After oversleeping Saturday, we went to get the first cup of coffee and, to our surprise, the entire valley as far as eye could see, up and down the valley and from hill to hill, a blanket of snow had fallen after midnight. It had completely covered what was left of the snow which fell sometime before Friday.
How beautiful! Every bare limb was laden with what looked to be several inches of snow. It is amazing how one little crystal of snow clings to another until in just a matter of minutes there is an accumulation.
Anyway it forms, children love the snow.
But, what happened next? The temperature went up, the rays from the sun soon caused the snow to melt and by three to four o’clock the beautiful white blanket in our valley was gone.
Our two youngest great-grandsons were introduced the their first snow. Somehow their parents made pictures of Christian Cripps and Sawyer Allen Hendrix in their first snow.
Sunday dinner guests in the home of Louise Frazier were Justin Cripps and Tiffany Waggoner, Smithville; Monica Reynolds and Levi, Alexandria; Jim and Judy Kimbrell, Old Mill Hill Road; Jerald and Lisa Cripps, Dismal Road, Liberty; Jordan and Nicole and Christian; Jared and Jennifer and Sawyer Allen Hendrix; Roger and Kathy Hendrix; Kenny Edge, Dry Creek valley; and Michele Kent and family, Lascassas.
Parker Prince, a very nice, kind and smart boy who attends Dry Creek Baptist church with his parents, celebrated his birthday Feb. 1. Happy belated birthday to Parker, and we wish you have many more.
Monroe Florida, our student from Gassaway Elementary, celebrated Feb. 5. Other celebrating are Debbie O’Conner, Feb. 10; a dear lady from Lebanon, Jeri Brockette celebrates Feb. 14; Katrena Tramel Yost, Feb. 19; and Eric Deebanks Feb. 24.
Happy birthday to all these and to all who celebrate in February. Congratulations and happy birthday.
Henry and Natalie Frazier, Huntsville, were here at their new farm house Saturday.
As we grow older, we tend to forget names. When we married in 1939 and came to this beautiful valley, we soon learned names of every family.
The only outlets outside the home were the church and the school. All community activities were centered around them.
We attended school functions and all church events. Sometimes for different reasons we would have prayer meetings in the homes due to sickness, etc.
We remember meeting several Wednesday evenings in the home of Mrs. Mary Denton Vandergriff. At that time, “Ma Denton,” mother of Mary D. Vandergriff, was living there with her daughter and family.
We, at that time, knew the whole family. Well, the other day we called our dear friend, Jerry Parker, a “purebred” Dry Creek folk and proud of it, to bring us up to date on the Parkers and Vandergriffs.
He related that his father was Robert Hudson Parker. He was the son of Robert Sherman Parker and the family called him Robert or Bob. He married Gracie Vandagriff, daughter of Christopher “Lum” Vandagriff and Mary Denton Vandagriff.
The parents of Robert Sherman Parker were Joseph N. Parker and Sarah Helen Murphy.
They had four sons Robert, Fred, Marvin and Frank, and two daughter Eliza and Eva. They were living near the former Roy Davis place in Vandergriff Hollow when Robert met Gracie.
Many of the “under the hill” Parkers descend from Lewis Parker and wife Elizabeth Yeargin, grandparents of Joseph who lived near the bottom of Snow Hill. Bro. Donald Owens’ wife Audrey Parker Owens is a Parker cousin.
“Lum” Vandagriff was the son of John Calvin Vandergriff (some spelled with “er” some spelled with “a”). John Calvin and wife Parthena Pugh lived at the head of Vandergriff Hollow.
In 1902 Lum built a house a few hundred feet down the road and his wife Mary Denton lived there until her death in 1972. They had six children Gracie, Virgil, Elmer, Calvin, Alva and Anna Belle.
Robert Sherman Parker and Gracie married in 1920. Robert Hudson was their son who, while visiting on Dry Creek, met Bertha Mae Fuston, daughter of Valter and Verna Fuston. They married and had two sons Jerry and Dawson.
Jerry says that he is proud of his Dry Creek heritage. He lives in Murfreesboro and Dawson in London, England. But, they are “purebred Dry Creek folk” and proud of it.
We say hello to one of our oldest ministers of God, Bro. W.L. Baker, 104, of Lebanon.
We trust Bro. Baker has been indoors during the flu outbreak and extremely cold weather.
Bro. Donald Owens of Lebanon, we’re sure, checks on him.
Bro. Don took him some of his homegrown grapefruit.
Nice to be remembered. That’s what we should do.
Upcoming events at Dry Creek Baptist Church include a senior adults special Valentine outing on Feb. 12; a church-wide Valentine banquet on Feb. 13 with supper being served at 6:30 p.m. and the Youth Puppet Team from New Hope Baptist will present the program in the fellowship hall; and the W.M.U. Women on Missions Retreat in Gatlinburg will be March 15-17. Bro. Don Owens, pastor.