Gosh….Where do I start with this…
Bill is my lifelong friend. By that, I’m referring to the 22 years we’ve known each other, the 20 years that we’ve been like this (I’m crossing my fingers…wish you could see it), and the 60+ years ahead of us. When we were young, we quipped about front porch sittin’ when we’re old men. Looking at our relationship through 30-year-old eyes now, I know that this is a certainty.
Bill is one of the kindest, most genuine people you’ll ever meet. I’ve learned alot from him. And he learned alot from his Granny Jane.
Bill and I spent quite a few summer days on his grandparents’ farm in Bath County. We did a fair bit of underage driving through those fields and on the backroads. We would help out with the tobacco crop some, though looking back, I’m pretty sure we were not terribly helpful. Being from Mt. Sterling, we were clearly city boys.
I have plenty of history with the Manley family, and as a large component of that, I have a deep respect and affection for Granny Jane. It was because of this that I was more than happy to document Jane’s 80th birthday party. I had fun catching up with everyone.
I hope you enjoy the images and can get a sense from them what a great person Jane is, though I suspect you’d really just have to meet her. Then you, too, would be just as much of a fan as I am.
Jane is a huge Elvis fan. He made a guest appearance at her party. Told you she was cool!
Jane shared some wisdom with us while she had everyone collected.
Here’s Jane with her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. Quite a collection, right?
Me and Granny Jane. I love this image.
My favorite.
Bill and Kelly’s son Ben. Rocks are toys, aren’t they?
Carson and Ben hi-fiving for the first time. We’re hoping they’ll grow up and be good friends.











































March 11th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Awesome bro, Simply fantastic. Love the shot of the letter and, obviously, the first high five.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
love this post. it is so sweet, and i can tell you have a lot of love for the family. I love the one of her outside that you said was your fav, and the one of the letter. You did a great job with this!