Visiting History
For the past 5 days or so, Ivan and I were at my grandfather's house in Alexandria, VA, helping my father clean out the place. My 92 year old grandfather has decided to move into an apartment in a retirement community, where he is currently enrolled in about a dozen fitness classes and having to fend off the inevitable flirting women (he's quite the charmer).
Some might think this was a sad experience, but really it was quite the opposite. I spent most of my time in my grandmother's kitchen and cleaning out her desk--both spaces that hold fond memories of a woman I have a great deal of respect for. Her life, which was a long one, was also one long adventure, from her birth in New Zealand to her marriage to a missionary doctor in China to her marriage to my grandfather in England in the midst of WWII, to her life as an Army wife and mother to three rather mischievious boys. I'll post her story, and that of the wartime romance, in a coming post--it makes for great reading.
At any rate, my father, Ivan and I got into a habit of working all day, then heading over to the retirement community for a sit down dinner in nice clothing. White table cloths (and rather mushy old people food) have a way of undoing the 50 years of accumulated dust and grease one has been battling all day. Both Grandad and Dad got to know Ivan better, and bonded over typical male things like old razors and tools. All in all, it was a pretty good way to spend a long weekend.
Some might think this was a sad experience, but really it was quite the opposite. I spent most of my time in my grandmother's kitchen and cleaning out her desk--both spaces that hold fond memories of a woman I have a great deal of respect for. Her life, which was a long one, was also one long adventure, from her birth in New Zealand to her marriage to a missionary doctor in China to her marriage to my grandfather in England in the midst of WWII, to her life as an Army wife and mother to three rather mischievious boys. I'll post her story, and that of the wartime romance, in a coming post--it makes for great reading.
At any rate, my father, Ivan and I got into a habit of working all day, then heading over to the retirement community for a sit down dinner in nice clothing. White table cloths (and rather mushy old people food) have a way of undoing the 50 years of accumulated dust and grease one has been battling all day. Both Grandad and Dad got to know Ivan better, and bonded over typical male things like old razors and tools. All in all, it was a pretty good way to spend a long weekend.
posted by Al at 5:23 PM
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