Thinking of Dad

I'm having the hardest time starting and writing this post,

for you see, my Dad died on August 22nd,
only 2 days away from his 95th birthday!

Me, Dad and my sister Amy - a few years ago

While we are so sad to lose him (and at times I still cannot believe that he's gone),

he had really been suffering.  He had a fall  the week before resulting in 

deep cuts on his forehead, black eyes, a

 broken nose, broken wrist and an unstable neck fracture.

Mom with me, Dad with Judy (the twins)

A celebration of his incredible life was held last week.
I often called him Al and he loved that --
 he also loved that Mr. Tennis would call him Alberto and he called him Ricardo.
He would have been so delighted to see so many relatives and friends there and
would have talked to and
reminisced with each and every one of them.
We are at peace knowing that his pain is gone and he is enjoying eternal life in heaven
and with my Mom and nephew . . .
and probably wondering why we didn't have
any beers at his funeral.

He was truly the best Dad ever!
My sisters and brothers and I were so lucky to have had
such incredible parents and such wonderful memories to comfort us.

There are special people in our lives who never leave us . . .
even after they are gone.
My Dad was one of those very special people.

A Special Visit!

Last week I was away a few days 

on a special visit to see my Dad, Al, 

who lives near Cincinnati.

It was such a wonderful visit!

Did I tell you that my Dad recently turned 92 years old!

My sister, Amy, who lives in Florida joined me there, so we had
some "sister" time and "Dad" time.
Amy and I enjoyed seeing him and visiting him and

having lunch with him a couple times at the

assisted living facility where he now lives.

It's such a nice place - the aides and workers 

genuinely care about the residents.

Bonus -- they make a tasty grilled cheese for lunch!

When we weren't there visiting Al (aka Alberto or Albert),

we did some power walking, power shopping and

power wine-tasting!

Yes, that trip had it all!

Our big disappointment was that our sister who 

lives there was out of town, so we

didn't get to hang out with her.  :(

On our next visit, we will introduce

her to all of our "power" activities!!  :)

However, we did get to enjoy some time with one of 

her cats!  I'm afraid I scared the poor kitty

with my rather loud rendition of

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!!"

She finally came out from her under-the-bed

hiding place a couple days later!

Sorry kitty!

All in all, 

it was a very good visit  with my Dear Old Dad!

August Birthdays!

I'm not quite sure just how we got to 

the end of August already! 

Boo hoo!!  

Summer -- please don't go!

What a great cake smash!  Borrowed this photo from his sweet parents!

But, before we let August slip away,

we must celebrate a few August family birthdays!

First, we have baby Harry, the youngest grandson!

His first birthday was a couple of weeks ago.

He is simply little Mr. Adorable -

his sweet face matches his very sweet disposition!

He's standing on his own and ready to walk -- 

the only problem is that he can get where he's going faster

crawling!  Seriously, he is a little speed demon!

Just after Harry's birthday

was my younger sister, Amy's birthday!

Wish we could have seen her for her birthday -

we need to do some celebrating!

Gin and tonics for all, right Amy?! :)

Then just last week, it was Big Al's birthday

my Dad, Al, that is!

Maddy and I were so happy to see him earlier 

this month.

He just turned 91! 

Al, in earlier years, working on the train at the Henry Doorly zoo after his retirement
from the real railroad!

Happy Birthday Harry, Amy and Al!

You are all so very special!

xoxo

A Quick Little Trip!

Maddy and I had a quick trip at the start of 

August to Cincinnati to see my sister, her husband

and my Dear Old Dad -- a/k/a Al!

It was really great to see them and spend a few days there.  

They have a  beautiful home and have

been so wonderful to have my

Dad living with them!

What a sweet blessing!

The weather was perfect and Cincinnati is an 

incredible big city!

Big cities just feel different, don't they?

Busy and exciting!

While Maddy will readily admit that 

she is not really a cat person,

Karen's cats were really fun and 

funny!

Hmmm -- could a cat be in our future?

I don't think so as Miss Muffy would not be 

happy about that at all! 

Thanks for hosting us Karen, Russ and Al!

We miss you all!

My Dad and Me - Favorite Photo Friday!

As usual, I am a wee bit late posting a photo of

 me and my Dad, Al,

in honor of Father's Day!

As you may have guessed, this photo is a

few [many]

years old!

Guess I am making this post about me instead of

Al -- who will turn 90 in August!

Seeing this photo really made me smile!

Al (he loves it when I call him Al, which is most of the time!). 

used to sneak me little juice glasses of beer when
I was young and sitting with him in the kitchen while my Mom made dinner!  :)

He worked so hard for our family --
we love him so!