Grandpa Day

Yesterday was a "Grandpa Day". I get them very rarely; most times when I see my grandchildren there are parents and family all round. It isn't often that I can devote a whole day to spending it with just the children and their Mom or Dad. Not two parents, mind you; just one, where I get to be the other parent, or grandparent as it were. Yesterday Mary, Rose, Quinn and I spent most of the day, or at least my version of a day, together.

I picked them up at home at around noon. From their place we drove up Vancouver Island for a couple of hours to a place called Coombs. It's a small village with an old general store, famous for one thing only; there are goats on the roof of the store. Many years ago the owners let the goats graze on the moss and grass that grew on the cedar shaked roof. The store became an attraction; people though goats on the roof was interesting. It grew from there into a larger store, an ice cream stand, other shops, then a whole other bunch of shops next door. The goats remain the attraction; everything else goes along for the ride, although I think much of it has a life of its own now.

The goats didn't show yesterday; they were taking a break. Ultimately we found them in their pen in the back yard. In the interim we shopped, had ice cream, played and chatted. Mary is great with the kids; I had very little "parenting" to do and spent much of my time wondering and watching. Rose is a terrific little girl, kind and helpful. There were a number of times yesterday when she helped push my wheelchair, and I mean really helped, as I headed up slopes or just looked tired. She's strong. On top of helping me, she is attentive to Quinn when he needs it, and listens to her Mom when asked to behave or do something. I'm not saying she's perfect, but she's a great little kid.

Quinn is only a year old, but already you can see his personality, full of laughter, smiles and mischief. While he had the fussy time that all babies have, even his cry is soft; none of that shrieking which drives so many of us crazy. The rest of the time he smiles and laughs. Really, he does. Every time I would look at him he had a smile on his face and laughter in his eyes. I'm not saying he's perfect, but he's a great little kid.

The most wonderful thing about yesterday was just spending time with Mary and the kids together. I got to watch them, got to see the next generation. I won't likely see them go off to school, or graduate, or marry, or have kids of their own. I can imagine it, see it in my mind's eye, and that will have to do. I can see who they are, and wish for all that they can be. That's enough. A day with all of them was the best day possible, a memory day.