Takin' the Yellowhead Pt. 1

I love my sister, Jen. She's so fun. And you don't have to talk much because she takes care of that for you.

So a couple of months ago, she calls me and mentions that she's coming down from Edmonton to Vancouver for a wedding with her mother-in-law. The catch is that she would have to drive back to Edmonton by herself. Would I be interested in driving back with her, hanging out in The Chuck for a few days and then maybe fly home.

So, on Tuesday we packed up the car and began our road trip. Work-wise, it is the absolute worst timing, but I have so needed a break. I think you could see that from my earlier posts. I was starting to go crazy with work and a little holiday was becoming far too necessary.

We drove first to Kelowna for one night (Sorry, Tex, that I didn't call in again) to see my grandparents. My grandfather is in the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease in a care home and Jen hadn't seen him for almost 2 years. My grandmother lives alone now so she was tickled pink to have us stay with her.

My grandfather is 94 and on previous visits he recognized me. But, this time he was really confused. It's so hard to see someone who was so vibrant and active in life (he was a forest fire fighter and at 50 years old could outrun 25 year olds) be confined to a wheelchair and not be able to make his brain work right. When I told him our names and who our dad was (his son), he just looked confused and then haltingly said, "I... I can see... but... you try to... but you can't make it work." He was almost ashamed that he recognized that he should know us, but couldn't remember why and just couldn't put the pieces together.

As we were leaving, he left us with some parting wisdom. "I do know that three things are really important: 28, 29 and 30." He then paused and finished with, "but sometimes 27." If it wasn't so sad, I'd probably laugh a bit more.

My grandmother is 95. She's starting to forget things, too. But, I can't really fault her that when I see how old she is. She's about 4'11" and the daughter of Irish parents. She's very fun, but definitely not as spry as I remember her from my childhood.

When we arrived, she made us some tea and I noticed her kettle didn't shut off. So, Jen and I went to the store and bought her a new electric kettle and brought it back. Mostly we were concerned that she'd boil it dry one day and start an electrical fire. But, how do you tell your grandmother, "Look, Grandma, we think you'll forget about the kettle one day because you're old and forgetful." And what if she really, really liked the old kettle for sentimental reasons?

As we opened the box, she was rather ecstatic. "Oh, how nice! I never liked that old kettle anyway." Ok, then...

Jen and I had this fantastic dinner at a lakeside hotel and it was so beautiful out. We had wine and coffee and watched the sun begin to set and talked about stories that I know I've told my grandmother several times before. I don't know how many more of these times I'll get with her and I know that it was very special for Jen and I.

These two people are the only grandparents I have. My mom's parents died when she was in her teens. So I only have stories. These two people are living have a special and interesting place in my heart and I have some great and not-so-great memories of them. It's these times that I'll remember most when they both are gone.

The next day... it was on to Edmonton...