My "Jumping-Off Place"

The wicker chairs.

One of my favorite stories about my great-grandparents, Roy & Lillian Bedichek, was told by my great-grandmother. She wrote a beautiful recollection of the beginning of Roy's homesteading adventure in 1908 which started with a 800-mile bicycle ride west. She describes how she joined him two years later, they married on Christmas Day 1910, and then spent three years "proving up" on the claim -- while having two babies! She called her story "The Jumping-Off Place."* More on that later...

I now have my own "jumping-off place" -- not a distant location, but a "point at which something begins." On my front porch are two wicker rockers that are over 100 years old. This adventure starts at the chairs. They are cherished pieces of furniture that tie me directly to my great-grandparents. These chairs graced the Bedichek living room, as part of a set which included a sofa and coffee table -- which are still around as well with other members of the family.

In my mind's eye, I see the Bedicheks lounging in the slow-rocking chairs, conversing with guests, and enduring the sweltering pre-air-conditioning Texas summers. I imagine a hand draped on the chair arm, a head resting on the high back.

I spent some time looking them over, today. I found bits of the original fabric still nailed to the coil springs. I closed my eyes and imagined the chairs in their original splendor. This summer, I'll paint them again and hopefully find a craftsperson who can make repairs to the aging wicker.

What's next?

I'll drive down to Texas later this month. In preparation, I've been rereading several of the books by and about Great-granddaddy. On the road, I'll read Plato in the morning -- as he did. I'll listen to the recordings of audio interviews conducted with him -- how lucky to be able to hear his voice! I'll post photos and reflections from the road. I'll visit places he describes in his book, places he held dear in Austin and Eddy, and pour over his letters and documents at the Briscoe Center for American History.

In Closing

This is a passion project of mine that I hope will be of interest and inspiration to others. As it develops and organically takes shape, more voices will be invited and included. Follow me on Instagram for expanded photos and posts from the road.

Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion. Welcome aboard!

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*I didn't realize until recently that she may have been referencing a 1929 children's book with the same name about four orphans who homesteaded in South Dakota in 1910 -- precisely the year she joined Roy on his homestead claim. She said her own Grandmother Lee had noted that Lillian's mother, Virginia, was "going clear to the jumping-off place" when she left Louisiana to go with her husband to Texas. So, it is hard to say where she got the inspiration for the title.