Thanks Coldcaseman,
I think 7301 must be a style #. L31 would be the length of the belt, or is it for a 31 waist? I don't know how they measure belt sizes, but I thought there also is a waist size. I'm trying to discover if any of the holes relate to that L31 to determine how big around the waist he was.
Looks like there is an inch in-between holes, and the middle 3 holes have been used a lot, the middle one the most.
So it looks when he got the belt it fastened on the 2nd hold in. Say it fit good then and he lost 15 lbs in the next month, and had to go to the next notch down. He stalemated somewhat in losing his weight, and over the next 3 months only lost 8 or so lbs. Then he kind of lost is basic appetite and really had to remind himself to eat at certain times, and found himself having a loose belt, so he moved it down to the 3rd notch from the end. For the next month it seemed to fit OK, but towards the end of that month he realized every morning he had to tuck the end of the belt into the belt loop on his pants, and by the end of the month he had dropped another 13-15 lbs.
So he tightened it to the last notch the last week before he took out to travel to Gray's Harbor and Lake Quinault. Hardly any wear showed on that last notch. But he was already close to the end of it, very close to making that last move he had decided on many moons ago. And then it was the time, and this belt he had worn all through his mindbending trauma fulfilled its last use for him.
I think this belt is the timeline of his destruction, from the day he decided he had no desire to live and gave up caring about himself. Something awful happened to him at that time. The months are maybe wrong, but relative to how worn the belt was. Actually, the belt was quite well worn, much more so than it appeared in the photos when around his neck. He might have worn this belt for a year, or 18 mos. But the middle notch was when he wore the belt with a bit more hope in his heart, as it was twice as worn than the notches on either side, which he wore when he didn't care and lost weight faster.
Really, since we know so little about him, we are fortunate to have it. It is one thing we can look at and hold in our hands that tells the true story of the last period of his life. I think it was buckled and unbuckled more than time can tell us here, but I am sure in my heart that every time he took it off to go to sleep at nightime, he wished that night would be the last one he would ever need to wear a belt. It just took him some time to become settled in his mind it was the right - the only thing he could do.
Scandi
