September 30

The dedication of the Trail

Jocelyn, Savannah, and Bob Harris (left of the frame)
Carlene, Day, Mary Elizabeth and I (right)

Saturday was an extraordinary day for us all!  The tent was full of friends and family including two of my daddy's Tennessee nieces and a nephew and their families, my mother's oldest niece from Athens, four of the six grandchildren (Day, Will, Mary Elizabeth, and Micah) one of the nine great-grandchildren, Savannah, many of Carlene's friends, and my best friend since kindergarten, Betty.   Carlene gave a beautiful, funny, moving talk about my daddy's love of family, nature and conservation.

Bob had done months of research on Lloyd's work with Soil Conservation and RC&D that had created this park around a watershed lake in Gwinnett County.  Even as the current Soil Conservation engineer spoke about the legacy of the park, people and dogs were walking, running, and tossing frisbees on the three-mile Lloyd Harris path. This was exactly the park he had imagined back in the Sixties when we first moved to Gwinnett County.

Betty and Day
I so often call Betty Day and Day Betty--
which I think speaks to the fact that these two reside
in the same spot in my heart! 

Carlene just before her talk.
My kids taped the talk--but I don't know how to post a video.
In a week or so, the professional photographs and videos
will be posted on the Gwinnett County website.

Carlene and Will--
Will whose visit we managed to save for a surprise
until he arrived Friday night 

It was an unforgettable day--that ended with an all-day visit with Carlene, Will, Day and Mary Elizabeth that lasted until late last night.