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400 year old Mother vine, reputed to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the world.

The picture of the little strip mall with the small tree, on the left side of the picture is where Daddy's big pear tree, garden, and barn was located. Behind the barn was Dad's price suppermong vineyard once stood. The tall trees in the background run along side of Chrislo Drive, as you can see the sun setting behind these trees. I'm facing South West. The Homer Road is to my left.

Here's one of Daddy's scuppernong arbors. This one was nearest our house. It had the bronze grapes on it and words can't describe how wonderfully sweet these suppernongs were. Oh how I miss them every Sept. The tin you see around the arbor was Dad's way of keep the coons and opossums out, they loved them also. He had another purple scuppernong arbor by the barn

Suppernongs are in the muscadine grape family, and they are wonderfully SWEET. Come in two colors, golden/bronze and dark purple. As a child I looked forward to Sept., two reasons, my birthday and suppernong time, it's when they get ripe! I recall one of my Dad's sister had a big arbor of suppernongs, and we'd climb up inside this thing, was huge, and sit upon the main trunk among vines and just eat until we couldn't hold anymore. My uncle and aunt had a few pigs and these pigs would wait for us to spit the hulls out or if they were lucky drop a few of the wonderful grapes down from them to enjoy. What fun memories.

Here's a cute and true story. One of Dad's brother made some wine from these suppernongs. He put it in a class pitcher and stored it in the back of the fridge. he and and his wife ran to grocery shop, leaving their 4 grade school age kids home along. When they returned, these kids were turning flips and acting stranger then normal! After much questioning, the older one said the only thing they had to drink was this pink "cool-aid" they found in the back of the fridge.

The Wal Mart Picture Has been Placed at the very top of the page. For that shot I tried to position about where I was standing in my parents backyard when I took the first picture of the store just before the grand opening.

Now the 3rd picture of the Sonic Drive In., It's located near the corner Chris Drive and the Homer Road and a portion of Daddy's gardner ran along near this corner. His garden was on the side of this hill and he farmed it up into his 80's on that little old Farmall Cub tractor. Well once it over turned on the side of this hill, but my little ole' sweet Dad being a nimble man, bailed off and was unhurt. But what sadden him most of all, he told us, he sat there for some time trying to regain his composure and car after car would pass by going up and down Chris Drive and people would look at the tractor turned upside down and there sat my Dad on the ground near by. But not ONE person stop to inquire of his well being. That hurt my Dad more then the fall did. Oh, and he being a very patient man, use one of his tools he called a 'comealong' to return the tractor to it's upright position.

Here's a cute and true story. One of Dad's brother made some wine from these suppernongs. He put it in a class pitcher and stored it in the back of the fridge. he and and his wife ran to grocery shop, leaving their 4 grade school age kids home along. When they returned, these kids were turning flips and acting stranger then normal ! After much questioning, the older one said the only thing they had to drink was this pink "cool-aid" they found in the back of the fridge.

Many thanks to LeVerne Langheld Kidd for sharing this wonderful story of the land for our Minden Memories site.