Dad fashioned the candlestick from a piece of wood that had been twisted by a grapevine. No one is sure where Dad discovered the piece of wood. Tom thinks Dad found it on a camping trip. We’re also not sure exactly when Dad finished the wood and created the candlestick. Our memory is that the candlestick has been on the table by the living room window and Mom’s chair for decades. Blue candles were always either in or near the candlestick. 
Our Mother died early in 2003. When we closed the Oak Street house after Dad’s death in December of the same year, we had to determine who received which items in the house. The twisted candlestick was the ONLY item in the whole house that was requested by all four children and many of the grandsons. Our solution - the candlestick would circulate through the family, accompanied by a journal documenting its journey.
The candlestick started its travels in January 2004. Eight years later it's still moving around the country, shared by our parents' children and grandchildren.
At a genealogy conference, I attended a class on family heirlooms. The speaker asked people to share stories about how family heirlooms were distributed - who got what. I told about our traveling heirloom. No one had ever heard of a family treasure shared in this way.
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| Oak Street - So many memories & reminders packed into this picture (12/2003) |
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| Candlestick at our home in Kirkland. Soon it will head back east. |
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