Grandfather | NealEnJoy

Exploring and Encouraging a Healthy Life Marked with Joy

Posts tagged ‘Grandfather’

The Bear and the Unicorn

For my recent suxteee-seckth birthday, I celebrated with my big ole’ modern family …

… at Savannah’s Tequila’s Town restaurant in Sandfly.

(Seriously? Can you believe they come hooting “Happy Bday” laden with tequila for the celebrant! Even though I had my large head prepared for an oversized sombrero and some flan.)

Post-tequila I received some neat gifts, but perhaps my Favorites came from five-year-old grandtwins Madison (inappropriately pictured above next to the tequila) and Matthew. Their mom let them pick out their gifts for me. Madison gave me a pink unicorn in a love mug …

…while Matthew opted for a brown bear that actually smells like chocolate when you rub it vigorously!

(Matthew is in an over-smiling-for-the-camera stage.)

Oh, they also each got me a large skein of yarn–yellow from Madison and green from Matthew. Not that I knit (who has the patience for that?!), but because they like to unravel the yarn, make giant spiderwebs and throw it all over the furniture and each other.

Thus, inspired by the tequila, when I got home I opted for a quick photoshoot to document my suxteee-seckth.

Moral of Story: the strangest little gifts ofttimes make for the biggest shots of … Joy.

Category:

Humor, Neal's Writing, New, Savannah Joy, The Joy and Wisdom of Children, Transition, Uncategorized, Where Happiness Finds You

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Don’t Tell ME You Can’t Tell I Teach at an Art School!

(Van Gogh)

(Michelangelo)

Last evening, I grandson-sat Daniel (8) and Gabriel (5) while daughter Amy and son-in-law Orte went fancy gallivanting around town.

First, we played a quick game of basketball in the 110 real feel (Neal feel!) Savannah heat, quickly realized we were idiots and ran back inside.

Then we ate a hasitily prepared supper (I like the word “supper” in the summer south so much better than sometimes-pretentious “dinner”), consisting of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and scrambled eggs and microwaveable bacon. (Okay, so maybe not the healthiest Savannah summer supper choice.)

Afterwards, I broke up a third fight over what level to play a video game (Skylanders? Huh?) and threatened pain if they didn’t stop. (Do grandchildren anywhere take grandparents’ threats seriously?)

Finally I suggested drawing pictures. Daniel immediately bought into the peace ploy, quickly pulling out the tools.

We went to work.

D and G:

Me:

To be honest, I think I felt more pressure since I teach as an adjunct at an art school (SCAD–Savannah College of Art and Design). Allright, so maybe I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) there. But still, it’s an art school.

Daniel’s first (of nine pieces!) finished work of the evening:

“Spyro Super Fire Balls.”

Gabriel’s first (and only): “Morning Apple Orchard” (which looks a little like “Spyro Super Fire Balls”):

(“This makes my hand hurt,” he exclaimed, upon completion–and immediately lay down under the dining room table to rest.)

My first work, “Spotted Dog with a Bad Attitude”:

The muses inspired, and the art continued to roll out.

Daniel: “Let me brainstorm on what to call my next one.” (Two second pause.) “Sharp Tooth Spyro!” And so it was.

“Mega Bolt Cynder”:

“Destroyer Horn Spyro”:

Daniel wasn’t the only one the muses attended to:

“Green Tree Circle of Life”:

“Self Portrait”:

When we finished, Daniel and I curated an art gallery in the sun room. (We barely heard Gabriel as he kept yelling from the playroom: “Stop drawing! Stop drawing!”)

At one point Daniel looked at me and said, “This is SO much fun! Don’t you agree, Abu?”

My artistic heart melted.

Category:

Humor, The Joy and Wisdom of Children

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A Most Awesome Father’s Day & Night!

I hope your Father’s Day (and night) 2015 has been a peaceful and joyful one. Mine was/is. Spent time with both daughters and all four grandies. What a blessing to have them all in my Savannah. My cards:

And an incredible Facebook post by older daughter Amy:

“Happy Father’s Day to my very hip and high impact dad! I am blessed to have a dad who taught me to love without discrimination, to have joy in all circumstances, and who creates an environment of safety and acceptance where I am free to develop into my best and truest self.”

What a Difficult and Unparalleled Joy Fatherhood is!

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Holiday Joy

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Five Friday Happy Bringers — 6/19/15

In spite of this …

… I’ve had a Great Week here in The Savannah!

I hope you have too (wherever you are).

[P.S. Sometimes having a Great Week is simply a matter of looking for the Greatness in the Week.]

1. Fruits and vegetables.

(The yellowish thingies are young turnips. Yum.)

2. Deciding that to embrace the Truly Hip Person I am, I need New, Cool Socks.

3. Going to 1964, the (early) Beatles tribute show at the Lucas here in Savannah (a two-minute walk from my place), and getting a tad weepy when they sang, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.”

4. Buying a new bed for “grand-dog” Spyro:

5. Hooting at grandson Daniel’s outfit for Nerd Day at the Savannah Children’s Theatre Camp.

Have a Terrific Weekend. I Wanna Hold Your Happiness.

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Five Friday Happy Bringers

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Five Friday Happy Bringers — 6/12/15

It’s Friday! It’s JUNE! It’s Happy!

Here’s why!

1. Grandson Daniel’s dress-up day at Savannah Children’s Theatre Camp. “Hollywood”

Spitting image of his grandfather!

2. A beautifully invigorating two hours at the Laurel Grove Cemetery here in Savannah this week. (I had never gone before.)

(Beware: A rather long mix of pics ahead.)

As I walked through the moss-laden oaks, I was mesmerized by the power of time to take back into the earth all that belongs to her. All.

Okay, I’ll stop even though I kept taking pictures. I love cemeteries. They are such celebrations of LIFE.

3. Meals this week. (All from the Forsyth Farmers Market here in Savannah.)

4. Beautiful plantscape at a house near me.

5. Bathroom sign in a restaurant on Hilton Head Island.

Great Weekend to you all!

Category:

Five Friday Happy Bringers, Savannah Joy

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Five Friday Happy Bringers — 5/22/15

MAY — an incredibly joyful month, don’t you think?

Five Reasons for Happy:

1. An early morning walk along the McQueens-Tybee Island trail (between Savannah and Tybee Island–10 mins from my apartment).

2. Grandson Daniel in his end-of-year Who Am I? Research Biography presentation. (He was Paul McCartney, btw.)

(Okay. okay, maybe I helped him a little with the tri-board.)

(He could only get such coolness from his grandfather. Seriously.)

The kids had to explain their research, poster-board-presentation-style, to the folks in attendance.

They do that kinda stuff nowadays in 2nd Grade?! Research?! All I did in 2nd grade was spend a year of trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to stop crying for mama.

3. Being a judge for the 2015 Savannah Authors Anthology. Such fun!

(I want to be a judge … full time. And get paid. Exorbitantly. Call me if you or yours need high-end judging.)

4. Getting 2015 Beach Ready.

5. Seafood at Safe Harbor in Mayport, FL. (After taking the ferry across the St. John’s River on the south end of Amelia Island.)

Safe, Joyful Weekend ahead to you all!

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Five Friday Happy Bringers

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Five Friday Happy Bringers — 5/8/15

I love the month of May. There’s something hopeful, potential, expectant about its very name, “May.”

And here come a few more of my Joy Causers this week:

1. Granddog Spyro.

2. The difficult (for me) but truthful freedom of this declaration:

3. Incredible sand art outside one of the classroom buildings at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).

This is a collaborative class project called “The Art of the Spectacle.”

4. Loving every moment of Grandson Daniel’s performance in the Savannah Children’s Theatre Dance Program Recital, “Dance Around the World” last weekend.