the wife within

My grandfather was a cowboy. Yes, he may have been born and raised in Chicago, but to all who knew this great man, he was a cowboy.

He served in WWII with the 82nd Airborne.  This was his greatest accomplishment.  He always said he was the most traveled soldier of WWII and from hearing his accounts over the years, you too would know it was true.  My grandfather served all over the United States prior to the war, fought in Europe, then on his way to the to the Pacific.  The most influential time of his duty was in Alaska, specifically on the Aleutian Island of Attu, where he fought the Japanese forces.

He earned his Purple Heart in Alaska but came back with so much more.  My grandfather learned and appreciated the culture  of the last frontier.  His hobby was crafting totem poles.  He loved hunting and fishing.  John Wayne was his favorite. AND my grandfather was always in a cowboy hat.  It was his trademark.

If you can’t tell already, my grandfather was my hero.

When my grandfather passed away after I was married, my mom held onto all of his cowboy hats. She had no clue what to do with his Stetson’s so I happily took them off her hands.  I had other plans for these hats.

I had to put these on display and I had the perfect wall just waiting for them in our new home.

I purchased accordion-like, wall, coat racks and my sweet husband helped me install them.  I hung 3 racks vertically.

I carefully placed each hat on the hooks in alternating directions.

Here’s the finished product.

This was such a special way to decorate my home.  My grandfather would get such a kick out of this.

One thing my grandfather taught me, with regards to his cowboy hats, was to always be yourself and wear something that makes you stand out from the crowd.  Man, he sure did.

Until next week, partner…

(tip of the hat.)

♥