This is one of the favourite images I have of my father, because it was his typical perch. On most warm days, when the weather permitted, you could find him sitting on the steps to the verandah just watching the world go by. Content, unfazed, and generally puffing on a cigarette that he had rolled himself.
He wasn't a brilliant man, nor well read, but he accomplished much in life. He was an conscientious farmer, a carpenter, and a contractor, and he learned all of this by simply doing. Working harder, faster, and longer than anyone else. He once got a job because he could drive spikes faster than anyone on the site.
Most people appreciated him because he generally spoke his mind. I remember a priest coming to visit him just before he died, and telling him that it wasn't always necessary for a person in poor health to make it to church on a regular basis. I think he was a bit surprised to hear my father tell him that he didn't come to church because he didn't believe in it. Nonetheless, it was a cordial (if somewhat short) visit.
He wasn't a traveled man, either. I believe the farthest he ever got from home was a vacation to Louisiana, which he talked about for many years afterward. However, to him the land he was born on, lived, worked, and died on, was enough. So it is appropriate that his ashes are spread here too.
Here are some more images....
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As Child |
With "Pal" |
With "Happy" |
With "Molly" & "Dolly" |
With "Western Kate" |
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"At Home" |
(Click on image to enlarge)