Austin went to Parsippany, New Jersey this week on business, so Hadley, mom and I all headed to Crooksville, Ohio to visit my mom's uncle, my great uncle, and Hadley's great great uncle Billy. I love the fact that I'm close to all of my mom's family, and it's important for me to make sure that they get to meet Hadley and she gets to meet them!
My great uncle Billy wears this hat when he works outside and Hadley loved it. Every chance she got, she was in the kitchen getting his hat and wearing it around! Too cute.
It took Hadley about 1 day to warm up to her great great uncle Billy....but after that day, she thought he was pretty cool. I could tell it melted his heart when she would put her arms up for him to pick her up and sit on his lap.
They sat at the kitchen table and shared cheesy poofs together...yum!
Important stuff I learned during my visit: My great uncle Billy entered the Air Force when he graduated from high school, and planned to make a career out of it. However, after 8 years of service with the last 2 being stationed in Alaska, he was done. They wanted him to stay in Alaska and he hated it, so he discharged and came back home to WV. Once home, he got married and needed a job. The Sunnyhill coal mines in Crooksville, OH were hiring, so he moved there with his family and worked for the next 29 1/2 years until they closed. When the mines closed he decided to retire. Below is a picture of the Sunnyhill Mines that he has hanging in his house.
He was featured in several magazines as the coal mines were under fire for stiffer/safer laws and regulations. Here is a picture from the "Capitol" out of Columbus, OH dated February 12, 1984. They snapped this picture of him as he came out of the mine after a long day of work.
Not only was it nice to get to spend some time w/ my great uncle, and for him to meet my daughter; it was nice to spend some time talking to him. Now that I'm older and care to listen, I learned a lot about him and his life.
...and I had to add this picture. I took it a few years ago at my great uncle Mickey's (my grandma and Billy's brother) house when we were in West Virginia visiting. I love the "expression" that it caught of my brother and him chatting it up...priceless!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.