Memories of Pecans

This morning I went out letterboxing in Floresville, TX. One of the places I visited was the city park. It is named Pecan Park. The park was full of pecan trees with some picnic tables and playground equipment thrown in. It was a nice park. As I walked around looking for the letterbox (which I didn't find) I kept stopping to pick up pecans. I would pick up the pecan and then put it back down - not sure why. After a while of doing this I had a déjà vu experience.

My grandparents lived in a ranch style home on a large lot in an older subdivision. The yard was full of pecan trees. Whenever we visited, my grandmother would give us each a paper grocery bag and we would go out and pick pecans. I remember it as a fun time - we would have contests to see who could pick the most pecans. We would pick the pecans and then give them to my grandmother and that was the end of that. Then every Christmas my grandfather along with my grandmother and some of my aunts would make pecan cakes. I finally realized that those cakes were made with all the pecans that my sisters, cousins and myself had picked. And I loved those cakes!

I also remember when a few of the pecan trees had to be cut down. During a hurricane one year a very large branch from one of the trees fell onto the roof. A portion of that branch actually went through the roof and then through the ceiling. My grandfather said all the trees that were close to the house had to go. So they were cut down - but there were still plenty left for us to pick pecans.

My grandparents are gone now and someone else lives in the house. I wonder if they have grandkids that go out and have pecan picking contests.