On Pipes and Pap

[the_gneech]

lythandra and I had dinner with my parents this evening, and since I was still thinking about this post from the other day, I started grilling my dad about my grandfather (who my parents always refer to as "Pap"), and in turn his father (my great-grandfather), Early Robey.

It turns out I had some of my facts wrong; while both Granddaddy and Granddaddy Early were farmers on the side, neither of them did that as their primary profession. Granddaddy Early was a huckster -- in the true, original sense of the term, not the way it's used these days. Back in those days, the role of a huckster was to go around from farm to farm and pick up vegetables, wares, and whatnot and take the goods into town to sell -- basically a distributor.

My grandfather was primarily a machinist and a mechanic. He worked on the rails, he made artillery during WWII, but mostly he worked on the D.C. transit company (i.e., Metro) buses, working his way up to the regional shop foreman position before his retirement.

Anyway, since we were talking on the subject, my parents gave me a print of the photo you see here, of me sitting on my grandfather's lap, many long years ago. My best guess puts this at Christmas 1972, when I would have been three years old; it might have been 1973, but it was definitely no later. Notice the pipe! You can see what I mean here about him being distinguished, I presume. Of all the pictures I have (or have seen) of my grandfather, this is the only one that actually looks like him, at least as I remember him, and this one has always been my favorite.

While they were at it, my parents also gave me this photo of my dad in uniform, during his service in WWII. How this pointy-chinned, clean-cut kid turned into my scraggly ol' clown of a father, I'll never know! You can just barely make out any resemblance around the eyes -- and for that you have to squint.

-The Gneech

Comments

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. GOD! You're adorable!

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

You can see the John of today, even way back then--- }:D

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

'cept then I had less hair in the front, and more hair in the back! ;)

-The Gneech

[laurie-robey.livejournal.com]

I love the little grin!

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

"When _I_ grow up, I'm going to be Ennngggggglish! Pip-pip, Pap!"

[cyberhorn.livejournal.com]

hair color and patern HAVE not changed
ya have the same cheeks too

[kyrincat.livejournal.com]

Yep, that is definately you, John. Not a doubt, you really haven't changed all the much, just got bigger really, those cute baby cheeks are still there. LOL!

It's a great candid shot of the two of you...I'm glad you have it, baby pictures are special, especially if they include loved ones from days past.

Kyrin

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Alas, the print is very washed out; it took some photoshop tweaking to get the picture to look like it was still in color. The nice thing about modern technology, tho, is that I can now make color laser prints from the scan. :)

-TG

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

geneology can be a riveting endeavor 8>

Aww...

[maggievent.livejournal.com]

I can't see the pictures. I'm disappointed. Anyone know why not?

Maggie, who wanted to see Baby Gneech who apparently is the same age she is...

Re: Aww...

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Try again? Hikaru's server mighta blinked.

-TG

[spasmsproject.livejournal.com]

Aw, these pictures are wonderful. Your dad looks like a young Frank Sinatra.

[grifter-t-wolf.livejournal.com]

Awww baby Gneech, it's so cute though... should be as Rugged as a baby as Leonard should be :D

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

You can't get more rugged than a 3-year-old smoking a pipe!

-The Gneech

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Heh, so that's what huckster meant originally?

It's funny that you say your father doesn't look the same when he grew up, but you are SO totally recognizeable. And that's a lot coming from me, who generally thinks all kids look alike (I hate when people gush how a baby looks "just like their mother/father", and I'm like, oh plz, this is how these things get swapped in the nursery). I think it's the eye/eyebrows.

You just need to photoshop some bubbles coming out of that pipe XD

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Even without my goatee, eh? ;)

Actually, I look more like my dad, than that WWII picture does. 0.o

Of course, I've never seen him without at least a moustache -- apparently my mom asked him for "his moustache" as an anniversary present one year (before I was born), because she liked it so much she didn't ever want him to shave it. So I've never seen him sans facial fungus.

-The Gneech

[kylet.livejournal.com]

If you had a goatee when you were three, I'd be very scared ;-)

Interesting XD

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

Getting to know your roots is so great and something a lot of people don't do these days. I'm glad you were able to get more of the connections made. Oh and the photos are great as well.