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again the center of attention ------- relating all my experiences,
reliving all the things we did and places	we went.	But	it
didn't take	Dupont	two minutes to	bring me back	to	reality.
In fact, he	did it	with one, well	placed,	right	to	the	mouth.
I knew then	that I	was back home.
We moved to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi (the Bay) in 1930 and into the old Blanchard home on Blue Meadow Road.
The Depression was in full swing and a lot of people were hurting. We soon learned that sharing with these others helped them survive. Sharing and compassion are still with
us today. We grew up wild and free -------- influenced only by
the sterness of Papa and the gentleness of Mama. It would have been nice if Mama had influenced us more and Papa less.
It would have hurt less! We four boys ran roughshod over
an area of four sections ------ from the Bay to Jourdan River
to Bayou LaCrois to Hy 90. It was our territory. We climbed over, under, through everything on it. And we swam wherever we found a pool of water. In the Bay, the bayou, the river, the pond across the road and the deserted dipping vat in the woods. Why we never died of typhoid or blood poisoning, I'll never know.
Mary came along in 1933 on the 4th of July. What a celebration! After all those years, we had ourselves a sister. In 1936, Betsy came. By then the novelty had worn off and all became normal again.
Papa worked for the Chalmette Laundry of New Orleans.
He had to drive to the city every day after working his route all day. He gave rides to people coming and going to the city. These were people he knew who couldn't afford the bus or train. He also delivered packages both ways and he never ever took any pay. People had to help each other in those days (1930's). In addition to all this, Papa was very active in church, veteran and civic affairs. He was the star endman in the local Minstrel shows put on for charity He helped organize and plan church fairs and political rallies
He bought the Bay Laundry in 1937, and gave jobs to his brothers, Zief and Jeff, and his sister Edna. He later sold it, in 1939, and moved back to New Orleans and got into the insurance business. In 1943, he moved his family to Mobile, Alabama, where he worked with his sister, Lucy, and her husband E. Van Whitfield, at the Aluminum Ore Company cafeteria .
At this time, 1943, I was married and in the service until 1968. So the remainder of this story will have to come from Donald or John R. or Dupont or the girls.
Martin 0. Blanchard, Jr.