I was thinking the other day about how important wedding photographs will be to a person’s children and grandchildren. Neither of us have photos from our parents’ weddings, and I think that’s a little sad. I remember looking at my father’s senior photo as a child, though, so for our GTMM this week I thought it’d be fun to post old photos of our dads when they were our age!
Ah, the old days of yore — I can almost hear The Bee Gees, Supertramp and Pink Floyd playing in the background. Oh wait, sorry, that’s my iPod! 
Speaking of, my dad was really into music in high school. He was one of the best trumpet players and was in the marching band; he even thought about becoming a music teacher. After high school, someone barreled right into him while he was riding his motorcycle. He still has the scars but his love of motorcycles hasn’t waned. He went on to spend several years in the Air Force, and he has tons of interesting stories from traveling around the world. He met my mom and he left the service so he could settle down and have me. These days, he loves house hunting, cooking on his top-of-the-line BBQ grill and watching Nascar. When he visits, we often go on hikes to various waterfalls around Boone.
About his dad, Corey writes: My father grew up in southern New Orleans. While he was a teenager, he played guitar in a band named John Fred and the Playboys, which had a number one hit in the 60’s titled, “Judy in Disguise”. After leaving the band, he went to college for architecture but later decided to attend dental school. After getting his DDS, he enlisted in the Navy and was sent to the Cherry Point Marine Corp base in Eastern NC. On the way, he passed through Boone and thought to himself, “I’m going to live here someday!” After leaving the Navy, he established a dental practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he met my mother. They married and moved to Boone soon after.
My dad still plays music and writes songs, though just as a hobby now. He enjoys nature and the outdoors, particularly the area around my parents’ house. He’s into home repair and does lots of things himself, from carpentry to plumbing. My father and I have spent years building a stone walkway by hand alongside the stream in our backyard, I’ll always remember the time we spent out there talking as we worked.
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Looking at old family photos makes me realize how important a legacy pictures really are for future generations. I know we’re both guilty of not getting in front of the lens as often as we should, and as soon as spring arrives we’re going to change that!
So here’s a picture of a wildflower instead!
