Family Reunion, Bryce Canyon, 1964

 Wayne's family was living in Atlanta in 1964, so they traveled west to a family reunion.
I was surprised to see this picture of Wayne up so high in this tree (he has on the red stripes).
When he climbed trees with my children for family pictures, I didn't know it was already a family tradition from when he was a child.

Here is what he wrote about this picture:


" The climbing tree looms large in my memory of this family reunion.
As you can see, I'm right at the very top!  I loved the feeling of
climbing so high.  I would climb right up into the very smallest
branches of the top of the tree.
  One of the cousins (Jan's son I think) brough some monster figures
(small plastic statuettes).  We played with those a lot, too.  I think
that is one that I'm holding up in one hand at the top of the tree.
I loved playing with them.  In the portrait of the family I am holding
his werewolf figure in front of me to make sure it got in the picture.
We don't have that photo here, but I remember seeing it with me and
that little toy.

  We also liked to play in the gulches and forest behind the camp.  One
day Laura Bennett and I were "galloping" around in the woods near camp
playing cowboys and indians.  When we got back to camp, we heard that
her little sister, Theresa, had just fallen out of the tree.  We rushed
over to the picnic table under a dining fly where she lay.  Whether it
is true or not, my memory of the event was that she had on stretch
pants with those little loops that run under the foot (pedal pushers?).
One of those was broken.  Unfortunately, so was one of her arms.  They
had to take her to Panquich to get to a doctor to help her.
  From what I heard, she wasn't hurt worse because she kind of bounced
from one limb to the next as she fell.  So, no single fall was enough
to hurt her too badly.
  I can't remember whether I was allowed back in the tree or not.
All I know is that I had a lot of fun while I could!"  WRW