A friend complained about my lack of blogging the other
day. She said I was falling down on my duty of giving her something to do at work besides
actually working. I had plans to blog again this week, but life got in the way
of those plans, for this week at least.
Late on Easter Sunday, my Papa passed away at the age of 85. We had his burial on Tuesday morning and I've been playing catch up since....catching up on work, catching up on sleep, catching up on not feeling completely drained.
Since Tuesday I've been thinking about the things that family pass on to you. The things that my Papa passed on to me. Not just the color of his eyes, or the curl in his hair, or bits of DNA, but other things that you don't always think about. Things you like, things you do...
Late on Easter Sunday, my Papa passed away at the age of 85. We had his burial on Tuesday morning and I've been playing catch up since....catching up on work, catching up on sleep, catching up on not feeling completely drained.
Since Tuesday I've been thinking about the things that family pass on to you. The things that my Papa passed on to me. Not just the color of his eyes, or the curl in his hair, or bits of DNA, but other things that you don't always think about. Things you like, things you do...
Here's the list of some things I've come up with:
(1) My love for New Orleans. Papa gave me a set of Mardi Gras beads, and a complete set of doubloons way back when I was in elementary school. He always talked about racing horses there and eating all that great seafood as well. I couldn't wait to visit such a place, and when I finally did, it was everything I imagined it to be when I heard him talk about it. I still have those beads and doubloons by the way.
(2) I can crack crab legs like nobody's business. That's because he taught me how. Last year at my friends annual crawfish boil, they threw in some crab legs. Everyone was very impressed with my skills.
(3) I prefer malts to milk shakes. He always made me a malt because he was making himself a malt. I don't order one often, but when I do, people will say "you sure you want a malt and not a shake?" Yes, I'm sure.
(4) I almost never miss watching any of the big horse races. I enjoy watching the Preakness, Belmont, and Kentucky Derby because it was must see viewing at my Papa's house.
(5) The State Fair of Texas means Food, Cars, & Animals. Those are the 3 things I always want to do at the fair because that's what we always did when I went with my Papa. To me, that's just what you go to the fair to do. Friends will say "we don't need to go look at the cars do we?", and I always insist. He loved cars, and boy do I wish I had that 1955 red Corvette convertible he had back in the day!
(1) My love for New Orleans. Papa gave me a set of Mardi Gras beads, and a complete set of doubloons way back when I was in elementary school. He always talked about racing horses there and eating all that great seafood as well. I couldn't wait to visit such a place, and when I finally did, it was everything I imagined it to be when I heard him talk about it. I still have those beads and doubloons by the way.
(2) I can crack crab legs like nobody's business. That's because he taught me how. Last year at my friends annual crawfish boil, they threw in some crab legs. Everyone was very impressed with my skills.
(3) I prefer malts to milk shakes. He always made me a malt because he was making himself a malt. I don't order one often, but when I do, people will say "you sure you want a malt and not a shake?" Yes, I'm sure.
(4) I almost never miss watching any of the big horse races. I enjoy watching the Preakness, Belmont, and Kentucky Derby because it was must see viewing at my Papa's house.
(5) The State Fair of Texas means Food, Cars, & Animals. Those are the 3 things I always want to do at the fair because that's what we always did when I went with my Papa. To me, that's just what you go to the fair to do. Friends will say "we don't need to go look at the cars do we?", and I always insist. He loved cars, and boy do I wish I had that 1955 red Corvette convertible he had back in the day!
Here are a series of photos that I found in an album. I think this was Christmas of 1980. I was at my grandparent's for Christmas and Santa Clause came to deliver presents that Christmas Eve. Darn the luck... wouldn't you know that my Papa missed Santa Clause that night ;-) He didn't come in until Santa had already left. I'm certain that I'm the only kid that Papa ever donned a Santa suit for!
