1937 … the Lee girls with Grandpa and Grandma

That’s me, the littlest of all the Lee girls, squeezed onto the running board of my Grandfather’s new car. My Grandmother, and sister of my great Aunt Emma, peers out of the back window.

This picture was taken in Brattleboro, Vt., where they lived and, although I certainly can’t remember that day, I can remember the sights and smells quite well.

Grandpa’s hobby was woodworking and I loved to watch him at work in his shop located just off the kitchen. Wondrous toys, furniture and bric-a-brac seemed to miraculously spring from his agile fingers as he turned the wood lathe. And the smell of new sawn shavings was delectable.

His main job, however, was as a salesperson for the Estey Organ Company and he traveled far and wide throughout New England in his beloved car promoting and selling their product. Here is a picture of the type of organ that he sold, an Estey Reed Organ, Circa 1927:



Although my Grandfather was fairly reserved in his home the stories abound about his travels on the road … his cap perched jauntily on his head and his windows open to catch the air. I would love to have been a silent partner on those trips!