Lake Eanes Park in Comanche, 1944

This was a company picnic for the people who worked at Camp Bowie in Brownwood with my dad.
The picnic was at Lake Eanes Park, a favorite place for family reunions and church outings.  In the background right you can see the pavilion where dances sometimes happened in my high school years.  All it took was somebody to open up his car windows with the radio on.

The huge tree in the center was one of many. The rock table and benches were all made of local rock by WPA workers in the 1930's who built parks all over the country in little towns.  One or two of the table bases had limestone imprints of dinosaur tracks.  The limestone in our creeks often held tracks like that.
I guess the most famous ones are in Glen Rose.

Thurston "Bill" Atwood, my father

Thurston played trumpet all through school and at the Methodist Church as well.  When he was 19 he started a band with 3 other young musicians.  They called themselves the "Merry Makers." He told me they played for dances, mostly in Brownwood, 24 miles away.

Above is a postcard sent to Mama during boy scout camp in Glen Rose.  It reads: "Dearest Mother, We are having a wonderful time and this sulphur water is plenty hard to drink.  Take care of yourself.  Love, Thurston."

Below is a telegram he sent her from Lufkin, Texas in 1936 when he was a traveling salesman. The message reads: "for every mile that separates us on this day I send a hundred wishes for your happiness."