Miss you

Wish you were with us...

In honor of Pops, on the year anniversary of our loss, we went bowling.  Bowling was something Pops LOVED and kicked serious butt in.  It was how he spent his evenings with good friends for MANY years.  He taught Ben to bowl even when the bowling alley didn't have shoes small enough for Ben to wear.  He almost always managed a bowling trip with the kids whenever he came for a visit. 

We will always bowl with you in our hearts.

Poppy's quest for the perfect sunrise - August 2008

In Dad's mind, every morning was the perfect opportunity to see the perfect sunrise.  Every time we went to OC, he would wake up, carry his folding chair and camera, and walk to the ocean in the dark hoping to capture the perfect sunrise.  This particular year, we have lovely weather and he had quite a few chances.  

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

 A bit overcast, but beautiful nonetheless.

Day 4

Pops decided to get fancy and videotape the perfect sunrise.  

In Poppy's eyes, all sunrises were "the perfect sunrise"

 

Vacation - August 2008 Part II

After laboring in Baltimore, we headed to OC.  A well deserved break for all.

Pops happy with his book, as always :-)

A fun round of minigolf.

Poppy and Ben whooped everyone else!

Then off to the race track...

Pops had to try out both the single and twin engine cars!

Pops and Grandpa racing around the track.

Vacation - August 2008

We spent a week of our vacation time in Baltimore helping to get the house fixed up in the hopes of putting it on the market.  A great big thank you to Aunt Mary and Uncle John for spending a fun-filled day with us scraping and prepping the porch for a fresh paint job!  They took pictures of us all together.  We didn't really smell good, but were just happy to be together.

At Home - February 2008

Dad, at home with his book in his recliner :-)

Me taking a picture of dad taking a picture

It seems that Dad was almost always behind the camera lens instead of in front of it.  He LOVED capturing memories on film and then looking at the pictures over and over again.  Here we are on Tori's 3rd birthday taking pictures at the same time :-)

Dad can be heard singing loud and clear as always in this rousing rendition of
"Happy Birthday"

Dad Had a Way with the Weather - One

Dad always had a way with the weather.  In all the years that we went camping for vacation when I was growing up, it never failed to rain (usually torrentially).  It seemed that whenever he came to WI in the winter, he managed to bring a hefty snow :-)

Wii bowling - February 2008

Ben and Pops duking it out in Wii bowling :-)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Pops. I miss you and love you bunches and bunches behind my back.

Best Buddies - Ocean City - August 2007

Poppy LOVED going to watch the sunrise over the ocean. He actually managed to drag Ben out of bed some mornings to see if we could catch a glimpse of the sunrise. Not much luck on the sunrise front this particular morning, but a great time was had by all.

Best Buddies - Ocean City - August 2007

Poppy and Ben splashing in the waves at OC.
They also played about 40 rounds of minigolf, and went on a dolphin watching cruise. Ben's tummy did not so much enjoy the cruise although he really enjoyed seeing the dolphins.

Port Discovery - August 2007

Our annual trip to Port Discovery in Baltimore with Poppy and Grandmama.
After climbing, sliding, crawling, and contorting his way through the four story "tree house" with Ben (no pictures because they were just everywhere), Poppy took a break to help Tori with a computer game.

Williamsport - Summer 2007

Poppy and Grandmama traveled to Williamsport for Mike and Jeanne's 50th wedding anniversary. Tori looked spectacular in the dress that Grandmama and Poppy bought for her. The kids loved seeing them, too, as you can tell by their faces.