When Grandpa Art comes to visit they make a trip to the Fort Erie race track so he can bet on the horses. It is crowded and chaotic with money windows and bleachers where they watch the dusty event from. He was her mother's father whose sister called him daddy. He loved the track. Apparently he was from a family of ten who ate the occasional squirrel and were lucky if they had shoes. Her father had three older brothers whose names he slurred together when referencing them, as if they were a brother brigade. Their elder status influenced his position and perspective. They being older and ahead of him in many ways gave him a sense of protection, direction, confidence, and also the persistent feeling of being left out. He was repeatedly told he wasn't old enough yet to do the things they did. to go where they went. He is 91 now and TomLarryJack have crossed the finish line- Rod remains in the race.
-Melora Griffis, July 2021
