A Trip Back in Time

At about 8;15 this morning, Mama's birthday, I took off on a hike up to the top of the hill, over to the water tower right by Peden's house (George says Joe Benny lives there now), and then down David Combs fence a few hundred yards behind his house (he lives in the old Jack Robertson house, but I remember it being a rock house when Jack lived there and David has added on to it so it looks very different and is muh bigger).  Anyway, I followed David's fence line down across his land at the end of the Rock Quarry on my walk down to Dry Creek.  A couple of years ago, I discovered and old house out in the middle of David's field on a hill above Dry Creek.  Until then, I did not know there was ever a house out there. I don't guess I had ever walked that far beyond the Rock Quarry.  I think it was the day I got so very  lost on top the hill when I first say this house, so that would have been 5 or 6 years ago.  Anyway, I have always wondered who had once lived in this old house.  Today, I ate breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an orange on the front steps of this old house looking out on the bottom land of Dry Creek.

Then, I walked on down the fence line between David and Frank Marr, Floyd's old place, all the way to the creek. I started walking down the creek with the intention of walking until I came out on a road, then calling for a taxi home.  I had in my head that I would come out by Kenny Smother's house (the old Charlie Shaw house).  As I walked on down the creek and came to the end of David's land, I knew by the fence across the creek, I could  tell I was at the bottom land of the Peden place and there was a hill, the big red hill, between me and Smother's.  That is when I realized that the creek down by Smother's was actually Callen's Branch and not Dry Creek.  All these 67 years I have thought that was Dry Creek.  Anyway, when I finally got past the Peden place, I knew where I was, but I do not know who owns that place.  It was still about a mile down to where the creek comes out on a road, and it is the road that runs along the back of Billy Joe's place where he gave land to all those girls and they have all those trailer houses now.

Also, on my walks over by Peden's I have seen a big white house off down the hill across the creek that I have wondered who it belonged to.  I knew it was over off the Alpena Denver road,but just could not place the house.  I went by the house just a mile or so before coming out on to the road, but did not go up to the house.  So, this evening me and George went looking for that white house.  Together we had decided it was probably Brenda Combs house.  Brenda is David's mother and Carlos Trigg's daughter.  I just never realized her land was just across the creek for the end of David's land partly because you can not get to her house from this side of the Creek.  It is actually sorta behind Grandpa Powell's old place, on down the creek a mile or two.  She lives on a deadend road that ends right at her house.  I have only been there once and did not know it was just a few hundred yards from the creek.

Anyway, to make a short story long, we drove down her road and there was a pickup going down the road right in front of us.  As we got up almost to the house, I told George that was the house, but he was going to have to turn around in her yard.  He decided to back down the road instead.  Well, it was Brenda in the pickup in front of us and she was worried about what we were up to and  chased us down.  We had to tell her who we were, probably because we were in the new truck.  She would likely have recognized the old white truck.

So, we talked in the middle of the road.  She explained who lived here and who lived there and who married who. She is 2 years younger than Patsy.  I asked her who used to live in the old house in David's field. She said Rex and Elveta Robertson.  Anyone recognized  those names?  She also said when your Dad was gone during the War, I can remember your Mom bringing Patsy and Richard and visiting with Mom and Dad very often.  She said I guess she was lonely and I don't think her Mom and Dad treated her very well.  She invited me to come in and visit the next time I  walk by.  I think I will do that.

Here are some pictures.  I will put up more later.

The pictures are the path on top the hill going towards the old Jack Robertson place, the water tower by Peden's, David's house from where I was walking down the fence line, the old house in the field outside and inside, me having breakfast on the steps, and the view from the steps down towards the bottom land and Dry Creek.   I would think that Mama and Daddy visited Rex and Elveta here in this house.  By the time Daddy bought this place, I think Rex and Elveta had moved to California, but I wonder if the place Jack owned was not his Father's place.'

And now you know.  I guess I have no short stores.