|
May 2008 - Farewell to Grandpa Harrington
 Grandpa
Harrington - my Mom's father - passed away on May 4th.
"Grandpa" was 92 years old. And so I had to use this
space to pay tribute to him. Below you'll find
memories from myself, my sister Sue and a video tribute
as well.
Memories of Grandpa and the
Thousand Islands:
It's hard to separate
memories of Grandpa from those of my grandparents
cottage in the
Thousand Islands section of the St. Lawrence river.
It was more than just their vacation spot, it defined
their lifestyle for decades and it's where I got to know
them in much more intimacy than from when they would
visit for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
As very
young kids, my sister, brother and I spent summers bundled in uncomfortable life jackets under Grandpa's eye learning to
fish, boat, swim - and - under the stern
encouragement of Grandma - not slam the screen door
leading to the big outdoor porch.
I
remember Grandpa teaching me the basics of boating - one
of them being how to get off your boat and step safely
back on to the dock, then secure the boat properly with
"the stern line" and "the bow line". You had to learn
these things before you were allowed to take the boat
out by yourself when you got older.
I remember
along the dock, bolted to the wooden planks there were
steel rings. I think there were traditional cleats too,
but the rings required a special knot - that I practiced
over and over. You had to take the bow line and loop it
through the ring and tie the knot the right way - or
else when the boat began to drift, the knot would come
undone. As a impatient little boy, it took me so
long to get it right! But Grandpa was patient and
would teach you little tricks to make the lesson easier.
"Make a loop. Call it the rabbit hole. Take the other
side of the line. Call that the rabbit. Take the rabbit,
run it around the hole once, through the hole and out
the other side."
Grandpa loved to sail his small
sail boat up and down the river. I remember taking
long afternoons sailing with Grandpa, Grandma and Mom. I
remember picnic baskets stuffed with Tuna sandwiches and
ginger ale being brought on board.
He was a
natural captain. Shirtless, right hand on the
rudder & left hand clutching his sandwich, he'd
scan the river tacking windward and leeward. Just
before each tack (when you turn the boat so the wind
comes from the opposite side) he'd loudly pronounce
"Ready about everyone! Ready about ... HARD TO LEE!".
Grandpa would yank the rudder to one side, and at that
moment Mom would put her hand on my head an push me down
out of the way of the boom - swinging across from the
windward side to the leeward side of the boat. If
you didn't duck, you get a crack on the noggin.
I liked to listen to Grandpa tell stories,
especially ones that had a funny end. His laugh was
contagious. At the end of a long summer day of sailing,
he and all the other adults would gather out on the big
porch overlooking the river sipping cocktails. There was
talk about the day, stories, laughing and general
enjoyment of the transition from late afternoon to dusk
when the river would mellow and the crickets would take
the place of the distant drone of boat traffic.
I remember sneaking down to the dock after dark with a
flashlight - shining it's dull beam down into the water
looking for fish I planned to catch the next day - with
Grandpa's help of course.
In those early
days, the Thousand Islands and Grandpa were a
conduit to important lessons of the natural world.
The power of a great river's current and waves.
The intensity of thunder and lightning bearing down on
our little cottage at night. The smoothness and
sharpness of fish scales and spiny fins. The way
the strong wind can blow your little boat over, or speed
you across the river in double time.
Those times with
Grandpa have stuck with me - and I've always had an
affinity for the outdoors since. So I say farewell to
Grandpa and give thanks to his ability to show a fussy
little boy some of the great things about being
outdoors. Those moments live on each time I
venture into the wilderness.
From
my sister Sue:
Grandpa was such a kind, thoughtful
and caring man. I have very fond memories of him at the
Thousand Islands with Yogie, walking around with treats
in his pockets so she would follow him around and not
me! We had such fun times fishing together. He taught me
to bait my own hook and he took me to the best spots
where he would always catch the big ones and well, I
always seemed to catch the little ones.
Visiting him and
Grandma in Rochester we would joke about having a 'Nice
Ham'. One day he had made this up and for some
reason it became a family joke. Another thing he would
often say is "Cows ass!" and although it wasn't really
dinner table appropriate, someone would inevitably say
it and everyone would burst out laughing. I can still
hear his laugh- he laughed often and it was genuine.
"Scootermaroots"
was another thing he made up- I never really knew what
this meant- I just remember him saying it often.
Recently learned that it was his form of currency!
The week before his death I sent him a very cute
'get well soon' cat card and told him I loved him. I
think he knew I cared as my hugs were always a little
longer with a kiss and "I love you."
I learned at his
cemetery service that he is buried next to his parents
and brothers under a big. beautiful, old oak tree. I
never knew about this plot. This service along with the
memorial service at the church was very sad, and
fitting. The pastor knew him well and spoke very highly
and appropriately of him. I always thought, even at 92,
that he was so handsome!
He was loved by all who
knew him and he will be missed by us all. It is hard
knowing that he is gone, as for 44 1/2 years I have had
a really awesome Grandpa.
Love you Grandpa, Susie
Video Tribute to Grandpa Harrington:
(Click in the center of the black area to
play/pause.)
NOTE: Watching this video requires
Microsoft Silverlight be installed in your browser.
This is a one-time download & installation that will
allow you to view Silverlight content on any website.
More info
here.
Brother Jeff and kids visiting with
Grandma & Grandpa Harrington in 2004.
May 11th - King of the Mountain on the Palm
Springs Aerial Tramway
As a birthday treat, Virginia setup a trip of something
that I've always wanted to explore - the tramway that
whisks you up to 10,000ft Mt. San Jacinto from Palm
Springs.
We had a really great day. The tram ride is fun,
but the Sierra like wilderness at the top is such a
pleasure. Large growth forests, streams flowing
high and lots of snow. A sierra treasure right in
Southern California.
We brought our packs and hiked a 6 mile round trip to a
steep and beautiful overlook. Check out this
Silverlight video:
More information here:
http://www.pstramway.com/
|
