Monday, October 16, 2017

LONG LOST DAUGHTER MEETS HER FAMILY

SHE'S 26---THEY DIDN'T KNOW SHE EXISTED--THEY WANT TO MEET HER---SHE WANTS TO MEET THEM.

There she is sweet people---A wild oat sown 26 years ago returning to the sower.  She's come to get me and together we will drive to Louisiana where she will meet for the first time half of her biological family: two aunts, oodles of cousins and second cousins.

We drive a thousand miles in two days--having lots of fun.  Here i'm feeding her a chunk of pineapple.

Here is the moment of happy union.  They love her as I do.
That's Darlene to my left--by far the most adventurous member of our family and Bobbie Jean to her left--the lynchpin of a successful and happy clan (as you will see)---and my beautiful daughter Christine to her left.


Our first outing is to this house to meet her cousin Donna.

And our timing is good--she meets two of her cousins-- Donna on the left and Alana on the right. (sisters) One of them is a medical doctor and the other once owned and operated a small airline (for real).  Is now director of the visitors bureau for  Monroe and West Monroe-(think Duck Dynasty)-which do you think is which?  Cam you spot a pilot?

Outside we meet another 2 generations


Then we take a break down by the family pond.
So far--so good--she is at ease with her new-found relatives.

Then meets more relatives

Back for a great dinner, we meet still more relatives.

On another day my sister takes the whole family to dinner and I introduce her to a famous in-law:  That's Dr. Clark Cooper who made national news when he spearheaded the successful cloning of a dog.  Read about it here. (interesting story:  Man loves his dog--pays big bucks to have him "back")



Then on to more relatives.  John Edward and Vicky live here in eastern Louisiana very near the Mississippi river. (no that's not the river--it's their duck pond)

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Their log home is a marvel of coziness they designed themselves.

She meets two more cousins! We catch up to Vicky (Asst. DA for the parish) down in the cotton patch with her brother Charles who explains cotton to Christine.   Charles is a super farmer raising cotton and rice.  He has the wit and will to build an empire if he so chose.

And then he shows her the new machine he just bought--- a six row cotton picker.  Here he details how this ingenious mechanism manages to do the once-thought-impossible task of separating the stubborn cotton fiber from its boll.  

Sweet people you are looking at a miracle machine--for what it does and for the effect it has had.
Partly invented only 13 miles from this spot it does the work of 500 field hands cleanly picking the cotton, rolling it into huge 2000 pound cyllinders neatly wrapped in plastic and dropping them off its rear end.
This machine cost a cool million dollars and I can feel his pride as he watches it smoothly lumber away at brisk walking speed guided perfectly by sattellite.
The effect it has had is to reshape the entire south,putting millions out of work. (and I think that is a good thing---machines should work---people should think: Buckminster Fuller)  

Next we went toCharles' storage bins---giant containers to hold his rice harvest.  Here's a truck just unloading.  You may well buy some of that rice because it has been bought by Uncle Ben's.
Finally we visited the gator industry owned by another cousin of Christine's.   There are about 40,000 gators being raised there and another 40,000 in a second place.  Taking pictures is strictly forbidden here and elaborate security measures are enforced.  We visited the security room which monitors about everything.  I took her to a single room of gators and carefully opened the door. ...she was strikingly impressed.
In this barn she inspected his  helicoptor


and one of several air boats.
The boss of this giant operation is her first cousin--Jeff--she met him briefly before he was off to Johanisberg, South Africa for an international trade conference. The purpose of which is to find ways to persuade the world that commercializing endangered animals is the most efficient way to save them. (Rhinos for example can--and are--being commercially raised)

So we enjoyed his private camp and picnic cabins with pool

and one of his employees took us for a ride on the lovely Ouachita river.


Her cousin Alana invited us over for a photographic walk down memory lane.  Here's my mother and grandmother and myself about 40 years ago.  Christine laughed when she saw this and said she understands why her mother slept with me.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: HERE'S A POEM FROM MY BOOK THAT IS SO TOTALLY APPROPRIATE FOR NOW:

WILD OATS
He never knew he'd sired a daughter
 till she was fully grown,
When she sought and found her mysterious father
and claimed him as her own.

Wild oats often return to the sower.
Mostly they bite and stress us.
But now and then, fate, with a grin
returns our oats to bless us.

AND SO I DO---FEEL BLESSED.  This was a mission fraught with some risk;  not least of which is that my glitteringly successful family would make me seem, by comparison, an utter failure.  It didn't seem to happen ---she still seems to love and respect me. I spoke with her a few minutes ago asking for her reaction to the whole trip. She said she feels a sense of completeness that has removed a long-time unrest in her.  She feels  peaceful regarding the gene pool she came from--- that she had finally been "home"--- that loose ends had been tied up.








16 comments:

Rob said...

That was a pleasant story, thanks for sharing it!

evtinker said...

True success is not measured in dollars, acres, or bales. In fact, it cannot be measured by any unit known to man. True success is measured in lives touched, smiles created and shared, and in joy and laughter. Are you sure you are not the most successful in the family?

kramme said...

Thanks for sharing a piece of your life. What a family you have and as you know each person has to live in a way that works for them. You have a big heart and a wonderful daughter. It is nice to see that you both have freely have accepted each other, a great outcome for all!

Terri Reed said...

Wonderful stories! chuckled and smiled throughout the read :) and as a former "wheatie" for one summer (wheat combine operator of machine worth "only" a quarter-million 30 yrs ago) I'm very impressed with your cousins' rice, cotton and farm-raised alligator operations. I'm always impressed with folks who work the land/waters and risk so much (time and money) and willingly face the whims of Mother Nature.

VtChris said...

Thanks for sharing this heart warming and intimate story of your family. I am curious about one thing...why all the security around raising alligators?? Seems like it is just farming of another species so I am perplexed.

CAJUN said...

@ evtinker, I agree with you! Randy is truly blessed. Enjoyed the Louisiana connection. As they would say in Louisiana, all of this would be, "LAGNIAPPE"
(Something extra)
Pickin' Cotton? Go to you tube and listen to "Pick a bail of Cotton" by Leadbelly.

Wes said...

Outstanding post Randy. I so enjoyed looking at all of the photos, and hearing a bit about what each family member does. It is great that you and Christine were able to take this trip. I hope that you all had a blast!

Cargo Camping Dan said...

Such pride and joy show's on your face in the 2 photo's you are in Randy. Proud "Papa". Being I live in south Georgia, that is a fine mess of good looking cajun women. But Randy, them men are about the most "homely" men I ever seen. ha ha. Thank's for sharing. I think this may be your best blog entry so far. Take care.
Danny

Gloria said...

What a wonderful experience for you both! I'm so thrilled to see that you had the opportunity to visit the family together! Just delightful! Now, I hope you'll bring her some time to meet us nomads! Perhaps this winter sometime, that is, if she'd be interested in that?

Stuart said...

A great daughter and great relatives and a great father too. On the subject of cotton: slavery was closely tied to that crop because it was so labor-intensive to grow and harvest. It is amazing to see a machine that can replace the labor of 500 slaves. I am sad that the blight of racism that began with slavery is still alive today, despite all the time that has passed and all the advancement of our knowledge and scientific abilities. Human nature evolves much slower than technology.

Anonymous said...

I agree: a great post, and a happy ending all done and joyous. You've certainly got a plenitude of relatives, and now there's one more for all to enjoy.
Good poem.
Bushman

Randy said...

Thanks all for your interesting comments-they are much appreciated. Vt Chris: All the security around the gator business seems necessary to them because they have a determined enemy organization who wants to destroy the whole enterprise worldwide.

VtChris said...

WOW. I am amazed. And yet there are farms that give tours to school children. http://www.insta-gatorranch.com/

Joyce said...

I'm Guessing Donna is the Pilot.

Randy said...

Hi Joyce: Bad guess---It is Alana. She owned a multi passenger plane that made scheduled trips between Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Joyce is a pilot also--check her and her plane out here on an adventure in the Montana wilderness: http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2010/08/one-day-in-life-of-pilot.html

Nancy1340 said...

I am so happy that kit and kin got on well. She is a very lucky young lady and I agree with her opinion on why her mother......er well you know. You were a cute pup.