My cousin Deborah mentioned in an earlier blog post just how much I loved hats, boots and guns as a child. What she failed to mention was my undeniable love of all things knife-oriented. My dad made hundreds of knives, some pretty rustic, but some with really pretty wood handles. I still have a nice selection–my sister Julia even has two matching ones in a shadow box frame.
I think I must have picked up Papa’s love of knives. Unfortunately, I did NOT pick up his skill with power tools. The knives in this photo aren’t ones that my dad made, but they are more or less the first knives I ever had. Both came from my Uncle Bill (my father’s brother who shared a love of knives). He sent them to me by my Aunt Gladys and Uncle Edward wrapped carefully in a box with a note that said “Be Careful. Sharp!”
I’ll never forget the joy I felt when I opened that box. Several years ago, I sent my nephew William a pocket knife with the note “Be Careful. Sharp!” inside.
I had no idea that a picture of this wonderful moment existed. How amazing it was the other day to find the moment captured in my Uncle Edward’s boxes of slides.
Joe, I enjoyed reading through your blog. Nice seeing some old pics of your Mom and Dad!