items.
Everhart's is a wood specialty and furniture store. They offer ready-made and custom-made furniture made from a variety of unique woods. Reclaimed wood is made into furniture, charcuterie trays, frames and more. Fireplace mantles are available for builders, homeowners and interior designers and beautiful slabs of wood are on display for purchase by craftsmen who want to do their own thing.
The Everhart Lumber Company is located at 911 Veterans Memorial Drive in Tellico Plains Tennessee. Phone: 423-253-2323. Website: http://www.everhart-lumber.com/. There are lots of photos of the lumber related products/furniture that is possible on the website.
Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them... More about this visit, including food of course, will follow.
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Just like you, the men in your family seem all very TALL! So many Nathans, just like so many Davids :-))
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the outfits from those old pics.
ReplyDeleteI just spent time at my son's house which had wood beamed ceilings (not high, not fake) and a tongue and groove ceiling in the guest room/office of his wife. He does a lot of wood working, including sculptures of raised flat pieces in series, to indicate topographical shapes. So lots of the updating in the whole house is also his work! His workshop spills over into the carport! Thanks for introducing us to your family! The Scotland tours do sound interesting!
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