My Dad with his first car in 1954

Trying to get back on track with daily writing after my vacation. I’m still working on Day 4 of the Armchair Genealogist‘s writing challenge, with developing the character of my Dad. While driving this past weekend, it occurred to me that reading my Dad’s letters during his time at Key West might help show more of his character. So that is what I worked on today. I made some notes and copied sections out and put them into Scrivener for future reference. No major revelations in my reading so far. After all, I’m the one who transcribed these letters several years ago. But it gives me more confidence in my perceptions of my Dad and the kind of person he was in 1856. Here are my notes from today’s reading:

• gratitude
• lonely
• longing for a family of his own
• tender-hearted
• kind
• bashful
• self-doubt in social situations
• didn’t like Navy housing
• looking for new experiences
• love of music
• frugal and willing to sacrifice for financial reasons
• lack of confidence in social situations
• reader
• good imagination
• hopeful
• sense of humor
• tease
• willing to ask others for information
• plans ahead
• humble
• challenges with expressing himself
• enjoyed complements
• likes to dance
• bashful with strangers
• bothered by things that go wrong
• visual teacher
• kind-hearted
• wants to help others who are lonely
• empathy
• others saw his worth
• bad handwriting
• man of faith
• observer
• goal setter
• self deprecating