I have been wanting to make a post for Da but it's been difficult since we don't have internet.
I have had a few difficult days this past week. I still feel like it happened to soon. I never have thought about loosing my grandparents. I am very fortunate to have a very close family. Growing up, I was able to see my grandparents almost every day...and aunts, uncles, and cousins at least weekly. I have hated living so far away these past few years. I think Da, as well as most of the rest of the family, was counting down our permanent arrival back to the southeast. Da would call me sometimes and ask me how much money it would cost for me to come home. Then he would offer me some if I would come.
For those of you who never had the fortune of knowing Da, here is a little bit about him. His top priorities were his family, God, and fishing...and his boat and his cows. He was such a loving man. He was super silly. He was very clumsy. He was very opinionated ;-) You can see from the pictures that I will post that he loved his family so much. He would always hug us and never missed an opportunity to tell us that he loved us. He loved when we all got together whether it was Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, birthdays, or just on the times that we all end up together...but he didn't so much like all the noise during Fox News. Da was so proud of his great-grandsons. I really hope that I can express to Luc how much Da loved him.
Some of my favorite memories were out in the Gulf fishing. Da used to take me when I was a little girl out with him, Ca-Carl (his brother) and Thomas (my cousin). I think he treated me like his grandson until the boys got old enough.
Once I got a little older...as in 12, he taught me how to drive a stick shift. I was driving down a pretty big highway (31) and choked down while turning left. He said a couple of ugly words as an 18 wheeler was heading straight for us. I was sworn to never tell Mama and Daddy that 1) I was driving his Jeep on HWY 31 and 2) he cursed at me. Well Mama and Daddy, I guess you know now.
When I was in college, he would try to give me money when he could. He would usually just call me out of the blue and say that he deposited money into my bank account. Other times he would tell me he had some work for me to do. Once I had to help him out at the 40 (a beautiful piece of land he had cows on). He had me working like a man. I was cutting up and hauling off HUGE branches. I had to help him catch some cows and give them shots and de-man them. It was worth that time that I got to spend with him.
I am so thankful for the summers that I spent living at the beach. I spent so many days out on the boat with Da...and so many nights trying to persuade him to eat what I cooked for dinner rather than potted meat. I am so glad that I took the time a couple of weeks before he had the strokes to go home for Mama's birthday. And that while I was there, I took the time to try to explain to Da for the ZILLIONTH time how to attach a photo in an email. I am thankful that Luc got to spend so much time with him. I am so thankful that he got to take Luc out on the boat shrimping and the he got to fish with Luc. I hope that I can help Luc remember Da through stories and pictures.
Here are a few pictures. I am working on a slideshow of the rest.
Out fishing with Da and Brian one day. This is probably Da's view now.
Tanning those legs!
All of us, summer 2007
Fishing at the 40
