As I finish the final chapters of my personal memoirs, Storyworth, the publisher, prompted me to list my favorite possessions, assuming that spouses and family members are not considered as such. I’ve made a list (not necessarily in order):

Antique 1915 National Cash Register – last compensation from the bankrupt Middlebury Independent, my first job out of college. They couldn’t make payroll, so I grabbed it from their adjoining restaurant, the Square Nail. 

1955 Sherm Lollar jersey – rare to find from this era and a gift from my wife, secured by our collector friend, Bill Allee. 

Steuben Glass water pitcher – gift from foreign business acquaintances of my father when he worked for Miles Laboratories in Elkhart. 

Dad’s Miles Lab 15, 20, 25, and 30-year service pins

1965 Mustang convertible model of Dad’s car that I drove to get my driver’s license in 1967.

Cuff Link box collection – sports, novelty, and antique that I stylishly wore to work each day along with a pocket scarf and suspenders. 

Framed 2016 Cubs World Series tickets.

I.U. Assembly Hall replica – gift from Adam & Eliza.

1911 Tobacco Cards including Cubs double-play threats Tinker, Evers, and Chance featured in the poem Baseball’s Sad Lexicon.

Framed photo of Lincoln Hot-Air Balloon trip with dad as part of the Indy 500 Festival.

Memory Box from 2017 Daytona 500 Race w/grands.

Mark Buehrle autographed ball from perfect game on July 23, 2009.

Coins and baseball cards – memories of my childhood Herzberg neighbors on Carolyn Avenue. 

Awards & Certificates – Running, Detroit Marathon, Crystal Business Journal Sales Eagles, and Toastmaster Honors.

Wrigley Field Brick – Three Generations: Mike, Adam, Gavyn – gift from my wife.

They also asked to briefly share some of what I remember about my grandparents Ross and Grace Hancher: 

My mom was their only child, so we spent more time with them than my dad’s parents, who spread their time between their three children. The Hancher’s had a mobile home at Corey Lake in Michigan, and another in Englewood, Florida, plus a home on North E. Street in Elwood, Indiana, their pit stop between the two locations. The two of them were constantly on the go from place to place. 

They took me to Benton Harbor Michigan to the Heathkit Factory so I could buy a walkie-talkie kit. However, they first forced me to pick blueberries with them before we could leave. I tried to speed up the process by stealing berries from their buckets to fill mine. 

Hours spent playing Scrabble, Yahtzee, and Uno or going shell collecting. I remember making shell creatures and going to the Shell Factory near Ft. Myer/ for supplies, as well as a trip to the nearby Thomas Edison home. 

Elwood Creamery and Mangas Cafeteria – buffet lunches together and ice cream. 

Raking leaves for “Aunt” Edna Pulver every year and watching the assembly line action in her Corey Lake kitchen of baking and freezing apple pies.

I was shocked to hear my grandpa swear when he took me fishing and pricked his finger on a bait hook. Also, the stench of cleaning fish in the screened lakeside booths. 

Late night trips through the woods to the Castle outhouse before they had flushable toilets in the trailer.

Photography was a hobby for both my mom and grandfather. They were never without a camera and used me too often as the subject. 

Corey Lake Sundays – Chicken every Sunday on the grill, and visits to YMCA Camp Eberhart.

Grandpa was the Elwood Postmaster. We had to wait to open Christmas presents because he was working. 

They took me to my first Florida beach in Englewood, near where we all now live. 

My sister and I often spent time with their friends, the Kaufman’s, who also lived in Bay Palms Trailer Court. 

Thanksgiving Day annual tradition with the Hizer’s in Frankfort, Indiana. 

On my dad’s side of the family, grandparents William and Mildred Johnston were also a big part of my life:

Unlike the Hancher’s, they were homebodies who rarely left the city of Elkhart. Dad and Aunt Norma both lived there but Uncle Bill was in New York state. 

After my grandmother died, I took my grandfather to the Indianapolis Speedway and to Gasoline Alley, followed by a visit to the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument. He liked Kellogg’s Corn Flakes for breakfast. 

There were always large family reunions on the Fourth of July at Simonton Lake, Cook’s Ranch or Oxbow Park. It’s how I got to know all my cousins. 

They lived on Maple Row house with big apple tree in the back yard that we liked to climb. 

Grandmother loved to play Scrabble and card games.

She worked in the JC Penny store while he owned a laundry called Hoosier Cleaners. 

These are all great memories and traditions that I treasure. I would not alter anything about growing up. My believe is that you can’t go back and change anything about life because it changes everything about the outcome.

Between my two marriages and raising a child we developed our own family traditions:

Siesta Key Fourth of July weeks with the McClure family games and special guests Julie and Kim. 

Dining as a group at Phillipi Creek, the Oyster Bar, and Captain Curt’s.

Driving to Ft. Wayne every year as a family to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving until we eventually moved there. 

Learning to ski as a family at Timber Ridge with the Clarks. Trips to Cannonsburg, Monarch, Swiss Valley, Steamboat, Mount Bachelor, and Indiana’s own Paoli Peaks.

Calmly watching or going to IU games. 

Little league baseball games that lasted forever, BMX bike racing, and swim meets. 

In my second marriage, nearly every Thanksgiving and Christmas were spent in Indianapolis at her sister’s house until we moved away to Texas. 

Two Thanksgivings, one with each wife, were spent at the Maui Classic. 

Cubs game outings to Wrigley, Pittsburg, and San Francisco. Indy 500 race adventures and memories like Mud Man, or Garage Tours with Beth, Derek, Grif and Jacque. A day at the Daytona 500.

‘Marc’s Party at Mike’s house’ was more about my work family at WISH-TV but still involved all of us.

Currently, we have weekly restaurant Date Nights and have started a new neighborhood tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year. 

I’ll pick this up in another post before I bore you with too many personal details. If you didn’t read this far then I’m sorry that I did!