Birthday Party "Hat Stories"

Favorite Fisher Family Hat Stories

Dale's hat story  When I was a young 14-year-old, my parents and siblings and I toured an agate mine in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range of eastern California. The mine was a dark, multilevel cave. My hat's gas lamp suddenly blew out, rendering the mine pitch black to the three of us. Remembering the nearby proximity of the drop-off, we were afraid to make a move in the dark cave. We knew that if any one of us moved just a few feet forward, we might drop down into a hundred-foot-deep pit.
Fortunately, God soon sent a few people into our chamber with lit flashlights and rescued the Fisher family.

Marti's hat story  Dale brought home this lovely hat from Mongolia. I loved the colors. In fact, I had a piece of kente cloth from Ghana with the exact color combination. Seeing that color match, I secretly wondered if there was a cultural link between the two cultures from a long time ago.
I've displayed the two items, side by side, on a dining room shelf.
My Mongolian hat is traditionally worn by men. Dale had seen men wearing a leather version of this beautiful hat and says that mine is the more decorative Mongolian hat type.

Anna's hat story  I chose a top hat that my family was considering selling at a garage sale. I'm glad we decided to keep it — I thought it looked just smashing!
Once I chose my top hat, I knew I had to have a cane to complete my outfit. Fortunately, I found three canes (yes three!) in our house and I selected one that's actually a Somali combination cane-sword. Dad purchased this cane/sword in N.E. Kenya in 1967 while he was a Peace Corps volunteer.
Note: This device is so interesting! When I pull its handle away from the shaft, I'm holding a 30-inch steel knife or sword!

Andrew's hat story  For me, the choice of what hat might be meaningful to me was easy. I wore my Arab headdress that my mom and dad bought for me in 2000 when they were on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Arab gentleman who sold it to them had a lot of fun setting it correctly on my head! I, too, was grinning pleasantly the whole time it was being fitted.

Adah's hat story  My hat choice was easy for me as well. I picked a Palestinian headscarf that my dad purchased for me in inner-city Philadelphia, while he was doing cultural research for his doctorate. He discovered this beautiful, hand-sewn headscarf in a Palestinian Muslim neighborhood and was quick to purchase it and bring it back home for me. "Thanks, Dad!"

Abby's hat story  I was fond of a green hat, from Australia. It was given to me by an exchange student who stayed with us for a week in January of 2006. The hat was a traditional cricket player's hat she liked. It was from one of her favorite cricket teams in Australia.
Note: I switched hats for this photo. This is not the cricket player's hat. When the camera flashed, I was wearing one of my favorite hats that I'd bought at Wal-Mart.