Monday, May 28, 2012

Good-Bye Papa


We said good-bye to Joe's grandfather today.  He was in his 102nd year of life.  He was a wonderful man.  A caring man.  A loving man.  

By the time I was a teenager, both my paternal and maternal grandparents were gone.  But when I married Joe, I had grandparents again.  They accepted me into their fold.  It felt warm and safe.

Papa was born in the summer of 1910.  He was born in a village in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  What changes he must have seen over the past century!  

Joe's grandparents were married for over 79 years.  SEVENTY-NINE YEARS!  

Theirs was a true love story.  In 1933, Papa's brother was seeing a very nice girl.  Papa said to him, "Does she have a sister?"  Well as a matter of fact, she did.  Papa and Omami had their first date on January 1, 1933 and were married on January 24, 1933.  The only reason they waited so long (23 whole days) to wed was because their banns needed to be read in church for 3 consecutive Sundays.

Papa treated his wife like a queen.

Soon after they married, two daughters were born.  Not long after that, Omami could sense the rumblings of war and she persuaded Papa to move their family to Canada.  They arrived in the New World with a few dollars in their pockets and hope in their hearts.

Papa and Omami settled in Vancouver.  Their daughters grew up, got married, had children.  The grandchildren grew up, got married, had children.  The great-grandchildren grew up.  Four fabulous generations.  

Papa lived a very long, very happy, very healthy life.  He only started to slow down well into his 101st year.  He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his devoted family.

He liked to say, "I am a lucky man."  

I was lucky enough to call him 'Papa'.


Good-bye Papa.  You will be missed.



Saturday, May 26, 2012

Fifty-Three Days

It was recently pointed out to me that I hadn't posted anything on my blog since April 3rd.  Wow.  I guess since our renovation is (almost) done I figured there wasn't anything to write about.  So I went through my photos and picked out a few pictures that represented the past fifty-three days.


Joe and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary with a bottle of 2002 Dom Perignon champagne, a wedge of Stichelton blue cheese, foie gras, Spanish sardines and a few crackers.


We hosted my mom, sisters, brother-in-law and our kids for the Easter weekend.  Even when it is chilly, we force our guests to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.  Such nature lovers.


Ever since our kids were small we've had an outdoor Easter egg hunt.  Now that our kids are in their twenties, nothing has changed in that department.


We celebrated my father-in-law's 77th birthday.


Will's 1980 Oldsmobile Royal Brougham was finally removed from our driveway.  The car was donated to the Kidney Foundation.


I met Molly in Vancouver for lunch one day.  We went to 'Nelson the Seagull' at 315 Carrall Street in Gastown.  Delicious, delicious sandwiches.  And great coffee.


My friend Donna held an art exhibit for her sister who is an accomplished painter.  I went to show my support for the arts.  (That's code language for I didn't buy anything.)


Joe and I attended two 'wine and food pairing' events here in Squamish.  The latest one was held at Kozo Sushi.  The food and wines were incredible.  Such good value!  We are looking forward to the next one in June.


We had the fam damily up to celebrate Mothers Day.  This time the weather was sunny and hot.  Again, we forced everyone to sit outside. We kindly passed around hats and sunscreen for our guests as they sat in the blazing sun.


Young love.


The family that plays together, stays together.

And THAT, my friends, is a small sampling of the past 53 days.  Fun, food, friends and family.  With a little mirth and merriment thrown in for good measure.