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---- — In South Carolina, back in the day, we didn’t usually start back to school until after Labor Day. That always meant we had time for one last summer camping trip and that was the camping trip that always seemed to go the quickest.
The times I went camping with my family were probably some of the happiest of my life. My mother has photos of my brothers fanning the flies off me with a tree branch while I am in my crib. That is probably one of my favorite photos.
And then there was the time I went with Daddy to trap minners (minnows for those who don’t know the proper pronunciation) in a creek before we took off to Baker Creek State Park. I think my mother stopped counting mosquito bites when she reached 100. I didn’t have a lot of fun that trip. But I also haven’t forgotten it either.
I have a lot of good memories of our camping trips: riding in the boat with Doug and Walter on the way to the boat ramp, learning to fish and how to clean what I caught, how to play horseshoes, listening to WBBQ out of Augusta, Ga., while playing Rummy, using the bathroom in the woods (I was a kid. What did I know?), waking up to the smell of frying biscuits, scrambled eggs and coffee.
Perhaps one of my clearest memories involves Walter and a very large fish. I was probably around 7 or 8 and we were at Baker Creek. Daddy and Doug were out fishing in the boat and Walter has walked down to a cove to fish.
Well, Mama decided she wanted to go for a walk. As we were making our way back, we spotted Walter making tracks toward our campsite, his tacklebox and fishing rod in one hand and this huge fish on a stinger in the other. Oh, and he was grinning from ear to ear. Imagine his surprise when he arrived and no one was there. We got quite the chuckle out of that one. He, however, didn’t find it so funny.
Walter would have turned 53 on Monday. Since he died in 1994, I’ve called my mother on his birthday or she has called me. She is still recovering from her stroke, so I called her. I asked her if she remembered the day he was born. She’s been a little more forgetful recently but she said quickly: It was about 106 degrees that day. I chuckled and asked her if she thought that was why he was such a good sweater. Nope, she said. Y’all got that from the Hadden side.
When I hung up, I realized – as I have a lot lately – that time slips by too fast. I find myself trying harder and harder to recall events from my past.
I worked with a young photographer once whose thesis was based on the idea that our memories are mere snapshots of our life – some we can pull out and see whenever we want while others are tucked far from view and are brought out only at special times. It’s those times that we look at every minute detail.
Walter with that big fish is one of those memories for me. It was one of many, many “snapshot memories” I leafed through Monday. And for a moment that night, I could see his face as clear as day and I could hear him call my name. Before I realized it, I was grinning. From ear to ear. Happy birthday, Bubba.
With the start of school comes the job of buying school supplies. I made the mistake of going to Wally World on Saturday night. It was a swirling pool of parents and kids in search of the perfect school supply cache. But for some kids and their parents, that’s an experience they never have.
That’s where Communities in Schools of Randolph County comes in with its Fill the Bus campaign.
Now through Aug. 16, CISRC is collecting schools supplies in donation boxes throughout Randolph County. One of those boxes is located at The Randolph Guide and I want to fill that box up before next Monday. The most needed item this year is bookbags. They don’t have to be fancy, just durable, sturdy and fairly large but without wheels.
See page 2A of this week’s paper for a list of what’s needed then get to shopping and bring your purchases by The Guide office. The children of Randolph County will be thankful for anything you can give.
We’re gearing up for our 2011 Reflections On The Past calendar and we need your help. As we have for the last 10 years, we will feature old photos of Randolph County. Last year we hit the jackpot and we’re hoping to do the same this year.
Here’s what we need: photos taken years ago – the older the better – that show Randolph County’s heritage. But we want photos with people in them – like a car dealership from the 1940s with all the employees lined up outside or panoramic shots of events that show any community in Randolph County. It could be the inside of a cotton mill, the police force in Ramseur from way, way back. You get the idea.
We need the original photo, if you have it, or a high quality reproduction and as much information as you can provide about the photo – when it was taken, where, who is in the photo, etc.
Not sure if your photo is what we’re looking for? Drop by to see us with the photo and we’ll take a look. That way you can visit with us for a while.
One last piece of housekeeping before I sign off for this week: I’m in search of a slogan for The Guide. Nothing silly or wordy. Just something that sums up, in a few words, what we do.
I’ve tried coming up with something myself but The Best Little Weekly Newspaper In Randolph County That Does Local News And Only Local News Every Week Because We Know That Local News Is What People Really Want is a wee bit too long to fit on a bumpersticker, coffee cup or billboard. So let me hear your ideas. You can e-mail them to news@randolphguide.com or pedwards@randolphguide.com or mail them to me at P.O. Box 1044 (Asheboro, 27204). The author of the winning slogan will receive a lifetime subscription to The Guide.
Patricia M. Edwards is the publisher and editor of The Randolph Guide. She can be reached at (336) 625-5576 or by e-mail at pedwards@randolphguide.com.
