James Franklin "Big Jim" Drake
Michael's father

My father sent me this photo, which was taken at his house in Burgaw, North Carolina, USA. The house is on stilts. You can see some of his land below.

My family tree can confuse anyone, even my wife. But let me try to explain part of it. My father has been married four times. With his first wife, he had two children, Greg and Donna. With his second wife, my father had two children, me and my younger brother Barry.

My father's fourth wife is Judy Drake. Her picture is below. If you look at the railing in both pictures, you can see how much taller my father is. Also, behind Judy's left shoulder, you can see the Northeast Cape Fear River.

Finally, you may have noticed that my father and I don't have the same last name. This is unusual. After my parents divorced, my mother married a man named Salvatore LaRocca. He adopted Barry and me, so our names changed from Drake to LaRocca. One day I'd like to change it back, but it would be difficult to do the paperwork while I live overseas.