Yesterday was pretty awesome. I've still got my father and a grandfather who lives close by, so we have them over each Father's Day to grill and hang out. It was made extra special because mom got discharged home from the hospital around lunchtime and was able to spend the evening with us.
One of the best parts of the evening was just hanging out talking to my grandfather (in his 80s) about the history of the area. He's lived such an interesting life, including owning part of a race car in the 50s and 60s, and owning two former police cars that apparently made excellent moonshine haulers. He talked of when I-40 west stopped in Clemmons at Exit 184 and during construction they'd drag race along the dirt portion from Clemmons to the Yadkin River before it was paved. He also talked about how my great grandfather was bet $100 in 1941 that he couldn't make a turn from one road to another at 80mph. The guy who was betting him ended up paying another guy $25 to ride with him to make sure he wasn't lying about his speed. He had a brand new 1941 Chevrolet car with less than 1,000 miles on it, and he made the turn, but ended up hitting a telephone pole 1/2 mile down the road totaling the car. It didn't matter though, he defended his honor and got that $100.
Our land has been in our family for generations and is situated on the hold Hanes Plantation (the underwear people), and when my great grandfather bought the land there were still 6 of the old slave cabins and the slave kitchen still standing on the property along with a pear and apple orchard. He had them all torn down and eventually started plowing the fields so all remnants of the buildings are gone. It was such an awesome experience just hanging out on the back porch hearing about how things were back then, things that I'd never heard about until now.
Anyone else have any great stories or memories of hanging out with you dads and granddads on Fathers Day?
One of the best parts of the evening was just hanging out talking to my grandfather (in his 80s) about the history of the area. He's lived such an interesting life, including owning part of a race car in the 50s and 60s, and owning two former police cars that apparently made excellent moonshine haulers. He talked of when I-40 west stopped in Clemmons at Exit 184 and during construction they'd drag race along the dirt portion from Clemmons to the Yadkin River before it was paved. He also talked about how my great grandfather was bet $100 in 1941 that he couldn't make a turn from one road to another at 80mph. The guy who was betting him ended up paying another guy $25 to ride with him to make sure he wasn't lying about his speed. He had a brand new 1941 Chevrolet car with less than 1,000 miles on it, and he made the turn, but ended up hitting a telephone pole 1/2 mile down the road totaling the car. It didn't matter though, he defended his honor and got that $100.
Our land has been in our family for generations and is situated on the hold Hanes Plantation (the underwear people), and when my great grandfather bought the land there were still 6 of the old slave cabins and the slave kitchen still standing on the property along with a pear and apple orchard. He had them all torn down and eventually started plowing the fields so all remnants of the buildings are gone. It was such an awesome experience just hanging out on the back porch hearing about how things were back then, things that I'd never heard about until now.
Anyone else have any great stories or memories of hanging out with you dads and granddads on Fathers Day?