Silver Anniversaries, Old Friends, and Carved Ducks

This past month, my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

How many people get to their 60th?

Not many, that’s for sure. So, of course, we had to have a party.

And party we did. We had old and new pictures. We had a video of their life from the time they were teenagers until now.

We had a cake. We had my parents cut the first piece just like they did at their wedding 60 years ago.

We invited all the nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters and cousins. We invited their oldest and dearest friends.

And one of their oldest friends was a celebrity in his own right – Robert Sitton.

Now, Mr. Sitton has known my parents since they were married. I have been told that as a toddler, I ran to Mr. Sitton almost as much as I did my own father. He and my father became friends when they first began their teaching careers at C. E. King High School in Houston in the early 60s. Mr. Sitton later moved to Nacogdoches where he was a professor at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Mr. Sitton traveled all the way from Nacogdoches to spend some time with my parents. His presence was quite special – and while here , he gifted me with a decoy duck he himself carved.

Now, Mr. Sitton’s ducks are not just any old ducks. He carves them by hand. He has done interviews in magazines and appeared on shows such as Texas Country Reporter and The Eyes of Texas. He hand carves his ducks from mostly basswood and white cedar. He paints them himself as well.

If you have a chance, stop by his Facebook page here, and have a look at his ducks and read a little bit about him.

My duck, a canvasback duck which you can read about here, is proudly displayed on my mantel where I can see it when I walk through the house. I will never look at it without thinking of not only my parents blessing of 60 years of marriage, but Robert Sitton's friendship all those years to my parents.

I am not certain I could ever write a novel that would do justice to 60 years of marriage nor a friendship that has lasted nearly as long.

Thank you Mr. Sitton for the blessing of your friendship to my parents.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for staying the course and blessing my sister and I with 60 awesome years!