Joel and Harriet Mears

This photo was taken on the sly when I was in Wales. Actually, we got permission because there was no postcard copy of it for the shop to sell.  It is hanging on the wall of the "castle" in Merthyr Tydfil, built by one of the coal mining "barons" of the 1800's.  The reason I wanted the picture was because it was a poignant reminder of how our ancestors must have lived.  Not so much like a photo, but an emotional rendering of how hard life was in mining towns at the time Joel and Harriet Mears lived there before they emigrated to the U.S.  The ground floor of the castle was made into a museum.  There are other touching displays which we viewed. Because the Mears couple adopted Art's grandmother and because of sealing ordinances, I believe these people have much more than a casual interest in the new baby who is due to arrive in July.  I imagine them sending love to her already.  After all, they took in little girl Frances and raised her as their own daughter all those years ago because they knew a great deal about how to give love.