Alice Guess is a seminal figure in Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace. If you’ve read the book, you understand how special Alice is. More than one person has taken me aside and whispered,
“How do I get Alice
to be my friend?”
I don’t know how I got Alice to be my friend, but I’m lucky she is. In today’s post, I’ve included a few pictures of Alice over the years. Some with me. Some not.
Alice went red first, but her husband Gordon Nicholson didn’t like it. He wanted his blonde wife back. She made him happy, and I went red instead. (Oh, and she’s a Forty Under 40 winner here!)
When I talk about floating the Edisto River with alligators, I’m describing an Alice Guess family tradition. Every Fourth of July, we crawl into America’s longest black river. With booze-laden coolers, we float over cypress knees and downed trees.
I memorize the slash of indigo sky.
Every Christmas, Alice attends a cookie boot camp run by friends Lance Hiatt and Tim Parks. My backside is always the beneficiary of this sugar-laden orgy.
Plus, she makes the best homemade shortbread ever.
Alice washed her hair in the Edisto River on her wedding day. Its tannin-stained water probably runs in her veins.
Alice tagged along on round two of research for my debut novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis. Here she is with MTM at French Camp, Mississippi, just steps from the Natchez Trace.
Every Easter, I color eggs with Alice and her daughter Cayleigh. She submitted to this shot in 2014.
I’m glad Dad was my Natchez Trace wingman.
But I never would’ve finished
my Natchez Trace walk
without Alice Guess.
***************
The Huffington Post calls it “one literary ride you don’t want to miss!” What are you waiting for? Read Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace. Be inspired to Make a Memory of your very own.
Click to read a sample of Not Without My Father
Buy now at these outlets:
22 Comments
Alice is a treasure, indeed.
I’m blessed with many treasures. You and TK are two of them.
The pictures of her on the Edisto somehow bring to mind “Alice In Wonderland”. I think, my dear, that makes you the March Hare.
I’ll never get that out of my mind…..IF there’s ever enough water in the Edisto to float on the 4th again. Last year, it was too low.
Alice appears to be that one friend you will love and cherish forever. We all need someone like that in our lives, so glad Alice is in yours.
I hope to have her in my life forever. We’re both so harried right now.
Friends like Alice are one of life’s best gifts.
May I never take such gifts for granted.
You are blessed and so is Alice. I guess the cliche would be: “A pair to draw to…”
Haha.
Lovely post.
Thanks, John. I thought about you a lot today on my harrowing drive to VA. I hope that energy found you.
Alice’s whole community is made of awesome. Love the cookie boot camp!!! Great photos.
I’m lucky to get to EAT the spoils of cookie boot camp. 🙂
I love that you draw such loving and interesting people to you. It’s a testament to you and to them. I must say I did a shudder regarding the floating down Edisto River. Yikers. No thank you. That Alice…she lives on the edge…no wonder you two are such great friends!
You know what? I was TERRIFIED the first time I did the float. I still get the shakes before I walk into that river. You could do it. 🙂
The Bette Midler song “Oh You’ve Got To Have Friends” popped into my mind as I read this post. Lucky that you two found each other. How wonderful!
I forgot about that song! I’ll be singing it in the shower shortly. 🙂
What a friendship, Andra. Cookies, Rivers, Alligators and booze-laden coolers, sounds like so much fun!
How could such a combo be anything but fun? Ha.
That’s what I call a true dear friend! You both are very lucky to have each other, red/blonde hair and all. 🙂
I agree, Maria. I hope you’re having a blast in Puerto Rico.
Comments are closed.