Grandaddy Conway McCaghren

This post was prompted by my visit to Diane's home yesterday. I was sitting there and saw Grandaddy's hand-carved chain with the fully functional swivel. I remembered that I had found an old photo of Grandaddy and had repaired it digitally. Thought I'd share it with those of you who would appreciate it. So here is a photo of his chain and of him sharpening saws in front of the old shop in Livingston Texas.

Every summer when we stayed with Grandaddy and Grandmother, I can remember a several things very distinctly. The smell of the shop and the house, the cane patch, the fig trees, Grandaddy sipping coffee from an overflowed saucer and that laugh, his prayer at meals, Grandmother's snuff cornered mouth and her jolly laugh, the quietness of their house at night with the lights of the passing cars on Hwy. 146 streaking across the front bedroom, the sting of that leather strap, and Grandaddy sitting in front of that shop filing saws. 

This is the chain with a working swivel joint. It doesn't look that perfect until you compare the links. It is pretty amazing that he could whittle like that. Something to shoot for!