The Secret Decoder Glasses

In order to see the hidden secret codes, you have to wear the special secret decoder glasses.

Eric is such a man of mystery and suspense!! He has his own special way of wearing decoder glasses.

I am now going thru life with a bubble wand in my hand, bubbles under my feet and wearing my special decoder glasses. Given the choice, why grow up?

The Bubble Stomp

Nothing like blowing bubbles on an autumn day.

But then again, there is nothing like chasing bubbles and popping them.

Life should be enjoyed with a bubble wand in your hand and bubbles under your feet.

The Slide

Eric showed me how he can go down the slide on his belly or sitting down.

It is extremely difficult and it is very frustrating for me to enjoy my second childhood, when the slides are too small for me to fit in.

The Past Is Alive

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who give of their time to preserve our history.

It takes a considerable financial investment in the clothing, farm tools, guns and musical instruments.

They make the past come alive for us to enjoy

Wicked

One of the phrases that defines the Boston experience is "wicked good"!

The phrase must have originated in colonial days because at the colonial fyfe and drum competition there were "wickered good" colonial baskets.

The Concrete Jungle

When I went to elementary school, we would play baseball and football and other games outside. Baseball was on a baseball field with grass and dirt.

This is an elementary school in Boston. For recess, the kids have to play on top of the roof of the building. The fence is very tall, to prevent balls and other objects from going into the street.

Something is so very wrong with this.

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Henry Ford relocated and restored the school house that Mary Had A Little Lamb went to. Mary had actually saved the lamb's life when it was a baby. So the lamb was very attached to her. She and her brother went to school one day but failed to properly lock the sheep pen. The lamb followed Mary to school. Mary couldn't take the lamb back home because then she would be late for school. The student desks are big enough for two sheep to lay under. So that day, Mary sat in the back of the class and the lamb slept at her feet, under her desk. Everything was fine until the teacher called Mary up front. As Mary was walking up she heard the giggles from the students as the sleeping lamb woke up to follow Mary. The wrath of the teacher came down upon Mary for bringing the filthy beast to school. It's amazing the power that kindness to others has. Even a little lamb was forever grateful to Mary for her kindness.

I asked Ethan if he enjoyed his Saturday with Grampy. He replied "It's not Saturday, it's Winter"!!

Where Do Your Sympathies Lie

We heard the unmistakable sound of colonial muskets and ran over to see the militia.

The Captain came up to Ethan and asked him "Tell me sir, are your sympathies loyal to his majesty"?

Stick Around

The stick was being drawn to the waterfall and was picking up speed. We had to constantly run ahead to watch it's journey as it twisted in the current, bounced off of rocks and bumped into branches.

Ethan stopped to stand on a rock but a very large snake was there.

Ethan kept asking me where was the stick. I had to run back and forth so many times to report on the progress of the stick that I am now qualified to run in the Boston Marathon. People that were throwing sticks for their dogs to retrieve put them on leashes and stopped throwing their sticks. They knew not to get in the way of a huffing and puffing Grampy!

Sticks And Stones

Do you remember throwing sticks in streams? And then racing along the waters edge as you follow your stick down the stream?

Ethan had to select the perfect spot in the water to throw his stick. It was exciting for him to chase his stick. We had to do it over and
over and over.

All I remember was at the end hearing "Come on Grampy, Hurry up!"

The Resource Center

When I was a boy, a toy room was called a toy room. These days, they are called learning centers, activity rooms, play rooms and anything other than a toy room.

But no matter what you call it, it's purpose is still the same. It is a place for young minds like Eric's to stretch and learn and for young imaginations to imagine things.

Attention Please

Ethan and this pretty little girl play very well together. But Ethan wasn't himself and didn't feel like playing. She pulled out his favorite toys to get his attention.

The social interaction of children is more complex then you would believe!

The Magical Tour

There is the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour and then there is the Magical Tour that I played in today. It was a best ball format, for a fund raising tournament.

Playing golf with arthritis is difficult. But the golf gods reached down and touched me today. And on this particular hole, at this particular moment, things were magical. I had the best drive. The best shot into the green and putted it in for a birdie.

Golf buddies are special. If you take a bad shot, they encourage you. If you take a great shot, they congratulate you.

We should all play the game of life with golf buddies.

Comfort Zone

Everyone needs a special place that they can go to be re-energized.

Some place that allows them to re-connect to moments and memories of the past.

A place that can strengthen them emotionally. A place that just by being there for a few minutes can change your outlook.

We all need places that are comfort zones.

Spreading Happiness and Weeds

We live in a time when there is a greater awareness of airborne bacteria.

But we have always been aware of the airborne spreading of weeds.

Ethan is demonstrating how to spread weeds to new areas!

How fortunate to wake up and discover new weeds in your yard!

The Martha-Mary Chapel

Henry Ford restored the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts. He then bought the little red school house that inspired "Mary had a little lamb", and had it moved here. The traffic on Rt 20 was beginning to cause structural damage to the inn. So he paid $288,000 to have a bypass road built and when it was done he sold it to the state for $1. In 1938, a hurricane knocked over some trees behind the Mary had a little lamb school house. He then ordered that the trees be cleared and a non-denominational church be built. The Martha-Mary Chapel was named for Henry Ford's mother, Martha Ford, and mother-in-law Mary Bryant. The chapel was recently used in the movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Don't Feed The Bears

Janelle had a Hoodsie ice cream cup for desert. The ice cream was frozen so hard that I was breaking it up for her. As I got it loose I put some on a spoon for her.

That's when she returned the favor by feeding me. Sometimes what goes around does come back around.

Life, Live It!

She's at home on a tractor or shopping in a mall. Place a childs hands on a steering wheel and they immediately try to turn it. While at the same time they are jumping up and down on the seat, trying to make it go.

A tremendous gift has been given to this generation, the ability to experience more of life.

My Friends

Last year, the goats would take the food away from him, but not anymore! Ethan has moves. When the goats come from all sides, he takes a step back. When there is a little one under him and a big one over him, he will step, turn and pivot. It is a move that would be great on a football field or on a basketball court.

From A Distance

Scarecrows are also very effective at keeping little girls away.

Perhaps they should have scarecrows in front of shopping malls.

No Coin

What do you do when you want to feed the goats and Grampy doesn't have anymore quarters to buy food from the vending machine?

Janelle has seen that there is a pile of food right underneath the animal food machine. People can't catch the food fast enough and it spills on the ground.

Sometimes the answer to our problem is right in front of us, we just have to be willing to see things from a different point of view.