Frank
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Frank was my father’s father that I called granddad,
He was a very special man to me as a very young lad.
I haven’t written much about him to this point in time,
So I’ll tell you my recollections here in this little rhyme.
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Frank
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I first remember Frank when we visited when I was three,
My grandparents lived in Onalaska, Texas, in the trees.
Their home was in an area that was prone to flood.
So it was up on concrete blocks and made out of wood.
This is Frank talking to one of his bird dogs in front of his home in Onalaska, Texas.
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Frank always wore Khaki pants and shirts and a black belt.
He wore a lined gray Stetson hat that was soft like felt.
His hair was combed into a big cow lick on one side,
That was a grayish color with streaks of brown so light.
That’s granddad Frank holding me wearing his khakis and Stetson hat. Grandmother Lucy and JerrylDine are standing next to Dad in his Navy uniform.
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Frank had two bird dogs that lived there under his home,
That was out in the country where wild animals roam.
He loved his bird dogs and he taught tricks to them,
I just loved to watch him mess with his dogs so thin.
This is Frank grtting one of his bird dogs to do a trick near his home in Onalaska, Texas.
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There was some water near by that Frank called a slough.
My Dad and Frank sometimes took me along fishing too.
Sometimes they used long cane poles from the shore,
While I was on a blanket with Mom to see what was in store.
That’s Dad in the foreground and Frank in the background fishing with cane poles.
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Onetime Frank brought in a big fish he had caught.
It was a rough Buffalo fish, but it was a monster, I thought.
This thrilled me and to me, grandad Frank was a great man,
Those times were etched into my memories back then.
Frank holding the big fish that awed me so.
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Frank and Lucy moved to Sulphur Springs when I was four,
After a year there they moved to a house right next door,
To my Aunt Edith and Uncle George there in town.
It was here that I recall best as I was now older, so sound.
Uncle Geotge, aunt Edit, Frank, and Lucy in Sulphur Springs
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By now Frank’s hair had turned to pure white color,
He still had his cowlick hair do, that he wore his hat over.
He had about 50 white hairs in both ears 1/2 inch long,
Looking like silver bushes there inside his ears so strong.
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Earlier picture of Frank, Lucy holding me, and Dad sitting outside.
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I was a very happy boy when Frank gave me his old 22 rifle,
I went hunting that very day and two squirrels did stifle.
I was just as proud as could be and felt like a king,
To get that worn out 22 rifle for my hunting flings.
That old worn out 22 rifle
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Frank took me hunting arrowheads on a farm close by,
Where he grew up as a young man there on the fly.
I found several arrowheads where they plowed a field,
That rolled up on top laying there giving me a great feel.
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Frank walked to the domino parlor sometimes to play.
He got all the latest fishing stories his friends did say.
So often when the stories were good, we headed out,
We fished all over and caught lots of fish to talk about.
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading Frank,
Bill