Thread: Best weekend Ever!! My Grandfather's story

My wife and I have been living away from my family for the past four years... We moved to Vancouver from Mexico City, which it's been harder on them as they tend to be of the idea that families should always stay together, even where they live, it should be close by, the same city. They moved from Turkey to Mexico about 36 years ago.

For my wife and I, being away from everyone has been an amazing experience, we've grown as a couple and this made our marriage stronger. They, on the other hand, took it on the wrong side at first, thinking that we were running away from something. Any ways... They tend to come every year for my birth day and this year was no exception, the difference is that this year I decided to give them some presents instead of being the one getting them.

I bought my mother a nice little bag to carry her cigarettes and some papers, something like a very small purse which she uses every day and she's been using the same one for almost 10 years.She's very hard to please as she's the type of woman that when she needs something, she buys it herself, and if it still works, she won't change it. I remember when she changed her wallet for the first time after 30 years of using her old one. She doesn't like to tell if she needs something and she doesn't like people spending money on presents for her... she says "there's no need for that"
Either way, I din't care, and I think she liked it... at least she was using it this morning.

My father really knows how to pay attention to what's happening, when my mother told him that I started using a SR he found one for me. As far as the story of this particular one we don't know much about it... It's a dovo, the blade has a nice gold etching that simply says Solingen, red scales and a beautiful red and gold work on the spine. It's never been used, it's been stored for about 20 or so years, it still has a factory edge and it's never been honed. You'll see the pictures at the end of the post.
The fact that he remember having that SR and that he brought it with him to this trip made the present I bought him even more special, not only because of the fact that he liked it, but because of the story that he told me afterwards.

I bought him some shaving cream and an Edwin Jagger three piece shaving set, a Brush, a Double edge razor and a stand. I'm not sure if he'll use the razor or not, he's stubborn about the razor he uses, but I know he enjoys a nice brush and shaving cream.

What he told me after, was something that I never expected...
He started telling me about my grand father, and how he used to shave with a double edge, trying to keep the blade always wet or it would become dull, the one he had was a wilikinson razor and he told me how he finally was able to get a Gillette razor (It was the best at that time) He was so proud and happy because he didn't have to take it apart to put the blade in.
He described it and it was a butterfly opening razor... He told me how he used to face lather and than put the brush in a small cup between passes and all the details.

My father grew up in a very small town on the west coast of Turkey, near Greece, what it used to be Troy in the old days and they had a very simple life style, my father finally got his first bike when he was about 18 or 19... so the fact that his father had a Gillette was a big thing.

This was an amazing story for me as I never knew my grandfather, all I have are some pictures and these small stories about him, this one made me really happy... not because of the story itself, but because I know I did get my father a present that meant more that what it seems and brought him these memories.

Parents can be a pain... it doesn't matter how old you get, but these little things are the ones that really mean something more and that make up for everything.

Cheers.

E.



Ps. If anyone has more info on this blade it would be very appreciated.