I never met him. I never called him Grampa. My mother always referred to him - in my presence - as T.I. which were his initials. I can't ever remember her ever calling him 'Dad' although I'm sure that she must have.
Having just this one photo made him almost as romantic as Lawrence of Arabia in my mind. I always thought this man was so dapper. He also had a nice face with interesting lines and angles. I knew - and still know - very little about him as a person. He was a ship's carpenter and a joiner. I have an old wooden chest that he made in which he carried his tools and gear when he was on board ship.
T.I. came from a family of sea-farers and farmers originally living on the south coast of Nova Scotia. They even had their own island! But, by the time my mother was born they were in Wolfeville and then it was on to the big city. In the 30's, I expect he was away from home a lot because my mother lived with her step-mother at her step-mother's parents' home. I alwys understood from Mom that work wasn't easy to find. And it probably was very true of the 1930's especially.
This photo could have been taken any time in the 1930's to the 1950's. There is an ageless quality to the man, his clothing and even the setting. I'm leaning more towards the late1940's but I don't really know. This is my grandfather and I think he was a cool-looking guy. I wish I could have met him.
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