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- May 3, 2006
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My grand-dad, Armand, was an avid hunter and fisherman. He has ben raised in a family of 7 - 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
Hunting was not a sport at the time, but a way of life. Even though living from the land and forest was a necessity, that didn't prevent him from enjoying it...quite a lot, actually. I have many fond memories of the little time I got to spend with him in the woods. He always had a funny story to tell, usually involving one of his brother being injured somehow, or a prank played on one of the sisters. He always had something interesting to teach about nature; how to use this plant or that tree bark to cure this and that...
A real well of knowledge. He used to make fun of me because this always impressed me; "Grandpa, you know so much stuff!". That always made him laugh. Everyone around him was like that; from his point of view, all this was common knowledge. I consider myself lucky to be the recipient of a very small portion of his vast expertise.
A lot of it was lost when grandpa passed away very suddenly, 3 months ago. He was 90 years old. He was still in great shape - still walking outside everyday, driving his car to church, for the usual sunday afternoon ride, or to go to his occasional medical check-up.
Last weekend, I had my dad over (we live 4 hours drive apart). He brought with him grandpa's hunting knife and handed it to me. Well, we think it is. Upon seing this tool, I immediately thought: "This is THE Kephart knife"! A real tool, used extensively, made from an old file. Mortized tang of what appears to be oak, copper pins or rivets. Pretty nice taper. Old leather sheath. I can't help but wonder how many deers this knife gutted.
Of course it is no "Kephart knife". Whether it is HIS old knife or not, it does not really matter. It is a real treasure for me, no matter what.
Please excuse my flashy thread title, and thanks for looking
Oh yeah - almost forgot the pics:
Hunting was not a sport at the time, but a way of life. Even though living from the land and forest was a necessity, that didn't prevent him from enjoying it...quite a lot, actually. I have many fond memories of the little time I got to spend with him in the woods. He always had a funny story to tell, usually involving one of his brother being injured somehow, or a prank played on one of the sisters. He always had something interesting to teach about nature; how to use this plant or that tree bark to cure this and that...
A real well of knowledge. He used to make fun of me because this always impressed me; "Grandpa, you know so much stuff!". That always made him laugh. Everyone around him was like that; from his point of view, all this was common knowledge. I consider myself lucky to be the recipient of a very small portion of his vast expertise.
A lot of it was lost when grandpa passed away very suddenly, 3 months ago. He was 90 years old. He was still in great shape - still walking outside everyday, driving his car to church, for the usual sunday afternoon ride, or to go to his occasional medical check-up.
Last weekend, I had my dad over (we live 4 hours drive apart). He brought with him grandpa's hunting knife and handed it to me. Well, we think it is. Upon seing this tool, I immediately thought: "This is THE Kephart knife"! A real tool, used extensively, made from an old file. Mortized tang of what appears to be oak, copper pins or rivets. Pretty nice taper. Old leather sheath. I can't help but wonder how many deers this knife gutted.
Of course it is no "Kephart knife". Whether it is HIS old knife or not, it does not really matter. It is a real treasure for me, no matter what.
Please excuse my flashy thread title, and thanks for looking
Oh yeah - almost forgot the pics:
Glad to see you guys had a good time together & made some memories:thumbup: The knife looks good ! A great piece of your Grandfather that you can always look at for a reminder or what a great man he was 
