River Valley Boards chose its name to honor connections

River Valley Boards has a sentimental origin. The name links the Lehigh Valley with and the Lehigh River (a tributary to the Delaware River). The name also pays homage to my grandfather’s furniture company in St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis also has a river that runs through it, the mighty Missouri (a tributary to the Mississippi River). It is by coincidence that the geography that I call home and the geography that my grandfather called home are similar. I am not one to turn my back on coincidences. I spent many nights in my grandfather’s house in St. Louis as a child; my grandfather was a tremendous influence on me, my habits, my choices, and my outlook. I recently learned that my grandfather concluded every workday with “Happy Hour”. His cocktail of choice was, by coincidence, a Bourbon Old Fashioned. He had an affinity for recorded music; he spent effort in tuning and maintaining his HiFi. I have been teaching my own son about Vinyl records and the joy of appreciating the painstaking work of the recording engineer who can design a “sound stage” for the listener with just two carefully crafted audio channels designed for each of our two ears. The talented engineer can place the listener in front of a five-piece jazz ensemble, allowing us to hear the piano player on the left, the drummer positioned just to the right of center stage, the lead guitar in the front, and the upright bass player standing between the piano and the drummer. It’s remarkable. My grandfather, Bert, and I were fascinated by that talent.

Coincidences are more that amusing. Sometimes, they remind us of the lessons and connections we have made through the years. Is it really a coincidence that my drink of choice at Happy Hour is a Bourbon Old Fashioned? Did I learn to appreciate the cocktail by simply observing my grandfather holding one in his hand? He never offered my the tiniest sip of his drink, ever. What is it that links my taste with his?

I propose the “apples and trees hypothesis”. This theory of nature v. nurture claims that genetic linkages are real, but also states that proximity plays an important role in who we become. The apple, a product of the apple tree, falls to the ground under the tree from-which-it-came, sprouts and grows into a sapling. Growing under the protective canopy of the “parent” until the time that the parent is no longer healthy. Does the sapling actually learn from the apple tree? Perhaps.

I grew up in the occasional shade of my grandfather’s canopy. I learned a great deal from him. One of those things was the joy of Happy Hour: charcuterie and a glass of “something” shared with family and friends. My hope is that River Valley Boards provides a means for you to gather around delicious charcuterie in the company of your family and friends. Please fill the board with snacks to share as often as possible. There is nothing like a small gathering to remind us of the importance of the connections we have to each other. The snacks will last an hour… the connections will last a lifetime, and beyond.