The first thing I notice about my Dad’s side of the family is how easy it is to fall into the same routines and patterns that dominate my childhood. i.e. My uncles are larger than life characters, even now in their late 50’s and early 70’s, and it’s funny how they still treat me like their “little” nephew circa 1978. I don’t say this with any hint of bitterness. There is something so affable and loving about my dad’s older and younger brothers, both giant men (6’4″ and 6’5″ respectively, probably weighing 260 and 290, and not merely consisting of large bellies. At ‘fighting trim’ in their youth they were lean at about 245 and 265). At almost 42, I’m hardly the kid they knew, but it’s so comfortable to simply be quiet and let them joke with each other, add in a comment here or there, and otherwise enjoy their jokes, defer to their “age and wisdom” (even when they’re goofing up some of the moving of the furniture), and let it all wash over… it feels like a return to an age that is long gone, but it’s like a temporary trip back to a much simpler time, a much less harried and hurried time in my life, before a law practice, or service in a couple of wars, or a wife and kids and divorce and heartbreaks…
My dad and his brothers always reminded me, as a child, of the television show “Big Valley,” which ran on syndication back in the days when we had four channels and the only reason we got the fourth was because of dad’s big purchase of the rotary antenna on the roof. For those that don’t remember it, “Big Valley” followed the fortunes of a ranching family in the west (near Stockton, California, and perhaps based upon a real family ranch, the Hills), headed by widow Victoria Barkley, played by the inimitable Barbara Stanwyck. The sons were Jarrod, the eldest and a lawyer, who tended to be the most even-tempered; Nick, a hot-tempered brawler who (contrariwise) tended to settle most disputes with his fists (played by Peter Breck), and the illegitimate son, Heath, played by a young Lee Majors. (Unfortunately, none of my aunts could be compared to the simply fetching Linda Evans in her youth (1965-1969) as Audra. Wow.)
My uncles and father run that fine line between being blue collar (and they most certainly are that) and “trailer,” as my dad jokingly noted while discussing some events from my childhood. My oldest Uncle “R” reminded me of a combination of both Jarrod and Nick. He tended to be the dispute-settle, and while mediation and appeal to his authority as the eldest usually was his MO, he wasn’t above slugging someone. My Uncle “A” was, and is to this day, the Nick Barkley of the family. I have memories of him in the 70’s with a big handlebar moustache and ponytail, riding his Harley, and even leaving his pot plant at my grandmother’s house once for her to care for him without telling her what it was (that was funny when she kept watering it and treating it like a tomato plant and then lost her mind when someone finally let slip what it was… all the kids kept it a secret and it became a running joke among the whole family). His brushes with the law and fights were both ubiquitous and the stuff of family legend. While I’m a man of the law myself, there is something unarguably refreshing about his direct manner. You know exactly what you get with him – and it could easily wind up being a smack if you cross him – but you know that going in. he was showing me today a derringer that he bought and he joked that when a police friend of his asked him why he needed a two-shot derringer (.38 special variety), he said his reply to the cop was that “my back’s too sore and I don’t want to fight any more.” Vintage. My dad is a favorable comparison to Lee Majors’ character. Not quite as big as his other brothers, but a man who could hold his own, he tried to walk a closer line to the law, but his loyalty to his family would trump legal niceties when push came to shove.
Yup, quite the characters, really. And being around them provided an easy respite from my worries and a nice trip down memory lane with some big, loving, and lovable lugs. I wish I had the time for an extended trip up to Maine, but probably better that I don’t because I really would like to keep my law license and a five-hour drive up to Rumford, including moving furniture and fixing a roof, will undoubtedly include as many adventures as the Barkleys had every week. And there’s a good chance they’ll need an attorney by the time they return.
 |
| Ahh, those Barkleys… |