The Time Has Come to Post

I am sitting in a hotel room in Monee, IL., about 170 miles from home. My wife sent me an e-mail telling me to read my daughter's blog and my niece's blog. (http://www.khathryn.blogspot.com/ and http://www.expapmama.blogspot.com) They both write about the passing of my father, their grandfather.

Dad died on June 23rd. He was 96 years 1 month and 17 days old. I say old as it refers to chronological age only. It has only been the last 2 years that Dad seemed old. My mom is the youngest 91 year old I know. She is still sharp as a tack. Mom spends her time reading mystery novels. I am guessing she has read thousands over the years.

The folks have always been active. There was always someplace to go and something new to see. It kept them young. They were still driving the thousand miles out to visit us well into their eighties. Dad would drive and mom would navigate. Then when they left our house they would go on to Arkansas to visit my aunt Roselyn (Mom's brother's wife.) On the way home they would stop in Nunda, NY to visit with my aunt Martha and her family. During their visits I would usually take my kids and my dad to a ballgame. He was a big Yankees fan. Out here he had to settle for the Sox or the Cardinals (Wrigley field was too much hassle to get to - even though I'm a Cubs fan.).

We took the kids to Florida twice to visit them when they stayed in Cape Canaveral. They were still in their early 80's then and would wear the kids out walking on the beach or the jetty. We went back to Gloversville, NY to visit at least once a year the whole time the kids were growing up. Talk about culture shock. The kids would meet the never ending supply of aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends. I have a hard time getting all my cousin's names correct (I have 31).
I can't imagine what the kids thought of all this.

The sad part is that the only time I get to see my cousins now is at the passing of one of my aunts or uncles or cousins. While my wife and I were there when dad was failing we attended the funeral of my cousin Mark. A few days later we were burying my father. Mark died way to young after finally straightening out a tragic early life. My father's death was sad, but he had led a full and prosperous life.

He taught in a one room schoolhouse with a teaching certificate, started the first training center for retarded and handicapped adults in the area, inspected electronic parts at GE, sold boats, motors, carpets, appliances, returned to college in his early 50's evenings and summers until he finally got his degree at the age of 56. He taught high school level retarded kids during the last years of his career. It seems that everyone knew him and loved him.

If my math is correct Mom and Dad were married for 67 years. For the last 34 or so years they have been retired. Never apart unless one was in the hospital, and there was very little of that. They always had something to look forward to and it kept them young. They flew to Spain in their eighties for my niece Kate's wedding, they flew to Illinois in their late eighties for my son Jeff's wedding. When they finally quit driving I would go get them and bring them back to Illinois for a few weeks, then my son would drive them home. With this large a family their was always another event coming, a wedding, or a reunion or a birthday - and they were there for all of them.

Dad's hearing and vision had rapidly deteriorated the last couple of years. Since he couldn't see well or hear well he would get confused, but he always seemed to have plenty of lucid moments, right up 'til the end. He worried when mom was away at the store, or gone for her treatments. He would pace the halls until she returned. Now he can rest.

Mom is doing well. I call her about everyday, my brother Jim lives nearby and visits often, as do a few aunts and uncles. They stop by and take her to lunch or dinner or just to visit. But it can't seem the same after 67 years of marriage to be alone. But in this family you are never really alone.

Dad we will miss you, but we will never forget you.

Blessing from God

My Aunt Grace died yesterday. Busy as ever, right up to the end.

I was in Broadalbin and Johnstown last week to visit my Mom and Dad. Usually I saw Aunt Grace, but not this trip. And now I'll never see her again. My wife and I flew up to see for ourselves that my Mom was ok. She has a circulation problem that is now going to be fixed we hope. We popped in for a quick day and a half visit which didn't allow us the time to see everybody.

Mom had to visit the doctor and get some tests a few days after our visit. Aunt Grace came over to check on Dad at lunch time that day not knowing how long Mom would be gone. Mom got home at lunch time and they all spent the afternoon talking.

Dad is the oldest of the kids at 94. Aunt Grace fell in the middle of the 13 children. Hazel, Harold, Clement, Percy and Robert have already passed. Charles, Marion, Clarence, Thelma, Arthur, Donald and Ruth are all still alive and mostly well. Aunt Martha (Percy) and Aunt Betty (Robert) are with us as well.


Mike and Helen
Peg and Charlie (Margaret and Charlie)
Tink (Percy) and Martha
Bob and Betty
Bob and Marion
Norm and Thel
Grace and John
Clarence and Thelma
Don and Eileen
Ross (Harold) and Ruth
Scotch (Arthur) and Arlene
Buck and Hazel
Bob and Ruthie

Aunt Grace's memorial service is Wedsnesday. I am sure she is in heaven, ballroom dancing with Uncle John.

Surrounded by family

July 4th will never seem the same again. My father-in-law passed away on Independence Day. He died of lung cancer. We believe he knew about it long before he told us. But he was like that. The last thing he wanted was for his children to worry about him. It was his job to support them - it didn't matter if they were two or sixty. He was the father that you went to when you had a problem. It caused him great pain to have to ask for help of any kind and in the last few months of his life he had to ask to often.

He was a decorated WWII veteran. He served in the Pacific campaign. He never talked about it. Once in a while he would mention an old army friend, but never about what he had to do during the war. I always had the impression that he was bothered by things he had done in the name of God and country. He had lots of bad memories and didn't care to rehash them.

What he was proud of and would talk about anytime were his kids and grandkids. Five kids to be exact, 2 boys, 3 girls. Now 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. All were his pride and joy. Except for his time in the army I don't think Ed got more than 100 miles away from home. Home was where the family was. He never made a lot of money, but the kids all had clothes and food and love. His wife Katy passed away 3 years ago on her oldest daughter's birthday. Ed spared my wife the same kind of joy/sorrow and died the day before her birthday.

Ed had been hanging on for days. His body had basically shut down. He hadn't eaten in days. He hadn't responded to anyone for almost 2 days. The kids had all been there to say their last goodbyes. Then as if he realized everyone was there he awoke. He looked at my wife and said "Can I have a cup of coffee?" For the next two hours it was like talking to the old healthy dad, not the one on the brink of death. It was a kind of last hurrah. He partied with his kids and grandkids, joking and laughing and talking. He ate pudding and ice cream. Then finally at about midnight he went to sleep. It was the last time he talked to anyone when they were sure he knew what was going on. From that point on it was a slow 5 day ride to the end. During that stretch in the hospital and finally the nursing home he got to see all of his kids and all of the grandkids except one. We all believe that is what he wanted. He wanted to see them all one more time.

He was surrounded by family when he died - surrounded by family in death as in life. Ed we will miss you!

Test of the email post.

This is just a test of the email posting option.  If you can read this it worked.

Muddled messages

Wclomee to the bolg of siipnplg psat 50. I tguohht you mihgt lkie to tkae a look at a mdleudd but amlnzgaiy claer maesgse form the aouhtr of the page. Is is not a wneodr taht you can raed tihs msaesge wtih not too mcuh toubrle. Knid of naet isn't it. Click on the title above to make messages of your own. Have fun.

Are you a geek?

Avoiding Wilma and other adventures

PJ and I were in Mexico from Oct 8 to Oct 19. While there we were watching Hurricane Wilma work her way towards us. We were lucky. We got out on the 19th. Others weren't so lucky. Our resort appears to have faired pretty well. The villas, each having 36 rooms are built to withstand hurricane winds. The resort also has housing for their help on the oppostite side of the road from the hotel, away from the Carribean. They use some large rooms over there to safely house guests that couldn't leave during the actual strike of the storm. The people that stayed had to spend 2 days in the temporary quarters. But the morning after the storm finally made its way off the Yucatan, the people were back in normal rooms, with full power, air conditioning, hot meals, running water.

Reports from those guests that stayed were impressive. The resort's staff had the place spruced up again in two days. There was some damage to the thatched roofs of one of the lobbys and a lot of severe damage to the jungle that the resort is built in. The resort is working on that too. They actually have a nursery on the grounds where they grow most of the native plants and trees so they can replace them in case of severe storm damage. After Hurricane Emily in July, they ordered 2000 palm trees to replace damaged trees and to add more to a new section of the beach being opened up for use.

All in all, the resort has it's act together. They take care of their guests and their facilities, including the jungle.

Now their only problem is the airport and the airlines. The resort is ready for a full load of guests that can't get there.

Check out pictures at WWW.GROUPS.MSN/PALLADIUMADDICT

If you are looking for a great place to go on the Mayan Riviera, you couldn't do any better.

Troubling times

In view of the events of the last week don't our problems seem a little trivial? Thouands, maybe even millions of people have lost their homes, businesses, even families. A couple of years ago my wife and I spent a wonderful week in Gulfport, MS. It was the middle of April and the weather was beautiful, mid eighties and sunny all week.

Now the hotel we stayed in, which was right across from the beach is gone, along with about everything else that was near the beach. While there we rode to Dauphin Island and took the ferry over to Gulf Shores Alabama. All of these places were hit with the storm surge and mostly wiped out.

I can't fathom the pictures I've been seeing on the news. It's all gone. Let's hope that the government, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and lots and lots of church groups can help these people recover.

Palladium Grand Resort Pool Panorama 

Palladium Grand pool panorama

Above this you should see a large version of a panorama photo of the pool at the Palladium Grand Resort.

More jungle damage 

Believe it or not - this is the pool now - after the cleanup 

Cleaning the pool 

Repairing the theater roof 

More jungle damage 

Boardwalk and damaged jungle 

Jungle damage 

Repairing the thatch 

Main pool - yuk! 

More storm damage