Remember Grandpa Joe

Today would have been Grandpa Joe's 102nd birthday. Here are ten things I will always remember about him.

1. He was a great golfer. I always was blown away by how far he could hit the golf balls up north!
2. Fantastic photographer. I always wondered what he would have thought about digital photography!
3. Such an animal lover. So gentle.
4. Knew more about cars than anyone.
5. McDonald's.
6. He was a great outdoorsman. He always could garden, find the hidden morel mushrooms, and hike even with limited eyesight.
7. He prized education. He loved to read, and I always thought he was one of the smarter people I knew.
8. He had a fantastic sense of adventure. I was too little to remember his roadtrips, but good for him!
9. He could walk to KMart. Very independent. Mom said when I was two, I could read the Kmart sign after a trip with him and dad.
10. So silly, but I remember those Saturday visits that Kevin would faithfully make and I'd try to. Trips to the fruit market, exploring his fantastic backyard with the cherry, pear, peach, grape, etc. fruit trees, getting a mint or a taste of something I should not have been drinking, and maybe getting some coins.

I miss him, and I'm so happy he has a namesake.