The Friday Funnies: Adrift in the Bay

Below is a letter my grandmother, Mary Fern (Newby) Runyan, wrote and stuck in a birthday card to her sister-in-law, Grace Anna (Runyan) Crim on her birthday. At first I didn't know who the letter was to, and I wouldn't have known if my grandmother hadn't put the year at the top and mentioned that the person's birthday coincided with Election Day of that year. All I had to do was Google "Election Day 1964" and up came the date "November 3", Grace's birthday! I suppose Grace's daughter Vera found this among her mother's things and gave it to my mother after Grace died. I am tickled pink that my mother kept it!                                                                  

As I have mentioned before, my grandfather, Lawrence E. Runyan, was an avid fisherman. It was his favorite thing to do as long as I can remember. 

Lawrence E. Runyan and his catch of the day - circa 1954
Trout was 31 & 1/2" long,  and weighed 16 lbs.  

1964

 

Hi: -

     Hope you have a nice Birthday! Every-body's celebrating it - Election Day, ha.

     How have you been? Just today Laurence is acting almost normal. He has done nothing but sleep since he got home - except one day!

     Mr. MacElhaney (our neighbor across the street) bought a new boat while Laurence was gone. a couple of weeks ago they took the boat out on to the Bay.

     The wind was blowing - and the motor conked out! Not another boat in the bay. they tied a white rag to a fishing pole and stuck it up in the boat - no-body paid any attention. they drifted about six hours clear across the bay about ten or twelve miles. They found an old house away off from no-where with two old drunk men in it, one of them drove L. & M. across the bay to the Marina to their car - it was about seven o'clock - (dark) when they got home. The next day they had to go back and get the boat, ha, and since then until today Laurence has been sleeping again, ha. He can get himself into more messes than any-body I ever saw, ha.

     Think he will be O.K. now if he don't go off on another tangent.

                                                           Happy Birthday.

                                                             Love

                                                            Fern & Laurence

Lawrence Everett and Mary Fern (Newby) Runyan - circa 1965

SHARE