We’re putting the final touches on the book as we enter the final round of editing, and LaDainian has turned in the Foreword!
I don’t want to give too much away, but he takes a look back at the years when he was growing up on Tomlinson Hill, playing with his cousins in front of his grandmother’s house and enjoying the carefree country living. He also talks about the importance of knowing one’s history to know where you’re going in this world.
We recently walked the Hill together for an NFL Films documentary, tentatively scheduled to come out in December. David Tinsley was nice enough to let me bring LaDainian and the crew onto his land, where the original plantation house stood until the 1980s. LaDainian was impressed by the pre-Civil War corn cribs that still stand there and was excited to see the old cotton fields in river bottom. This was a part of the Hill he’d never seen before.
During that visit, LaDainian told me he’s looking for a ranch in Falls County. He wants his children to know what it’s like to live in the country and share his heritage with them. He’s holding out for just the right property. There’s something about the land of our ancestors that keeps pulling us both there.
Right now I’m trying to make sure I have all the photos I can find of our families, and then we should have everything ready to begin layout. Feels good to see the end in sight.
