Family Tools.

Great Grandpa, Thomas “Bythan” Lamb, father to Thomas Lea, who was father to Billy Ray otherwise known as…my dad. Bythan was a land surveyor, by trade and that job took him away from home a lot. My great grandmother died shortly after my grandpa Tom was born, so subsequently, grandpa Tom was raised mostly by his grandmother Reid and an aunt on his mother’s side. It’s a story, right? A few years ago my dad told me this story, in more detail of course. Afterwards he came out with a small square, black aluminum case to show me. It was a compass. A surveyor’s compass. He said it belonged to grandpa Bythan - a tool of his trade. If you look close you’ll see that the directions are backwards, apparently the trait of a trades surveyor’s compass. When dad was finished telling me the story, he held out his hand and he gave it to me. It means a lot to me. When I planned this adventure, I couldn’t help but bring it along to remind me that there’s a bigger goal ahead and to stay the course. Now, once again, it sits with its rightful owner. It seems fitting, doesn’t it? Thank you, grandpa Bythan, for the gift. If you need it while I’m here, it won’t be in Washington. It will only be a short 6 feet away.