Some people will think today’s fact isn’t so “wacky”. That’s okay. Call it what you want- as long as you read on!
Wacky Fact Wednesday was going to be part of my effort to shorten blog posts for a while. Then my SIL Becky came along with the photo/blog challenge and that theme for today is ‘Ancestor’. So I’m combining the two for this blog post, but don’t worry- it’s still short and sweet.
The “wacky fact” of the week is: my direct-line Drake family has lived in Delaware County, Oklahoma for 6 consecutive generations (including me). Here is the line, being respectful of privacy by starting with my great-grandfather: Mark DRAKE, his father Poppy Lon (Alonzo Ervin), and Lon’s mother Hester (MITCHELL) DRAKE after she was widowed by Lon’s father William.
The ancestor I want to focus on today for the Ancestor photo/blog section is Mark DRAKE. Mark Hanna DRAKE was married to Edith HUBBARD whom I wrote about here. (Better grab a box of Kleenex before you go read that one.)

Mark Drake circa 1954. This is the best picture I have access to tonight and is the only one I could find. Sorry for the quality.
I only remember Mark when he was old, of course. His eyes looked cloudy blue which means he probably had cataracts. He smoked cigars all the time (I wish I knew what brand). He and grandma Edith made wonderful homemade ice cream. They always cranked homemade ice cream at a yearly extended family gathering in the summer each year- at least that’s what I remember. We got to crank it when we were kids. Somehow it seemed a privilege when we were young- not so much when we got older. I remember them being very loving and quiet. Mark had a little spark- I bet he was a real character in his younger days. In fact, this story that I was told about him by one of the older Hubbard relatives (Deloris NORRIS) goes something like this:
Mark’s brother had a pair of new boots that Mark really liked and wanted. Mark tried to talk his brother out of them but the brother wouldn’t give them up. One day the brother left his boots on Mark’s porch and went inside. Mark went outside, put the boots on and walked through the barnyard muck in them (think the worst possible thing when you think about the muck), took them off and replaced them on the porch for his brother to find. With the Drake’s proven penchant for fighting I just wonder if that dig at his brother caused them to have a little row – or maybe it began a lifelong tit-for-tat!
Although Mark seemed to still have a little underlying spark in his old age I never remember him being anything but loving and kind. I actually enjoyed seeing that spark come out when I was young. It made him more real and gave him a personality. I liked to go over and visit them and sit on his lap and talk to him and Edith. I surely miss them and am looking forward to the day when I see them again. Maranatha!
I would love it if everyone shared their memories of Mark and Edith here.

Until next time
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives