GOOD OLE DAYS

Monumental Bronze, 8.6’H x 18.6’L x 6’D, Limited Ed. of 7 – Created 2007
(Commissioned by Cabela’s Gonzales, Louisiana location)

In 2007, Vic Payne was commissioned to create a sculpture for Cabela’s in the heart of Louisiana. When he began sculpting, ‘Good Ole Days,’ he aimed to evoke a nostalgic feeling, reminiscent to a Norman Rockwell painting. Vic transports us to a scene of a granddad with his grandson on a weathered boat – a pirogue – rocking gently on the water.  Lunch is packed, shotguns nearby, and hope flutters like a bird about to take flight. This isn’t just a hunting trip; it’s life lessons.

We’ve all whispered to ourselves or others, “Weren’t those the good old days?” This is a thought that most of us have had as we reflect back on our youth. The sounds, smells, and visions of our past can whisk us back in time. Memories, like concentric circles, ripple through generations.

This bronze is a tribute to all grandparents who have taught us life lessons, great and small. The unsung heroes who taught us resilience, unconditional love, kindness, and the art of living. The Labrador Retrievers, the lunch sack, the empty shotgun shells – they tell stories etched in bronze.  The smell of burnt gunpowder lingers, a fragrant reminder of shared memories. Perhaps, one day, our grandchildren can look back and say, “Weren’t those the ‘Good Ole Days’?” while they think of us.