My Uncle Charlie just died. I think he was born in 1916. He was my grandmother's older brother and I have many fond memories of him. When I was 10 I wrote a report about the P-40F airplane that he flew in WWII. I was so fascinated by those planes, which lead to a short but intense obsession with WWII aircraft. Someone in Baton Rouge has a vintage airplane that they fly over our neighborhood occasionally and when I see it I stop and watch it go over and say, "Oh look, it's a P-47 Thunderbolt." He mailed me a book and wrote me a letter about all his experiences. That was way back in the day before e-mail.
He was a raconteur, a bon vivant and he loved life, something he had in common with my grandmother. He loved tomatoes. He loved martinis. That's how I remember him. He retired early in life and lived on a golf course, long before that was the cool thing to do. A long good life with a great family and great health, that's the way to do it. With all the business in my personal and work life I didn't think I was going to get around to planting my tomato plants this year, but now I think I will.
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