Hey Tally, I sympathize with you. We had a little house over in Gilchrist that had been in the family for over 50 years, all gone but the pilings. It wasn't much of a house, but my father's father bought it in 1948 for 2k. In it were Grandpa's old fishing hat with his favorite lures all rusty since he passed in '57. My dad loved the place and we have pictures of him holding up possibly every fish he ever caught off Boliver. Daddy passed in '03. His sister, my old Aunt Tressie had taken two old double beds down there that she didn't want any more, couple of solid walnut Jenny Lind beds. She passed in '72. The house had one of the old 'monitor top' refrigerators in it and the last time I was down there it was still working like the day it came out of the showroom.

We didn't lose anything that was really valuable, per se, but we sure lost a lot. I feel sad when I think about it and can't decide if I want to go rummage around on Goat Island and hope to find some old treasure or just look at the pictures and remember it how it was. My brothers can't even talk about it cause all their best childhood memories of fishing with Dad were down there in Gilchrist.

I realize that losing an old shack is nothing like losing your beloved trees and plantings. It will take another 100 years for you to get the trees back. It's just a darn shame that so many great things are gone with nothing left but the memories of how they were. E-mail me your address, I'll send you some seeds. And if you happen so see my grandfather's old fishing hat, just feel free to pass it along back to me. My brothers would love to have it. Cheryl