Daddy

 When I was seven (maybe close to eight), anyway, sometime around there, Mother re-married. No, not to Nick or Patrick. She and John (Biddle) Carraway tied the knot. He was a pilot in the Army Air Corps during WWII and left as a Lt. Col.. When he and Mother married, Chap and I went with them on their honeymoon trip to Atlantic Beach.
 Daddy bought his own Cub plane and on pretty weekends, usually on Sunday's, he would take us up for a flight. He'd do 'loop-d-loops', fly upside down, do the 'roll' and sometimes even fly in a straight line..:)  We loved it (well, of course we did). His favorite thing to do was to play golf, and was, always. Well, that and play Bridge.
 He told the corniest jokes (did that until he died). We had a Daddy.
 He was very strict on us, expecting us to respect our elders, doing our chores, eating what was put in front of us, (thinking of all those starving children overseas), standing erect (no slumping), no sassing, no skipping school (no way was I ever going to skip school, the man had eyes in the back of his head), in other words he taught us a lot. We were no longer spoiled little kids.
Granny left to move with my Aunt Berta in Asheville not long after. My cousin Jo was born, and Granny went up there to help and to stay until her death.  So we all just stayed in Granny's house, never thinking that she wouldn't come back.
Mother & Daddy tried to start their own business; a dry cleaning plant-Zoric Cleaners. (Don't know why he chose that name). After a few years, that didn't pan out. Daddy went to work for the NCSBI, gone nearly all week most of the time.  By that time I had a new little brother, John Biddle Jr. Two years later I had another little brother Russell. They were so much fun, and so totally different from one another. John was easy going, pretty quiet, easy to get along with; Rusty was fiesty, moody, and cantankerous but sweet and loving.
 When John was starting to walk around, I'd dress him in my big doll dresses, and get him to dance for us. He was my first 'baby'. That's when I learned to change diapers.
 The SBI job didn't last for many years so Daddy got a job in Greensboro with Ideal Cement and commuted back and forth from Raleigh. He worked there until 'retirement'. He then found a part time job at the Raleigh YMCA and worked with them until Mother passed. Daddy told me many years ago that the downfall of this country would be the degradation of human morals. How prophetic a statement. He was wise in many ways.
He later found a nice lady to 'court' for a few years, until he became unable to live alone. He then came to live with me and my second husband at the beach. After about 5 months there he died at my home. My then husband, Bill, coddled him with much patience and love.

My brother John..now sends the 'corny' jokes.  Above; Daddy, when he and Mother married, and again

playing his favorite sport.                 John, in front, and Rusty..my cute babies.
The very top picture is of me, Chap & John on his first birthday.
Second from top me holding my 'first' baby, John.