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Reading about Maxine’s passing reminds me that we could see the roof of the Ruppy Capps home below Rippy Hill. Mrs. Capps brought her daughter Sara up to visit Mama Rippy in her rose garden when Sara and I were about five years old. I thought Sara was quite pretty then and she retained her good looks into adulthood. Sara worked in the kitchen at the Lynn reunions; I miss them now that they have stopped.

I went to Tryon School as did all of the Capps siblings. Julian was injured in an accident and Maxine cared for him for years. As I remember, my brother Bill dated Jean for a time. I never dated anyone because I assumed that with my severe acne the girls would not want to be seen with me. I learned much later that some of them liked me, too!

Ruppy and his brothers were rock masons. I am sorry I do not know which projects were theirs, though some of the contractors I met when I worked at Tryon Builders Supply reported having their rock work done by the Capps Brothers. 

I went with several of my friends here at White Oak to Southern Manners for Father’s Day breakfast. We had to go up that long flight of stairs to another much larger dining room and a long table reserved for us. We had a great time together and enjoyed a typical Southern Manners fine meal expertly prepared.

The owner is brother of my late brick mason, Al Overholt, who was busing tables for him when he first opened. Al assured me that he was only helping out his brother temporarily! 

 We will be going to Asheville the last weekend of June to son Thomas’s and Fran’s birthday party being held at the Holiday Inn east where Thomas was desk clerk for some ten years. Thomas turned 60 on the 20th and Fran will be 88 on the 29th. We are expecting a good turnout for both honorees.

Thomas is picking us up because he does not want me driving to Asheville. And I have a new clutch assembly and a new ignition switch in our Saturn! The new keys work fine; turn easily in the lock to start the car. As I reported earlier, this old 2006 Vue is now giving me nuisance problems as it ages, not gracefully.

My colleague at the TDB, Pam Stone, wrote a very fine column about going to sea in ships and the sometimes consequences. Her grandfather went down with his ship, as is so often the captain’s lot in the circumstance. Pam wishes they could be allowed to rest in peace, a peace to which they are most certainly entitled.

Her high hopes for the men and boy aboard the mini-sub exploring the Titanic wreck may have been dashed by the time you read this. I had thought that the little sub had been lowered the two miles into the deep on a cable, so it could be winched back to the surface when appropriate. Not so! It was a real submarine with propulsion and an oxygen supply for the people aboard.

Now we are reading about alleged poor design and possible debris from the little sub. You will have the full story by the time you read this, but I hope that you will have read Pam Stone’s thoughts beforehand. She expresses my sentiments better than I can.

I wish to add here that when an airplane goes down and the crew survives, the Captain checks that the cabin is empty before being that last one off/out: upholding the traditional role of the Captain of his ship.    

 Garland would like to hear from you at 828-859-7041 or garlandgoodwin7@gmail.com.