Wine, Gaither Videos and a fire...

I went to the mountains this past weekend with my mom to take care of some wedding plans and we stayed with my Grandad. Since my Grandmother passed away last year he has been dealing with living alone pretty well. He is so funny to me because he is so set in his ways and quirky and I love that about him. When I was little I would stay at their house for weekends at a time and he would carry me around with a pipe sticking out of his mouth. And every time I smell a pipe I automatically am being carried around again.

He loves to drink wine, especially White Zinfandel. And why I guess I'll never really know but when you go to see him you are welcomed with a nice cold glass. My parents never partake in this event but for me its a way that I bond with him and its something I can share in. Don't get me wrong I'm not getting smashed with Gramps but we do have a few glasses.

His other passion in life is singing. He has a beautiful voice and is an active member of his choir. I love to hear him sing. He puts all his energy into it and you can see it in his eyes how much he loves it. His entire face just lights up. He also enjoys the Gaither Homecoming videos. He doesn't watch tv, he just watches those. And when you go and see him you are not expected to watch but I view it as a once in a life time opportunity to watch with him. My other cousins are about 5 -10 years younger than me and don't really get the whole watching southern gospel bit but there are times when I hear him humming along with the words and its like a piece of my history right there.

And the fire to him is an art. He loves to tend to it, poke at it and make sure everyone is warm. He usually keeps his room about 95 degrees so we enjoy the tropics while at his house.

He's quiet and doesn't say much but when he does talk its important. And he never lets you leave without a hug, a kiss and a promise that you'll come back very very soon.