Sentimental Sunday

Henry Condar Dreher

About 1965

I am guessing at the time of this photograph, simply by looking at the little girl on the left of this photo. That's my baby sister, Eydie. And she looks to be about 3 or 4 here. And I believe it was 1965 when Grandma and Grandpa Dreher came and spent a few weeks during the summer with us.

Grandpa would have been 64 at this time. Quite a fit man for 64, don't ya think?

Grandpa stood about 6'6" tall. He was a big man, structural-wise. Large bone frame, etc. Not a bit fat however.

I can remember he like to play with us in the water, and would dig out huge areas of the sand and make shallow wading areas for us to play along the beach so that our mother wouldn't have to worry about us.

Each morning while he visited, he would rise early and see what treasures the ocean washed ashore. [We lived within sight of the beach front on East Ocean View, in Norfolk, Virginia]. On one particular morning, he came back carrying under his strong arm, a huge round, gate-legged table. This table had been washed up on the beach, and was in sad shape. Grandpa lovingly restored it for mother's use. It was an eight-legged table. And today sits in my sister's house.

Grandpa said it looked to have been built in the 1700's. While I don't believe it was ever verified, I do know that my sister has looked it up in antiques books, and yes, it certainly seems to match up with what Grandpa told mother! [I'll have to get pictures of it one day to post here.]

Grandpa was a master carpenter, trained by his own father, who was the same. And his the same. They came from Germany as skilled carpenters 200 years ago.