A Visit To Granddad and Grandma Tanner
To Thomas O. Tanner
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I do not remember much about the time that my Grandparents lived in Little Rock on Oak Street,
but I have many memories of making the trip from Carlisle to Benton for a visit. We would usually make this voyage on a Sunday. Some times, it would be on Saturday afternoon. We would spend the night and go home Sunday evening. To me the trip was a long one. I think Benton must have been farther away than it is now, or it may be we have automobiles that ride smoother. I know we have much better Roads and the 60 or 80 miles we would travel took much longer than now. Plans for the visit would be made some times far ahead of time, but it happen at least once a month. We would rise early on Sunday morning eat breakfast (There were no McDonalds or fast food places). My daddy would not think of us making such a trip with out us eating breakfast. There would be no Church that Sunday . By 8:00 A.M. O'clock, we would be in the car on our way to town, where we would stop at Scott's Esso Service Station to buy gas. "We are going to Granddads", we would tell the service station, attendant as he wiped the windows, checked the tires, filled the tank with gas, and brush off the floor mats. (There were no self service stations). By the time I reached Carlisle, I needed to go to the restroom. I would crawl out of the car and go to the little room on the side of the station, and when I return Melvin would be sitting on my side of the car, in my seat. Jerry already had gotten up front with Mom and Dad. I would have to get in on the other side. However, not with out crawling over Melvin stomping his feet. Daddy would bring us all a soda pop. I liked a whistle Orange, Jerry would have a Grapette and Melvin seem to have no preference. We would then be on our way. Up highway 70 we would go through Lonoke, pass the fish hatchery, large cotton fields on both sides of the road. The rows of cotton look like a fold out fan from the car window. Melvin would read the Burma Shave signs along side of the road and we would laugh at the silly rhymes. Jerry would go to sleep and spill his grapette, and mother would have to hold it for him (if she could not talk daddy into drinking it for him.) Under the big pecan trees on both sides of the road we would pass, and wave at the people picking the pecans up. Melvin would point out the new cars to Daddy as we pasted them. Melvin and I would each choose a make of car, and see who could count the most cars. As we crossed the bridge into Little Rock, I would spot my favorite sign. (A large coffeepot that would rise and fill a cup and the cup would steam.) I would start looking for the sign when we got to North Little Rock. I did not want to miss my Coffeepot Sign. We would pass through the busy streets of down town Little Rock, making sure Daddy did not miss a stoplight on the side of the street. Mother would point out houses that she lived in when she was a little girl. She sure lived in many different places. Soon we would find ourselves on the out side of town. About this time I was getting bored with ridding and would ask the questions "How much farther to Granddads?" "Who's going to be there?" Will Aunt Katie be there?" How about Bobbie and Donna?" "Will Uncle Tommie and Aunt Juanita be there?" Mother would answer my questions the best she could then point out something on the side of the road. " Look at those bedspreads strung out on a line " (so people would see them and stop and buy one.) I remember the travel motel that had a large green frog on top over the door. Jerry seems to like it a lot. After going through the town of Benton, and I knew it was Benton because of the large water tank with Benton printed on it. We would cross a long bridge and it was time to start looking for Granddad Tanners There was great honor to be the first to spot Granddad's café and store. We would round a long curve on the top of a hill, and start down the other side with a smaller hill you could see over. You could see a Coke sign then the store on the next hill. "I see Granddads!" I see Granddads!" "I saw it first!" "No! I saw it first!" Would be the augment between Melvin, Jerry, and me until we pulled into the yard beside the store. Granddad would be sitting on the big porch in front of the store. Grandma would be in the kitchen, working on fixing a plate lunch, or a hamburger for a customer, someone traveling, someone that worked at the hospital across the highway, or someone that was eating out after Church. Mom would fall in and help Grandma where she could, from washing dishes to taking orders. I would go to the front porch to visit with Granddad. " Well here comes my Old Sugar Girl", he would call as I would climb up in the chair beside him. "Old Sugar Girl " was his special name for me. I got the name when I slipped off down to the field where he was working, (after have been told not too!) I knew when he saw me there he would send me back to the house, and to keep him from being so mad at me, I hollered to him, "Here comes your old sugar girl!" He took me home but laughed at my attempt to sweet talk him. The name stuck with him. I was always his "Old Sugar Girl" After Grandma got through the noon rush, she would start to fix our lunch. "What do you want for lunch", she would ask. The answer was always the same, a hamburger! To this day there has never been a hamburger as good as Grandma made. Grandma's hamburger had slaw,( not lettuce),pickles, onions, mustard and it was on a toasted bun. It did not have a special sauce but it did have a special slaw that made the hamburger. She understood the Burger King Slogan "Have it Your Way." We did some times 2 and 3 times. In the afternoon, things slowed down at the Café except for the sale of pop, and groceries; Mom and Grandma visited, Daddy and Granddad would discuss every thing from politics to farming. In the summer, Granddad always had a watermelon that we needed to taste for him. We would take it out to the picnic tables he had for customers to use if they need a place for a picnic lunch. We were not allowed to ask Granddad for candy, out of the store, but if he offered you some you could take it. The same was true with pop. It did not take me long to learn that if I wanted candy or pop, all I had to do was to sit down beside Granddad and stay for a minute. He would ask me if I wanted some candy . When I said yes, he would tell me to get what I wanted, and I would. The one thing that made this work was I had to eat all I had got before I tried it again. The day would slip away before we knew it and it was time to go home. We would get back in the car after all our good-byes and start the return trip. Someone would turn the radio in the car on, and we would listen to "Jack Benny Show" and the news until I went to sleep. When we reached home, I would go to bed saying a special prayer for the wonderful day. Shortly after I married Aunt Jessie and Uncle Edward built Grandma and Granddad a house in Carlisle, where they retired. At one time I only lived a few blocks away but, I missed the trips to Benton to the store. Jerry now lives in Grandma and Granddad's house in Carlisle. Melvin is retired and lives in Carlisle also. I live in Russellville Grandma and Granddad are gone, but one day in a better place I will hear Granddad say "Here comes my Old Sugar Girl" Charlotte"Raborn" Brown (Lois's Daughter) |
Tom and Mayme's Grandchildren's Familys
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