Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar...

Last Wednesday, Mrs. RWP and I hopped into our 11-year-old car that we have driven for more than 260,000 miles and added another 1,000 miles to the odometer to visit relatives in eastern North Carolina (500 miles there and 500 back). We spent one night in Raleigh (pronounced Rahly by the locals even though I grew up saying Rawly; perhaps our English readers can enlighten us as the place was named after Sir Walter Raleigh) visiting with cousin Amy. Next day we popped in on cousin Nancy and her husband Ronald in Smithfield for a short visit. Finally we arrived at our ultimate destination, the town of Clinton, where Mrs. RWP’s brother and his wife live, to help them celebrate his 80th birthday.



An interesting fact about Clinton, North Carolina, is that it is within spitting distance of Spivey’s Corner, where the National Hollerin’ Contest has been held on the third Saturday in June each year since 1969. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), we could not attend the 2011 version as we had to leave Saturday morning for the day-long trip back to Canton so that I could play chimes/piano/pipe organ (our Yamaha Clavinova is very versatile) at our church on Sunday. I was mildly disappointed and thought of Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” Mrs. RWP, on the other hand, was very happy.

You know I’m going to include a video clip.

Here it is.

As the 2003 winner said, “I want to thank the Lord because without Him none of us would be here.”

A final comment: The background in the photograph of the birthday cake is a tablecloth crocheted by the honoree’s mother at least sixty years ago. We have one just like it at our house.

Now that and the fact that our brother has reached 80 are things worth hollerin’ about.

3 comments:

  1. my daughter becky lives in clinton{not north carolina} but utar, but is now visiting ashbourugh north carolina which is i am sure near to clinton north carolina, where am i going with all this???? i really don't know since my head is swimming with walking cat fish down dirt roads, and country roads as john denver would say<><><>you know i have come to know i don't really have to say anything clearly for some peoople to read me cleqarly<<>,.they have figured out how to do it just by following me for years, but if i had to start all over again, i probably would lose everyone<<><><>CONCENTRATE

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  2. A belated happy birthday to your brother (in-law). My own age 80 is not that far away (if the Good Lord takes a likin' to me).

    "Clinton" seems to be a popular city name. I graduated from HS in Clinton, AR, have visited Clinton, OK, Putz has a daughter in Clinton, UT and, of course, Clinton, NC.

    Spivey's Corner, NC is a name not unknown to me, thanks to the Andy Griffith TV series, but I had forgotten that the National Hollerin' Contest was held there. I side firmly with Mrs. RWP. It was the better choice that you were on the road back to your Yamaha Clavinova.

    Hope you're having a great day!

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  3. Putz, Asheboro, NC, is about two hours from Clinton, I would say. In the west that might be considered "near" but in the east it is not.

    Pat, and there was a president named Clinton from Arkansas as well! I am also aware of a Clinton in Tennessee, because an attempt was made to integrate the schools in Clinton, Tennessee, and my home town in Texas the very same year back in the fifties. If I am remembering correctly, the two towns were both featured in an article in an issue of Time magazine.

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<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

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