Happy Birthday Grandpa John!

Yesterday we had a great little fete for my grandfather. He turned 77, and he was treated (by my mom and step-dad) to Brunch with Santa at some delicious patisserie in Spokane--in good company with my sister's brood. My mom being the sort of person she is, sweet-talked the live entertainment to salute Grandpa with Happy Birthday. Unbeknownst to Mom, the chanteuse mixed things up and spun the song into three choruses, complete with a cha-cha-cha rendition (if only I'd seen Grandpa's face at that).

Phil, the boys and I got to catch up with folks later, at Grandpa's house in Coeur d'Alene, and got him what every 77 year old needs: a tankard of J&B (which, despite what some might think, was terribly well-received, and inspired a Christmas cognac request).

I'm blessed to be close to both my grandfathers. Grandpa John has the sweet distinction of having taught me how to drive (perhaps that's when the affection for J&B began . . .). At fourteen and a half years old, I'd join Grandpa in my grandma's car (an '88 LeBaron with my name it), and off we zoom for Farragut State Park's spidery roads, and then later (once I wasn't a societal threat) Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive.

Patient, kind, patient, kind. A pendulum when it comes to talking (reserved or loud as hell-fire). Grandpa John has been a constant personification of love pouring out one's fingertips. He is a manly man, who fought courageously in Korea (signing-up and shipping-out 17), loved my grandmother all her life, and loves his family with steadfast devotion, embodying that same patience and kindness he showed to a brake-happy fourteen and a half year old.

Grandpa John is the sort of man that you'd want with you if your plane crashed on a deserted island. He'd calm nerves, organize things, and keep everyone laughing. He is the man I most wanted my "future husband" to resemble (years and years ago when I was single and praying for the man I knew God had up his sleeve, earmarked for me).


Here are two of my favorite Grandpa John quotes; which showcase that pendulum thing I fore-referenced:

At my dear grandmother's deathbed. "Bev, I love you with every drop of Greek blood in my body."

At a shoe store in Bismark, ND negotiating a clearance price on new stock: "Are you trying to Jew me?" (at this point my grandmother and I were sprinting for the far side of the mall)