1966: I came across a polaroid picture taken in 1966 when I was 12 years old.  I’m standing in front of a 4 seater private airplane with my dad on one side and my brother Dan on the other. There is also a car tire that we brought on the plane to a desolate place in New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation – Borrego Pass.

I realized there’s only two people living on the face of this earth who can tell this story – myself and my brother Dan. When I asked Dan to write the story for our siblings, he replied, “I see the tire and the plane, but I don’t remember anything that happened in my life when you were taller than me!”. Dan is a year older, but from about 6th-8th grade I was nearly a head taller.

 So, I then realized that I am the only living person to tell this story. I have a deep desire to do what I can to capture some of the stories about my grandpa Erskine Scates Sr. and my dad, David Scates. And time is running out. That is why I started this blog. My first time to do a blog.

There are some people who are still alive who knew my grandpa and my dad and my dad’s brothers. I am inviting you to please share short stories with me so I can publish them on this blog page.

The story from this photograph will be titled “The Cadillac And The Airplane”. I have to write a few short blog posts to set the stage for that story. In the meantime, please contact me via this site if you have a story. Short stories are best. If you happen to have a photo, send that along too. Any story about Erskine E. Scates Sr or his family are welcome!