Sunday, April 22, 2012

Mystery Revealed!

The story behind the mystery...

When I was a kid, our yearly "family vacation" consisted of driving to either Tennessee or Pennsylvania to see my dad's father/stepmother (Tennessee) and his mom/stepfather (Pennsylvania). Along the way, we'd stop at various places and enjoy some of the local sites. We always drove straight through so we left before daylight and my dad drove until long after sunset. With seven kids, there was no overnight motel visits. The most we ever did was stop for a few hours at a rest stop along the way so my dad could rest. Of course, it was safer then to stop and sleep at a rest stop with the windows down. Not sure I'd do it now, but my dad and mom did it with a car load of kids and stuff. We had some great times on those family trips! I remember sleeping most of the way (LOL - we had places we claimed as our own and spent the whole time riding in that spot. I usually made a pallet on the floor of the van and napped off and on or read if I wasn't asleep.)

At one of our stops, and I don't even know which year, my dad picked up this set of horse shoes with the ring on it. He showed us all how to take the ring off and we were fascinated. I don't remember how many of us accomplished the feat, but I know that I was pretty proud when I did it. Cracker Barrel sells them now and I have astonished many children by showing them how it is done.

When I saw these at my mom's house, I knew that I really wanted them. Playing with a set at Cracker Barrel is just not the same as having the set my dad bought. Lucky for me, I was the first one who asked for them. They came home with me.

Here is a shot of the ring on the horse shoes and with the ring off:




Here is with the ring in the process of being put back on:



And, totally back on:

I've taught my kids how to do it, but the only one (I think) who remembers is Keith. I videoed him today showing me how he remembers. It was quite funny. I tried to teach Isaiah how to do it, but he's not ready yet. I was holding my camera on an angle, so it's crooked but still funny.



And now, you know the secret of the horse shoes. I do like the idea of them being for good luck. I got some really good response back. Later... Isaiah had a birthday Friday so I have to post some birthday pictures. Hard to believe my little man is 9 years old.

3 comments:

Southhamsdarling said...

Aaah, so now we know the answer! Good to see you here today my friend. We've missed seeing your posts, but understand that you've probably got enough on your plate at the moment. Time flies by so quickly, doesn't it. That's why we must make the most of their precious little lives. Hope your new job is still going well, and that Ron is okay. Hugs.

Anonymous said...

I really think road trips are magical. Horseshoes--I never would have guessed!

Unknown said...

Very cool! I'm going to have to get a set to show Elliot. I think he would have fun with those! It is hard to believe that Isaiah is growing up so fast:)