Recently, our sister Solveig Agnes (who, we believe, is named for her aunt, but that's another story), dug up the photograph above. She had been organizing Dad's considerable memorabilia. This is a reproduction of a vintage photograph of Dad, probably taken with a box camera about 85 years ago. The photograph was used many years later by Larry to construct a wonderful drawing of a young man enjoying some birds. Stan can't find Larry's drawing, somebody has it, it's displayed somewhere. We'll publish when we find it.
Anyway, scrawled on the back of the photograph are handwritten instructions from Aunt Agnes to her artist son.
Her instructions read:
"I want to give this to Erling for Christmas next year. He was so enthralled with the binder, etc. that you did for Halvor. [Apparently Larry drew his Uncle Halvor with some harvest equipment earlier]
"He was a real friend of the turkeys, kept getting in the oatmeal box to feed his friends and we were poor too.
"I want both of his barefeet sticking out. I want this as soon as you can as I intend to display them somewhere before I give them up.
"Black ink and brown with water color would be nice."
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So there you have it, directly from Dad's sister. Soft-hearted Erling was a true friend of the turkeys, filching oatmeal flakes for them from the family larder even during hard times.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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| Aunt Agnes with her brothers, Erling and Halvor. |
