When my Dad called me, and asked me to write down a couple of my favorite memories with my Grand Dad, to be read at his funeral, I felt honored, and blessed, to be able to share some of the best times of my life, with you all. But I also found myself faced with a dilemma. How can I just choose a couple, when there are SO many? A lifetime of memories. Each one I remember so fondly, and will forever cherish. So I narrowed it down to just a few. And that was no small feat. Firstly, I just want you all to know what a wonderful man my Grand Dad was. Loyal, to a fault. He would do anything for the people he loved, and cared about. Where there as a will, there was a way. He was the hardest working man I know. Even after he retired, he was always working. He would have various projects going at one time. Major projects, like a new coat of fiberglass, on one of his beloved boats. Huge fruit, and vegetable gardens. Woodwork. Boating in the summer, and snowmobiling in the winter. Catching, salting, drying out, and storing literally thousands of capelin fish for the year. Fixing up the house. Fishing, hunting, and providing for the family. And that doesnt even begin to include the many things he did for those around him, in the small town where he lived much of his life, Pilleys Island, NFLD. Newfoundland itself is an amazing place, and Pilleys Island is a small, rustic, charming little fishing town, that feels right out of a movie. How lucky am I, that all these memories shared with this great man, unfolded in such a magical place? My Grand Dads favorite place to hang out, was his tool shed. Except it wasnt really a shed. It was big, like a garage, (and of course, he built it himself). It had every tool, gadget, and gizmo you could ever think of. And there was a wall dedicated to knots! Every single knot that can be tied, was on that wall. Imagine how much fun that was, for my sister and I, when we were children. He would sit in his rocking chair, rocking back, and forth, and patiently, and kindly answer our hundreds of questions. Questions I am sure we had already asked a bunch of times before. And teaching us how to tie knots. And he would sing to us. Silly little songs he would make up, on the fly. But they always started the same way. Grand Dads sugar plums, Grand Dads angels... And the rest of the adjectives would change. But they were always filled with love, and pride. We were blessed to be loved by him. On top of having quite a bountiful fruit, and vegetable garden, he also had a bunch of berry bushes. Red, and black currents, gooseberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We would spend all day, everyday, during the summers, out in the yard. When we would get hungry between meals, we would gorge ourselves on berries. Thirsty? Find the nearest hose! And in the evenings, as a snack before bed, we would have rhubarb, dipped in sugar. Grand Dad never scolded us, when he would spot us having more sugar, than rhubarb. Though he did remedy a little spat my sister and I had one night, over who had used more sugar, by giving us both our own bowl. He would have given us the World. One of our favorite things to do in the summer, was to go out, sometimes for days at a time, in his beloved sailboat, Ms. Lily, (though we used the motor more than the sails). We would go way out into the Atlantic, fishing, and finding these tiny little Islands where we would anchor down, and row to shore in the rowboat. We would pick fresh mussels off the rocks, start a fire, and cook a feast! We would spend hours on those little Islands. And when we got sleepy, my Grand Dad would row us back to the sail boat, so that my sister, and I could climb down to the bunks in the cabin, and sleep. Probably the funniest memory I have, is what we like to call The Great Lobster Escape. Except that it was more of a release, than escape, if were getting into semantics. My Grand Dad came home one day with a whole bunch of lobsters. They were caught earlier that day, and they were huge. And anyone familiar with lobsters, knows that it wouldnt have been cheap, by any means. Well, my sister, and I thought they belonged back in the ocean. And seeing as how the ocean was literally across the street from my Grandparents home, we dragged that box of lobsters, straight outside. Super stealthy like, or so we thought. We dumped ALL of them, out onto the lawn, and watched in shock as they literally scrambled, and scattered all through the yard. They were FAST! And then hilarity ensued. My Nanny, Grand Dad, and Dad, were all running around the yard, trying to catch lobsters. Seagulls were diving, lobsters were sprinting, and a whole lot of laughter rang out. We laughed until we cried. At least I think they were happy tears. My Grand Dad wasnt even upset with us, at nearly ruining a very nice dinner. He really did adore us. And now that you are gone, there are tears of sadness. But still, there is joy in those tears, because those tears represent how much I love you. You were the best Grand Dad a girl could ask for. I am going to miss you so much. And I will think of you often, and always fondly. Godspeed, Grand Dad.