My Grandpa Loyal's birthday is coming up at the end of this month and Memorial Day is not far after. He died at the age of 80 about a week before Memorial Day in 2005. He was fishing on the Rogue River and reeled in a really nice big salmon (with the help of a fishing buddy) for my parent's annual Crescent Lake camping salmon bake. It wore him out so he sat down to rest and then passed away. It sounds like a movie scene to me and if I were a writer I might attempt to write the script. The movie would be about life and love.
Anyway, he served in the Navy. I was talking with my Grandma around Labor Day last September 2008 letting her know that my son Ethan had taken Grandpa's "whites" to school to share with his classmates. Before this conversation I had put on my late Grandpa's gift to me. It sounds kind of silly, but it was neat to put them on. He was obviously shorter and more muscular than me. Well, and even though there's about 10 years difference in age ... The clothing was made for his 20 or so year old body. I'm 32 and haven't changed much since high school, but that's for another day. So, my grandmother, upon discovering this bit of information about me in his whites, decided she wanted a picture. I'm not as sharp looking as my grandpa was and I have had 10 plus more years to develop a nice hairy chest.
In loving memory of my Grandpa Loyal, who took me fishing (at my request at a young age) even though he knew we wouldn't catch anything in that Crescent Lake.
No comments:
Post a Comment