Family history

Outfit Details:

Dearest Diarist Dress - ModCloth (old)

Double Back Jacket - Anthropologie (old)

Tights - Walmart

Ampersand heels - Seychelles

Bowler hat - Charming Charlie

Cat eye glasses - ebay

Vintage spoon ring and watch - inherited from Mom

Lipstick - MAC Russian Red

I have a pretty interesting family history. At least I think I do. My paternal grandfather ("Papa", we called him), was a mechanic and a racer of boats and cars. According to my grandmother, he made quite a bit of trouble around Charleston growing up. So much so, that policemen would shake their heads in disappointment and say, "I can't believe you're Mr. Easterby's son". I'm pretty sure I also got a whiff of a story about Papa hanging off the pier with his friends, measuring the strength of a hurricane by how many hands you had to hold on with...

Anyway, I digress.

Papa's father was James Harold Easterby, and obviously, he was my great-grandfather. He was a history professor at the College of Charleston and also the historian for the state of South Carolina. He wrote several books, a few of which I have. Growing up, it fascinated me to have a book with my last name on it, knowing good and well that it wasn't just some random Easterby, but in fact, was my very own relative. Once I discovered my great-grandfather's significance to the state of South Carolina, I went to school the next day and proudly told my teacher about it, and, if I remember correctly, I took a couple of his books in to show off. At my tender elementary-school age, to me, my great-grandfather was a freakin' celebrity.

Unfortunately, he died in 1960, a good 20-or-so-odd years before I was even conceived in the minds of my parents, so I didn't get to meet him. But judging from the amount of books he wrote, the man that my grandfather was and what my grandmother has told me about him, he seems like he was probably a very smart and interesting guy. If I met him today, I'd probably feel like I was in the presence of a movie star or something. I'd have so much to ask and say in my head, but I'd probably lose my swag and be like, "Hey, nice to meet you. So...let me show you this motion picture on my magic phone-computer-thing of your great-great-granddaughter making fart noises."