HOME AGAIN

After nearly a week of travel, we have arrived home in Oregon. The babies traveled better than we had expected. They mostly slept through the three flights we put them on, and the other passengers didn't seem to mind too much on the few occasions they squawked.

While changing planes in Seattle, they drew huge crowds of gawkers.
Teenagers, old ladies, and airline employees gathered around Nate and made silly faces and commented on his suede hair.An old man looked at Will, and proclaimed, in a thick New York accent, "He's gorgeous."

At every stage of our trip, we were the recipients of small random acts of kindness from strangers. These were most appreciated, because getting two babies through airport security these days requires roughly the same amount of strategy and manpower used in the Normandy invasion.

As for the funeral, it was a positive experience. It was even, dare I say, fun. I think the people who thought up the New Orleans funeral procession had the right idea. The first half is sad, but the second half is joyous. While we couldn't help but stand and cry as our grandfather was laid to rest, the dinner afterwards was great. I saw relatives I hadn't seen in years. I met new nieces and cousins born since our last reunion. We all sat and shared stories about Gramps. We got caught up. We had... fun.

I'd like to think that Gramps approved of the whole affair. He was never much for formality, but he loved it when people got together and shared stories. That's mostly what we did last week, and Gramps was the reason we did it. It was kind of like Gramp's final gift to all his friends and family.

Thanks, Gramps. We all miss you, but we won't forget you.