My Grandfather's Hands....

Last week I was in Oregon visiting my family. My Grams and Gramps are two of my very favorite people in the world. Not only are they kind and generous, but they are so interesting and fun! Some of my favorite and best memories of growing up are visiting them and having all kinds of adventures with them.


My grandpa taught me to fish... in his front yard.

He taught me to pan for gold... in his garage.

He taught me to use his metal detector... when I lost my ring in his backyard.

He took me to the fair and picked me up so I could have a better view of the cows...

He bought me my first cowboy hat (which was purple and white by the way).

He got my dad interested in scuba diving, which he then passed on to me.
He got my mom interested in skiing and then helped teach me not long after I was walking!

He encouraged me to explore and try new things...

He taught me about rocks and minerals and I loved it so much that as a 3rd grader I wrote a paper in which I was a self proclaimed "rock hound".







I have always had a fascination with people's hands. Some are smooth, and some are rough. Some are worn, and some look as though they've never lifted even a spoon. I think that a person's hands tell so much about them and their life. There are so many stories lying in the palm of each and every person's hands.

I got to looking at my grandpa's hands last week and realized how amazing they are. They are wrinkled and worn... he is even missing the tip of his left middle finger from when it got caught in a rock saw.

But his hands tell stories... stories of crazy adventures. Adventures under the ocean and on top of mountains. Adventures deep in the forest and way out in the desert.

My grandpa is one of those people that has a story for EVERYTHING... but his stories are true. His stories are real escapades he's been on throughout his life. He is also one of those people that can make a friend anywhere and everywhere he goes. And once you are his friend... he doesn't quickly forget you. To this day, he is as active as ever. He still goes out and hangs around in the desert... finding rocks, scorpions, or exploring his silver mine. He can still fix anything, and make new and beautiful things out of other people's rejects. He still uses super glue instead of band-aids (I think he was doing that before doctors were!) In fact, he uses super glue for everything!

I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family. I am thankful for my Gramps... for the the loves he's passed on to me, for the skills and hobbies he's taught me... for the memories he's given me. I know that his stories will live on, probably long past the time he is around. I hope that one day, I will share my life with someone as great as my Gramps.