When I saw the “Lookin Good” title of this post I was expecting to see a fine example of yet another amazing Parker gun restoration. I admit I was quite surprised upon reading through it all. I do recall reading of efforts years ago by Dave Suponski. From afar, I am compelled to applaud the direction taken by this group of members. Each one of us here has our story of why we are here. Mine starts with my Dad’s VH145522. I was,as a child, intrigued by the Dogs Head Butt Plate that resembled our black lab “Snippy”. Upon learning to sound out words I was proud to finally recite all the words found on the rib of “Snippy’s” gun. As I grew I came to understand that Meriden Conn was an actual place. These revelations were occurring in the 1950’s. Fast forward to this millennium I came to inherit 145522. It was in sad shape and I did what I could to bring it back and used it for it’s intended purpose, bringing home a variety of game birds. Part of my research into making repairs lead me to the PGCA. In 2019 Cheryl and I embarked on a mission to dip toes into both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Destinations in between were best described as serendipitous. In late September we found ourselves on Prince Edward Island. I had an annual appointment in the pheasant swales of Saskatchewan for October 1. The mileage being considerable, it was time to head west and keep rolling. But I had mentioned to Cheryl that a good lobster dinner could be had in Bar Harbor so we headed south to enjoy that. It was there that I decided I would be foolish to not head further south to find that childhood mystical place Meriden Conn. I knew that would take extra time that could interfere with October 1 but a pilgrimage to Meriden was on. We arrived to find a much more robust community than my child’s vision had conjured up but it seemed few citizens were aware of Charles Parker or the Gun Works or where the graveyard could be found. We did of course find the cemetery and the last standing building associated with the Gun Works. Upon finding the cemetery it was another job to find the Parker plot. In September 2019 I found the plot to be in a sad state. Headstones down and broken or overgrown by volunteer shrubbery that blocked the view of inscriptions. Some pictures were taken to record the memories as I find recollections fade at an accelerated rate as time passes. If they are of use to the authors of this thread I will add a link which will be done as an edit to this post as I fear the loss of all these finger taps should I do so now. Best regards Jack
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