Pa Patches Our Roof, 1983
James Lewis Machen, my father, was one of the most educated persons in our town. He was an educator, artist, model builder, inventor, author, and so much more. Most of all, he was Pa to my children, and he adored them. He grew up in rural Alabama during the Depression and was no stranger to hard work and making do. He crocheted the cap he is wearing. In this photograph, he is patching the roof on the century-old house that my young family lived in. There is no way that we could have survived without the countless hours and money he put into keeping us safe and warm.
