Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife
The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage:
Recently, 2001, Dave and I had some fun reading one of my old diaries, written when Jerry and Dave overlapped, gradually phasing into when I was seeing Dave only.
Meeting Dave while Christmas caroling, 1950. I continued my friendship with Jerry, and the “overlapping” began when I met David Blakeslee at the Highland Park Baptist Church Young People’s Christmas caroling evening, 1950, and he set out to sweep me off my feet that evening. I was 16. It was planned that we’d all meet at the church, then go in cars to sing Christmas carols outside the homes of certain invalids in our group’s families.
One of our destinations was Dave’s house where we sang for his father who was ill with multiple sclerosis.
We ended the evening at the home of Warren Groh, where we sang carols indoors and had refreshments. While I played the piano for the carol singing, guess who threw a big rubber spider onto the piano keys? Yes, you’re right.
When it was time to go, those who had cars drove the rest of us home. Dave invited me to ride in his car, and I accepted.
I didn’t know Dave; I hadn’t seen him before at any church activities, but I had seen his sister Marilyn and that night I didn’t know he was her brother. Since he drove and Marilyn sat in the middle, and I sat in the passenger seat, I just assumed she was his girlfriend; I didn’t think anything about it, one way or the other. But when we arrived at my house, following my directions since he hadn’t been there before, and I got out, etc., he said, “May I see you tomorrow evening?”
I suddenly caught on that they were not dating, and I said that I would be home, and he could come over.
To be continued…
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
Happy memories of that start with Elaine, destined to last 53 years, is accompanied by the memory of why I went to Highland Park Baptist Church in the first place.
I had been going to another church and, as was common in those days, played on their fast-pitch softball team. Nearly all the churches in Detroit at that time fielded a team.
Some of the play got decidedly un-Christian at times and on the last occasion when I played for that earlier church, one of our players was also a high school football player, used to violent physical collisions.
A runner is entitled to the base ahead of him and blocking him is illegal unless the defensive player has possession of the ball. Many of the players in those leagues were not very skilled and, on this occasion, the third baseman stood on the base as the football player approached, who simply knocked the opposing player flying, off the base, stunning him.
Our coach took the football player out of the game as a peace gesture, but it didn’t work. In the next inning, one of our the opposing players slid into home base with his feet waist high, severely injuring our catcher who, I later learned, was hospitalized with a ruptured spleen.
While the ensuing dust-up went on, I trotted to my car and left, never to return to that church or its team.
Thank you for sharing with us. I have a feeling there are going to be some humorous bits coming our way.
Yes!
You were so romantic throwing the rubber spider on the keys. At least you didn’t punch her in the arm. lol