Proud Grandmother; A Grandson's Big Risk — or Bravery

15 January 2010; Mechanicsville, Maryland, USA --

Posted by Grumpy, but a story written by the Grand Mother:

Some time ago, I wrote about a Grandson who stopped his work to rescue a baby bird  who was being hunted by a poisonous snake(see Bird Brain, Wondrous Intelligence).  Climbing high in a tree, he was able to grab the snake by the tail and hurl it to the ground where his friend killed it.  Bravery or Big Risk?  The Mother bird allowed him to continue his work, installing windows near the nest where her baby was located — after the snake was destroyed.

Life moves on and now I have an addition to this story about this Grandson, with the one told to me recently by my oldest son.  It will be up to the reader to determine if this one was bravery — or was it a big risk?

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A WOULD-BE HIGHWAY HIGH-JACKING!

After a hard day at work, installing custom windows at two locations, Ray and his supervisor were heading home on the crowded freeway.  Ray was driving the truck at about 60 mph, imagining the smell of a good, hot meal, which would be waiting, and the happy smiles of a little boy who was happy his Daddy would be home to play with him.  Suddenly a number of cars were applying brakes, changing lanes abruptly, and some even were heading to the ditch.

"What in the world is going on?" asked Ray's supervisor.  They had slowed considerably when Ray spotted the trouble.  A man was in the center of the roadway, trying to car-jack a vehicle. He tried getting in with an older man — he tried with a young lady — and he was still running up to slowing cars, trying to get inside. 

Ray sized up the situation and said, "Let's stop him!"

They pulled off the side of the road and stopped.  Then the supervisor yelled, at the man, "What do you think you are doing?"

The would-be car-jacker looked up, startled, and then started running away into the nearby woods like a streak of lightning.  Ray said, "You scared him away.  We could have had him!"

They pulled back on the freeway and continued home safely.  They were sure that calls had been made to notify the police of the problem, but they did not stay to find out if anyone came.

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Even though my "Mother's heart" skips a beat when I realize the potential danger they faced — the heavy traffic plus the distraction of the car-jacker's activities — yet they were willing to try to stop him from harming anyone.  They took the time to stop — to delay their trip home — put off the warm shower they had been anticipating to soothe their tired muscles from a day of hard work.  They are the epitome of the American citizen who cares about what happens in their country.  They do not fear standing alone, if necessary, to stop a wrong.  I am thankful the ending was quick and no one was injured in an accident or from any physical confrontation.  I am proud to know that my Grandchildren value their country and are willing to defend what is right.

When my son, Ray's Dad, was younger (perhaps a pre-teen at that time), he observed some kids crawling around on the roof of an elementary school.  He quickly ran home, called the police and told them what he had seen.  When asked for his name, he responded he would rather not tell because he feared they may retaliate.  The police assured him they would not reveal his name — but, in fact, they did.

The boys had entered the school and were preparing to do some vandalism when the police located them.  They found out who had called — and threatened they would get even.  Our son responded that was fine with him; he would call his friends and would meet the vandals anytime and anywhere. The confidence that he exhibited, deterred them from further confrontation. 

Because my son was willing to interrupt what he was doing and make the report, the school did not have extensive damage.  These values were passed on to his children.  I am proud and honored to be the Mother, and Grandmother of these brave men.

I mentioned to my son that I wished more people were aware of things like this to motivate them to stand up for what is right.  He told me, "That is why I am telling you — you'll tell this story to everyone!"

And so now I have! 
Signed,  —  by a proud Mother and Grandma

A New Great Grandson Arrives!! Ezekiel David is his name

10 January 2010; In the Boonies of Northwest Washington --

This morning, at precisely 0705, Ezekiel David was born! His arrival was not a surprise; earlier evidence shown here (left), dated 2 January 2010, indicated rather strongly that something was going to happen sooner or later ... (Editor: delete "or later"!). "Zeke"  (right), as he has already been dubbed, arrived at the relatively hefty weight of 8 lb 1 oz and a promising length of 19.5, and with a decided appetite for food! It is predicted that he will soon be challenging his older brothers Malachi and Amos for a place at the family table.

The entire family was on hand for this auspicious occasion as shown here as he is welcomed at home by his older brothers and his 2 year-old sister, Elianna. The proud Great Grandparents were able to come visit six days later but, due to the forgetfulness of the Great Grumpy, no camera was included in the items brought for the visit, so no photos are available of that later occasion.

A Couple of Old, Old Pilots and Their Dedicated Wives

January 2010; Grumpy's Castle --

As the New Year rolled in, so did Grumpy's much more congenial Brother Bob and his lovely wife, Adelaide. They were forced back early from their skiing foray on Hood's Mountain in Oregon because the snow had turned to rain. The First Wife and Grumpy happily greeted them for the few days they had remaining before they had to return to their respective commitments.

Bob and Grumpy have made a bit of history by being undoubtedly the oldest pair of pilots to have flown intercontinentally from the North American to the South American continent. And they did it all in a single-engine, four-place airplane! But a photograph of this hysterical-- er, I mean, historical -- pair was never before released until now. Bob, the smarter of the two, was 80 years old and Grumpy, the better looking, was 82 when they left the USA on this Last Great Flying Adventure. As the astute reader can discern, both are obviously better for having had this adventure than if they had stayed close to home and whiled away their waning years reading books and the morning newspaper.

Meanwhile, as these two ancient pilots traded stories of daring-do and excessive bank angles to observe unusual scenery, short-field landings on the far end of 7,000 foot runways in the Amazon jungle clearings and such, their wives talked of -- well, whatever two women talk about when their husbands are engrossed in "important" discussions. I think they were probably talking about their strategies to keep their respective husbands on a "short leash" for at least the next six or eight months. But, who knows?!? Could have been most anything!

It is not recorded what plans lie ahead for these two old, old pilots, but the future would be cruel indeed if they were to be exiled to Terra Firma for the rest of their expected-long lives! There is a saying that goes,
"There are old, old pilots and there are a few old, bold pilots, but NO bold, bold pilots!"
I venture to boast that here are two old, old pilots whose combined wisdom and experience would put to shame many of the much younger air crew on some commercial airliners today.

When do we get our chance to fly a Boeing 757?