Missing Granddaddy...

Every Memorial Day and Veterans day, I take time to remember my grandfather.

He served in World War II and the Korean War.

He died a few years ago, and when I go to see grandma, I still expect him to walk around the corner, and yell...

"Hey Sweet!"

I remember thinking one time when he did that, if no one else cares about me, or if no one else is happy to see me, Grandaddy is!!

So in light of that, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite Grandaddy stories. (Don't fret, Chele, these are short!)

The King of the Pogo Stick. I lived with my grandparents during most of 1977 and the latter part of 1976. I was only 6 years old at the time. In 1976, I received a Kick-and-go and a pogo stick for Christmas.

That was a scant Christmas, and those were the only 2 big gifts I received. Now I was elated about the Kick-and-Go, but I remember not knowing what to do with the doggone pogo stick.

Well I took the pogo stick outside and tried my best to handle it. Grandaddy happen to be out there too, adding oil to his car, something like that. But he saw me in the middle of the street fighting with the pogo stick. I remember looking over at him as he leaned against the car puffing on a cigarette.

I guess he got tired of watching me, because he threw the cigarette down, stepped on it, and walked towards me.

"Give me that pogo stick, Lee!"

He took it from me.

"Let me show you how to do this, Lee!"

Grandaddy proceeded to jump on the pogo stick and spring up and down the street in front of his house without missing a beat. I remember being in complete shock because it happen so quickly.

I was in awe of him for a few days afterward. How could someone that OLD (he was around 46 or 47 at the time) jump around on a pogo stick like THAT?

Now when my grandaddy did that? I just knew he could do anything under the sun!

The shark's gonna get you! Grandaddy had a motor powered boat that he use to take to Florida once a year and spend a week fishing. He would come back with coolers of fish and everyone would come over and get fish once he returned home.

Well one year, my mother and I went with him on this fishing trip. I remember being excited about the trip. We stayed in a hotel and everything. (Didn't take much to excite me).

Now I think I was around 6 at the time. And I think it was before I went to live with them.

We went out onto a lake in Grandaddy's boat.

Out near the middle of the lake, the boat stalled. Grandaddy pulled out an oar and paddled us back towards the edge.

When we got close to the edge of the lake, he did something that completely unnerved me: He jumped into the water and started pushing the boat to the side of the lake.

I could only think of one thing:



I started screaming.

I started screaming and crying so loud and hard that people were turning and looking at us.

"Grandaddy, get out of the water! Get out of the water!"

"The shark is going to get you!"

"Jaws is going to get you!!!!!!!!!!!"

I remember my mother doing her best to hold on to me, trying to keep me from getting to Grandaddy. I guess I was gonna try to rescue him or something. I really don't know. I just know that he needed to get out of the water.

Remember... we were in a lake. Never crossed my mind that a big shark would not be hanging out in a lake.

Humph.

Granddady told my mother to take me back to the hotel and don't come back.

Now Grandaddy had 7 granddaughters and 1 grandson. This is the reason why I, the oldest granddaughter was the only girl to go fishing with him. None of the other girls were ever taken. My brother had gone fishing with him numerous times since the age of 3

LOL!

I do truly miss my Granddady. And if I could go back in time to watch him conquer the mighty pogo stick or go fishing with him, I surely would jump at the chance!