Went to see Ma yesterday, took a few pictures- This is the old French's Store on rt. 13 in Cumberland, Va. About half a mile from where I grew up, that's where I was going when I took the change off the top of my Dad's dresser. Mr. and Mrs. French lived in the big house. Just down the road is this huge old building- this was the first French's Store, before they moved to the smaller one. There used to be a blacksmith's shop across the road from it on the right but it was gone before my time. It was a dance hall when I was growing up, now it's the American Legion Hall. This was Jenkin's store. It was open when I was a kid too, but it closed long before French's store did. I remember Daddy giving me a quarter and sending me there to get him a pack of Camels when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I was born in my grandfather's house, in the center of the picture. We lived across the field, behind the big oak tree. You can't see the house because of the tree, but you can see the top of the building behind the house. My daddy built that building, using a lot of the wood that he got when they replaced the flooring on the bridge over the Appomattox river between Cumberland and Amelia counties. Jenkin's store, with the Legion Hall across the road. The gas pumps used to be here- I don't remember if the store had the big porch-like thing that covered the pumps like a lot of old stores did, they've re-sided the front side at some point because this would be looking at right where the front door used to be. Picture Ma had in an album. It's from when a helicopter was spraying trees on their place, probably hauling whatever it was they were spraying,eh? She had this one too. I don't remember it, but it doesn't look too old. That's me in the middle, older brother on the left, younger brother on the right. I was informed that what's left of my hair is much grayer now, so maybe it's older that I thought. My mother and father, 19...uh...50 something. A pretty good while ago anyway. Daddy used to drive the school bus. Some fine old oaks in a field. Hope you all enjoyed this little history, I must be off- vacation's over.