Who Would Have Thought? Part Three...

I had no idea when I began my project of writing the history of my dad's restaurant, Pickle Bill's, that I would have such a wonderful success with it.  I self-published, using a local Print Shop in Newport, Oregon and initially ordered 50 copies.  Those went quickly, so I ordered another 25.  I did not think they would all sell, but they did!  And so, I ordered another 25.  With each printing, the gracious printer gave me a few extras, so by the time I sold the very last one, I had shipped a total of 109 copies out the door.  I will not publish any more.

I write this, because I wanted to record in my Blog the fact that (1) I actually accomplished something that many, many people appreciated; and (2) I found my voice and the joy that writing something so special to my heart can bring.  I did this for my dad.  I dd it to keep his memory alive.  I did it to let people know what an exceptionally special man he was and what an amazing entrepreneur he was long before that word was even used as much as it is today.  Lastly, I did it for me, because I needed to feel good about something that I had written.  And I do!

And so, I put to bed the little publication that gave so many, including myself so much joy in the remembering.  I thank God for the gift of being able to string together a few words to make a sentence, a few sentences to make a paragraph, a few paragraphs to make a page, and a few pages to make a book.  Thank you, Daddy, for the material woven through my memories that I was able to spin into a tale.  I love you and I miss you very much.

Good night "Pickle Bill's!"  May you rest in your over 100 bookshelves, wherever they are, and not gather too much dust!

James Harvey Davenport, 1985

James Harvey Davenport, 1957

Author, Florene Davenport Henderson-Mickelson, 2013