[Pierre]

Wrong sort of forum for this post

[AlArchie]

Pierre and I had a nice long chat onthe phone this evening, and I'm looking forward to a few more of his musings......we share a history back in Iron Mountain, and maybe a few others here do too.....Bob from TN for one, and it's nice to compare notes and rememberances, so please put up with our ramblings for a while.

Turns out Pierre's aunt and my dad worked to gether in my dad's photography studio untill Gwen moved on and set up her own studio, just across the street. She and my family remained friends until my mom passed on about 20 years ago.

Strange that we should come together after all these years on a site designed for carvers. BTW my dad was a carver, too, but not to the extent of others here.

Al

[Nancy_G]

Thank you for every word. Oh, how grateful I am that you're "talking" here, in public, instead of just on the phone. Please keep it going.... it's fascinating.

[AlArchie]

Pierre and I have never met in person, but apparently our families are linked in the past. It was really enjoyable to hash back through the cobwebs of long faded memories, trying to bring them more into focus. A strange connection from halfway across the nation. Bob from TN has also been linked as his family summered in Dickenson county and was familiar to the area, too.

From reading Pierre's #3 and #4 chronicles it's plain that they are "horse people" out there in Montana. My experience with horses has been to get "throwed and stomped" every thime I got on one! Two exceptions; while taking the Scout troop to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, they did put me on what they said were large, easy going horses, and I have to admit I didn't get thrown off of either of them, but even a gentle mount will let you know when he is in charge.....and they were both in charge. I have a great respect for horses and their riders, but will stay on foot (my foot)!

My grandfather plowed his ground with a two horse team, and he was always sure that I stayed clear of the team. For some reason, even as a toddler, I seemed to spook the horses. And I won't even talk about the breeding bull, my uncle had. He was finally gored and died of those wounds.....that was one mean bull.

I'm still trying to remember where I knew other Monigals from Iron Mountain, and I think one of the young (then) boys was in our Scout troop and maybe even in my youngest brother's class. I'll have to check with Jim because I don't have a yearbook from his era!

I have a class reunion coming up this fall, and I'll have to do some more research. And one cousin is still in town, and she was in business there, running her dad's wholesale sporting goods operation, so she knows or knew just about everyone.

More later.

Al

[Pierre]

Probably one of the more enjoyable hours I've spent last evening talking with Al.
I now find I have a fair bit to post about the Monigals, Rocheleaus, my Grandfather's carved lumber mill and my Mother's carving career, but its going to take me a bit of research to get the sequence and facts right, so do be patient.
I'm very glad to have found this website, and astounded at the sequence of events beginning 70 years ago that brought me to this point.

P