My grandfather was a great person to know. He loved telling stories, taking me to the
barber shop, and driving Grandma & myself to the movies, so all three of us
could watch them. His excitement wore
off on me. When I was little
staying overnight at their house, my excitement for getting my haircut grew so
much that I woke him up at four in the morning to remind him about our visit to
the barber shop later that morning. I
think I remember him saying, “Miho, it’s 4 in the morning, it’s too early.” The next morning he told my Grandma about his wake up call &
they shared a laugh together.
Storyteller
He told some great stories, but one that I remember is
the importance of reading. He told me
the story of one person applying for job at the factory he worked at. All this person had to do was fill out the
application & he had the job, but he couldn’t read and he wanted to take it
home so a relative could fill it out.
However, the job application had to be completed there in the office. This person wound up not applying because he
couldn’t read the application. I told
this story to my students today, but my English is still too fast for
them. They just looked at me with a
blank look, huh? However, I will
translate again in tagalog before their summer break, which is coming soon.
Musician
Before he was a Grandfather and a father, my Grandpa was
saxophone player. As I write this I put
on some jazz music, the band Portico Quartet, album Isla. There are some great saxophone sounds on this
album and I know he would’ve loved it. While I’m in the Philippines I am learning an
instrument, the acoustic guitar, so far it’s pretty slow as I have no time to
practice, but I hope I have tune or two down before I leave here. You'll hear more stories about the trials & errors of learning the guitar soon.
Pancakes
“Grandpa you’re a great cook, you & Grandma should
open up a restaurant,” I remember telling them. My Grandma was a great cook
herself, I have to add. One of the items
my Grandpa cooked were pancakes and I loved waking up to the smell of those delicious cakes. It’s ironic that in the last few weeks, I
found a place in the market that cooks pancakes similar to his, not as good of
course, but a respectable second, another place I know my Grandpa would’ve
loved. It’s as if my Grandpa was sending
me a message to check this stand out, there’s a treat there for you. If you knew my Grandpa, please post your
memories about him below. You may also post memories at curleyfuneralhome.com
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| Eating those delicious hot cakes Tuesday. |
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteTremendous Post!
Hey Steve,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! My Grandma died two Christmases ago and your post reminded me of her and how amazing of a person she was. Thank you for that :) I'm excited for you to move past the sadness of your loss and move to a point where little things remind you of your Grandpa and all you do is smile at them and remember how much he meant to you.
See you in a few hours!
Steve- I lost my grandmother last August, so I know how it is. I'm sorry for your loss, glad to see everything else is good.
ReplyDelete-Charles
Gonzalo was a good story teller. When Gonzalo and Hope visited her parents in Mexico on a Sunday, everyone was in their Sunday best. Hope and her Mother and a cousin were adding the finishing touches to Sunday dinner. Gonz and a cousin had to walk to go to the local market and pickup mole' (gravy). They picked up a pot of mole without a lid and it was a good size pot. They decided to take the local bus back. In Mexico the local buses come to a complete stop at a main street and a rolling stop on side streets. Gonz and his cousin had to stand in the bus. There were two young guys sitting with a white shirt in their Sunday best talking about meeting girlfriends and there right next to Gonz. Gonzalo and the cousin are talking in Spanish. Gonz is having a hard time keeping the pot of mole’ steady. Wouldn't you know it the bus driver juked the bus and Gonz can't keep a steady balance. He spills some mole' onto the guy sitting next to him and that guy is doing a slow burn. Gonz's apologizes to the guy in English. The cousin tells Gonz in English to get off at the next stop. The next stop is a side street, so it's a moving stop and Gonz spilled more mole' on himself. The cousin tells him that it’s OK. It’s better than to get that guy’s size 10 boot up their rumps. Gonz said that walk seemed like it lasted forever.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could give this story the justice it deserts. Gonz facial expression and hand movements at right moment when telling the story gave it style.
Gonzalo you did your best. God be with you.
Hi Steve, my deepest condolences on the passing of your grandfather, may he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed very much reading your blog and I commend you on your work in PI.
Be safe,
Kim Borges
Steve, My condolences on losing your grandpa. I didn't know him very well, but what I did know was that he was a nice man. My thoughts and prayers are with you Steve.
ReplyDelete