Fordyce

After my Gran passed away, I found myself reminiscing over the phone with my brother Tim about all the wonderful memories we had of visiting our grandparents in Fordyce, Arkansas. We realized that her funeral could possibly be our last trip to Fordyce. So we brought along a camera and determined that we had to go see various landmarks, including Gran and Burke's house (which now belongs to someone else) and the birthplace of Fordyce's claim to fame, Paul "Bear" Bryant.

My dad did not grow up in this house, but this is the house that holds all my childhood memories with Gran and Burke:

They had a four-wheeler and golf cart that made many, many circles around this house and drove all over their property. I believe the golf cart, over a number of years and at the hands of various young drivers, also drove into the well, numerous trees, Burke's truck, the rosebushes, and the covered patio.

As you may recall, I was ill on this trip. Right after Tim took the pictures of the house, I started to feel just awful. But I was determined to get to the birthplace of the Bear. So off we went! In the photo below, I am praying that I don't throw up on Bear Bryant's lawn:

The Bear's humble beginnings

My dad and Tim also visited the high school football field where my dad played as a 140-pound lineman (that's right) for the Fordyce Redbugs. Bear Bryant was also a Redbug and, for some reason, they decided to name the field after him and not my dad.

#64 ready to take the field