Family History Post of the Day

Today would have been my Grandfather's 102nd birthday.  I'm amazed when I realize he died over 20 years ago--seems like just yesterday he was feeding the dog under the table.

For many years my Grandparents worked on Mackinac Island and I always think it is sweet that almost every year a friend or relative visits Mackinac around this time of year and shares pictures that make me smile.

 (Obviously) these photos are from decades before I was imagined, but they are two of my favorites.

Grandpa lived with us for semi-extended time periods twice in my life, well, really three, if you count 1978, when he and Grandma were snowed in with us for weeks.  After my Grandmother passed away, he lived with us for a few months.  My grandmother had purchased and wrapped Christmas gifts already, but wanting to make sure that I received the "one gift I wanted" (a Barbie) he bought one as well--I loved those twin Barbies!

Later, after I graduated from college, I moved home to teach at the local high school.  My move home coincided with Grandpa moving in and my brother's friend, R, moving in as well (his parent had moved out of district and it was their senior year).  One of my favorite memories from that year was when R came home to find Grandpa vacuuming and hissed to my brother, "They're making him do housework?!!!"

I remember Grandpa laughing a lot.  He could play a mean jazz piano and taught my brother and I to fish in a lily encrusted lake.  He also pretended to be horrified that we had an inside dog, but more than once was found "resting his meat on his knee" to cool off and was "surprised" when it "disappeared".

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Lobstas and more, part 1

So this is one of those posts that would have generated twenty more "family history" posts...if only all our photos were scanned in!  I set out to find some photos (that have not materialized yet...perhaps because they either don't exist or I don't own them) and found photos of Ranch cousins (well, really Mr. Ranch's) as little, bitty kids (rather than the successful teens and  twenty-somethings they are now), camping trips from BC (Before Children) and from when The Girl and Indy Dog were very young, a cross country trip that Mr. Ranch and I took in 2000, as well as our move to Colorado in 1996, even a BC trip to Disneyland (with Mr. Ranch's dad and sister)...Unfortunately, none of those photos are scanned...guess that is a project for this summer.  Or retirement.  Whatever.

The (Sub)Urban Ranch has a long history of spring lobster boils.  I found a photo of a very young Tigger Cat examining a cooler full of lobsters in the spring of 1999, shortly after we moved into our Urban Ranch townhouse (again, not scanned..d'oh).  Tigger looked a little skeptical, but interested, like he might eat a live, uncooked, lobster.  Unlike his reaction last weekend--a couple sniffs and then back to his nap.

Technically, it is Mr. Ranch's family that has a long tradition.  When he was growing up, his grandparents lived  in Falmouth, Maine, not too far from Portland, with places to buy live lobsters right on the pier.  Mr. Ranch used to go down to the pier with his Grandfather  to pick lobsters for the family.  Mr. Ranch's mom is the oldest of five (three boys, two girls) and each of the children have 1-2 children.  That's a lot of lobsters to deal with--I always am impressed with Grandma's ability to cook for twenty without breaking a sweat. At one point, before they moved to Falmouth, I guess they even at a lobster baking pit in their yard.  Maybe it was a one-time thing--I'm sure Mr. Ranch will clarify when he reads this. He requested that I find some pictures of those family lobster bakes and share them...unfortunately, we don't seem to have any.  Weird.  I found some photos from Christmas at the grandparents and from my bridal shower...but no lobsters.  I was lucky enough to participate in several lobster boils over the years.  We're pretty sure that The Girl was at one just before she turned one--of course, there isn't any photographic evidence.  That may have been the night that Grandma was trying to get one of the cousins to eat something...anything...resulting in a Boy-worthy melt-down about the wrong kind of ice cream, or the wrong topping, or something.

When we lived in the Midwest, we would bring lobsters back after we visited the east coast--once Mr. Ranch arrived back, late from a trip home, with a live carry crate of lobster(s).  We still laugh about how traumatized my roommates were by our late night lobster boil in my tiny kitchen.

Shortly after we moved to Denver, we  came across an ad for a fundraiser put on by the organization now called Angel Eyes, a local organization that provides free grief support services to anyone who experiences the sudden, unexpected loss of an infant or toddler.  The organization historically has provided not only counseling, but also education about SIDS prevention and about recalls affecting children.  Every spring the organization holds two lobster fundraisers, selling live lobsters (flown in from Maine) for just slightly over market cost.  We usually buy in May, the June date is usually Father's Day weekend, which has been a camping weekend the past several years.  While taking live lobsters camping would be exciting and something to brag about for years, the 10 am Saturday pick up time cuts into the actual camping.  But I digress.

Sometimes we have done the boil all by ourselves and sometimes we invite other people--but no matter what, we always feel a connection to the Grandparents (and the rest of the family).  This year we invited some friends, who did place and order, but couldn't come over for the event, so it was just us this time. Stay tuned for the current standard boil menu and photos from the most recent boil last weekend.  And if you are local, please consider clicking on the link to Angel Eyes and ordering for the June event.

A Visit from Grandude

When Mr. Ranch and I told his parents that they were going to be grandparents his dad announced that he was too young to be a grandfather and was going to be Grandude, not Grandpa or Grandad.  (My parents on the other hand were thrilled...I think they have been ready for grandkids since we got married).
Grandude, being fairly recently retired, likes to travel.  This summer he drove from his home near Phoenix to Ohio (via Michigan) for a family reunion and on the way back stopped at our house. He travels with his faithful companion, Maggie the Dog, who loves visiting our dogs who are her nieces or cousins or something...
A couple years ago, during a visit from the Parker Hauses and Grandude, we attempted to buy tickets for the Pike's Peak Cog Railway.  Unfortunately, they were sold out for the day by the time we arrived at 10 am.  This year, we were smarter (or something) and bought tickets online the day before.  We dragged The Girl out of bed early (The Boy was up, of course) and headed for Pike's Peak.  The trip up was very pretty for about half the trip.  Then it rained.  Then it snowed.  Brrrr....It cleared back up on the way down though--a beautiful trip!

 After the Cog Railway, we had a nice walk around Manitou Springs, dinner and then headed home to let all the dogs out of their kennels.

A visit to the Grandparents

I grew up in a small town in Indiana.  I used to joke that I lived in the middle of nowhere.  About a year after we moved to Denver, my parents relocated for a new job for my dad. We quickly realized they had moved less to a place and more to a time...the 1950's to be specific.  My dad was the pastor of a small church in a small town for about 15 years and then retired to "Town". The kids, my brother, sister-in-law and I helped them move a couple years ago, from their reasonably sized tri-level ranch manse to their rambling, fixer upper retirement house a couple years ago.  This summer, the town opened a water park just two blocks from mom and dad's.  My generous parents bought us season passes, so most of our visit was held at the water park...floating in the lazy river (me), running through the floating obstacle course (The Girl), and going down the giant slides (both kids).

It was a new experience for us, because, although we've gone to water parks in Denver, they are usually crazy crowded. Although this park was consistently busy, it was never so crowded that it wasn't enjoyable.
We celebrated "Christmas in July" so my mom could have Christmas pictures of all her grandkids together.

Followed by a visit to one of my favorite places--the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead. This is Star the miniature pony.  The kids have visited her almost every year since 2002.  They have long since grown too big to ride her, but they always have to stop and say "hello".

 This, of course, is a barn cat, that The Girl wanted to bring home.  No more cats. Geez.

 And a visit to the school at the homestead...the connection to Laura is that one of her former students once taught here..fun though.

We always love visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house...the 12 hour drive limits the number of times we go each year though!
No visit is really complete without a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's library....

 and the world's largest pheasant....