Adventures with Grandpa -- Episode #1

I’ve decided that it’s about time I started documenting some of my fun times with my dad, aka grandpa. We have our ups and our downs, but in the end we have fun, and there’s usually a story to tell!

Our most recent adventure was going down to St. John, Arizona, for Angela’s graduation. Dad had been promising LR and family that he would go visit them down there, and I decided to tag along. Gina needed to be here in Las Vegas for the Lincoln County High School state playoffs for track and baseball (I think that’s what it was) because she takes pictures and writes articles for the Caliente Blab (more officially known as the Lincoln County Record newspaper), so she couldn’t go with him. I had initially resisted going because I would have to take a day off work, and I already burned up a lot of vacation days this year for Joanna’s wedding. But it was all for a good cause, right?

Anyway, Dad needed to take his truck this time because he had built a cedar chest (oops, almost called it a “hope chest” – how politically incorrect!) for Angela that he needed to take to her. At first he said that we would be taking the old truck, which would have been a bit dicey, considering its lack of air conditioning, no cruise control, unreliable speedometer, and loud engine noise (attempting any kind of conversation with Dad in that vehicle would be a bit challenging, to say the least), not to mention the dusty smell that cannot be removed from a truck that has been driven down many a country “road” with the windows down. Thankfully, Dad eventually decided that we would take the “work truck.” I was in charge of finding some audiobooks for us to listen to while we were traveling. I’ve done this many times in the past, with a few successes and many failures, but I was ready to give it another try!

We got up (fairly) early on Friday and started for Arizona. The first thing you need to know about traveling anywhere with Dad is that snacks are not an option, they are a necessity! Dad always says that he isn’t hungry, but he can polish off a bag of nibbles like nobody’s business! Actually, I’m quite good at it, myself. One of his favorite things to bring is grocery bags filled with popcorn he's popped himself, usually well coated with yummy butter. He has a tendency, though, to add too much salt for my taste, causing me to guzzle my Diet Dr. Pepper, further causing more needs for “pit stops” along the way, prompting Dad’s memories of traveling with Mom (and making him wonder if I need the “Detrol Discussion” with my doctor). I SWEAR, it’s the salty popcorn!

Advantage of being in Dad’s truck: It’s his truck and I don’t get irritated when he tosses his popcorn “old maids” and miscellaneous trash on the floor.

Disadvantage of being in Dad’s truck: It’s his truck and anything edible that accidentally falls on the floor is “ruined” (in my eyes) and “still good” (in his). Case in point: one of my favorite treats is Teddy Grahams, especially the chocolate ones, and I usually get a box or two for us to nibble while driving. This time I had only the one box, so when I passed it to him while I was driving, I gave him strict instructions not to spill any! He faithfully attempted to obey, but when we stopped for gas, it tumbled to the floor and some fell out. He immediately scooped them back into the box. Needless to say, that box was now his and his alone!

This is getting a bit long, and I’m just getting started, so I’m going to do this in several sections. More to come later!