A hero.

 

Our sweet St. Patrick’s Day baby granddaughter……

 …..is now an adult.  Where did the years go?

Marina through the years with Grandma and Grandpa…..

On St Patrick’s Day Marina turned 18 years old.

But our dear Marina is still, and always will be, our sweet little granddaughter.  

We are so proud of the young woman that she has become.  And we love her very much.

A five month old Army Ranger

What baby can do pushups…..over and over again?

Our littlest grandson, Vernon.....That's who!

But then his Papa protected our country for many years as an Army Ranger and a Green Beret.

Down he goes.

With a little encouragement from his drill sergeant, Mama….

and lots of effort….

up to he goes again!

If Vernon could talk, he would say, “Sergeant Mama sir, is this good enough!!?”

Here’s another side of Vernon’s personality……he may become scholar.

His three year old sister, Hannah, is definitely full of life and a character!

All our grandchildren have so much life ahead of them.  We wish them intensity of experience throughout their lives.

My mother's spirit

 

Today is "Ladies" day at our golf course.  All day we see groups of "senior" women out whacking a little round white ball toward the green that is about 50 feet from our back patio.  Tomorrow is "Men's" day. 

It's really swell.  Having so much fun socializing with others, getting outside, and getting exercise.  Even though they use carts instead of walking, there is still a lot of walking involved.

My aunt Irene, who lived in Leisure World from the mid-eighties to about 2010, was an avid golfer, getting either two or three holes in one.  A woman across the street from us recognized our name, and asked if we were related.  She and Aunt Irene were friends who used to golf together.

How cool is that?

My mother didn't golf.  My father did when I was a child.  In fact, one of my very special memories from my childhood was golfing with him.  I would caddy for him.  I did this so many times.  I never remember being asked if I wanted to go out with him and declining.  I was the only boy on the course---never saw another child with his father. 

My mother, though, was musical.  So she sang in the Leisure World choir, and as a senior resident of Leisure World learned to tap dance.  Of all things...tap dance.

Fortunately, one time Emily and I happened to be visiting when she had a dancing performance.    It brought tears to both of our eyes.   It does even now, 15-20 years later just thinking about it.

She was 83 at the time.  That's not a typo.  

I believe I was blessed to inherit some of her terrific qualities.  One of the most important was her spirit of adventure and of trying new things.  For example, when she was 75, she and I and my sister Kathy and brother (in law) Bill took a rafting trip down the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon.  She was the oldest of any of the rafters in the two large rafts.  To give you an idea, I was the second oldest.  

She took all of the extra hikes the guides had arranged for us.  Some of the very young travelers could not do them.  

We were all so proud of her.

She graduated from high school at age 16.  Her mother gave her a choice of two graduation presents.  One was a watch, and the other was money for a road trip from Colorado to California with her siblings.  She chose the road trip. 

I have photos of our excursion down the Colorado river and of her road trip in 1939, which I will provide in a later post.

But, for now, here are photos of her performing in the dance recitals at Leisure World.

 

 

 

My father video taped her performances.  Here is one in 2003, at age 81. Eighty-one.  My mother is on the left.

A photo taken in 2006 of me dancing with my mother at Emily and Sean's wedding.  I didn't get to go on the road trip with her in 1939, but I did get to go down the Colorado River with her and dance with her. 

Thanks mom, for what you gave to me.  And this adventurous and slightly wacky spirit of yours only scratches the surface of what you were to me as my mother.  

I can see why you so immediately took to Vicky.  She's just like you.