Photo above from the book shows Abbott in 1959 on Lake Wawasee with her grandparents Carl and LeNore Enz from Washington Township Whitley County in their speed boat.

By AMY McVAY ABBOTT
Author

SOUTH WHITLEY — South Whitley native and humor writer Amy McVay Abbott has published her fourth collection of essays, “Whitley County Kid.” The oversized, easy-to-read book links stories about growing up in northeastern Indiana with the vintage pictures. Abbott’s father, William McVay, who took the pictures, taught agriculture at South Whitley High School and Whitko High School for 40 years.

Appealing to anyone who grew up in the midwest in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, the book is divided into four sections. The first section focuses on school and the second is about family, while the third section is devoted to community and the final looks at farm life.

Abbott remembers spending time at Lake Wawasee at her grandparent’s fishing cottage, in an era before condominiums. Now a resident of southern Indiana, Abbott waxes about the lower humidity and cooler evenings she spent at the lakes as a child.

“Evenings at Wawasee were often cool and pleasant,”  described Abbott in a chapter called Summertime. “I couldn’t fish with my grandfather because I refused to bait my own hook. If you didn’t bait your own hook, my grandfather would not allow you to fish. You could accompany him on the boat, but not hold a fishing rod. I would not clean fish, but I was allowed to share in the feast. Fried bluegill has a distinct taste no like other fish.”

Abbott particularly enjoyed going to the gas station on the lake with her grandfather.

“Grampy had a shiny, red speedboat, and going out with him in the speedboat was loads more fun than the rickety, unstable fishing boat. I loved taking the boat to the other side of the lake for fuel. A throwback, to the Texaco star days when men in white uniforms ran out to service your car, the boat could be filled up right from the dock.”

Pictured is Abbott’s brother Andy and her at their grandparent’s Wawasee cottage.

Abbott is a 1975 graduate of Whitko High School. An award-winning writer, she penned “The Raven Lunatic” column which ran in multiple Indiana newspapers from 2009 to 2014. She has been published in multiple print and on-line venues including Salon, The Broad Side, and BlogHer. Her work is now syndicated on the Senior Wire News Service.

To purchase the book, visit Abbott’s web page at www.amyabbottwrites.com or purchase directly from Amazon.