Sentimental treasure in a box of old books

I went to an estate sale Saturday. I love estate sales, because they're usually the best place to find old things at reasonable prices. I knew the deceased, who was a veteran, and wanted to get a little souvenir to remember him by. I didn't think I would get the item I wanted - thought it would go for a high price - but I did! A rusty little ashtray printed with "CPO Club, Pearl Harbor."

That's not all.

I didn't see many books when I scanned the tables. But as I waited for the ashtray to come up, they offered a box of old books. I hadn't had a chance to look through it! but I could tell they were older than the usual 70s junk, with dark, hardbound covers, so I bid on it. Got it cheap, but sight unseen.

I went through it at home later. It turned out to be a pretty good deal. A few recent titles, but also some old presidential biographies and a 10-volume set of Shakespeare. Down in the bottom was a dark volume with a boring title that turned out to be a Navy handbook. Inside the cover, my friend had not only written his name, but also listed his deployments from 1948 to 1952. Including Hawaii.

The Moate Meeting project

Bummer. I finally heard from the library in Ireland. They will not be able to send me any records until possibly next year. I may still travel there in the fall and do a little research, but with their limited hours (one day per week), I'll really have a tight target of where to search.

That's a long way to go to have such a short time to answer many questions. Is it worth it?

I think ... yes.