My Memories for Grandpa Carr

I printed out the post I had written about Grandma Carr after she had passed away and mailed it to my grandfather.  He enjoyed that post so much that I decided to do a post about him so he could enjoy reading my memories about him.

 When I started looking through pictures for this post I realized I didn't have as many of Grandpa as I did of Grandma.  This was probably because my grandfather was a really hard worker on his farm his entire life.

This was taken after my 6th grade graduation.  We were able to catch Grandpa for a quick picture!

 Grandma and Grandpa's kitchen holds a lot of memories for me.  Grandpa always sat in the same chair -- and still does to this day!  Grandpa loves kids and loves to make them laugh.  He tickled and played jokes on me many times in this exact spot.  I love seeing him interact with the twins and giving them big hugs just like he gave to me.

This beautiful dog was Toby.  Grandpa loved this dog and gave him a great life.

  I mentioned in the post about my grandmother that so much of my childhood was spent on and around my grandparent's dairy farm.  I took it for granted that Grandpa owned so much land and that we could pretty much go wherever we wanted and do whatever we wanted on it.  My childhood was spent cruising around on 4-wheelers and snowmobiles across his acres and acres of land.  I did get yelled at several times for driving over crops!!  This all came to a screeching halt when I was around 14 years old and got pulled over by a State Policeman while I was driving on the road with a 4-wheeler.  When the officer asked me who owned the land, I felt confident in saying my grandfather did.  I don't remember much after that -- but I do remember it was right around time the men were getting ready to do chores in the barn pictured below.  I had to drive past the barn to get back to my house (where I wanted to hide in my bedroom forever!)  I tried to drive very quickly past the barn but my brother, always looking for a chance to get me in trouble, flagged me down.  Oh, the embarrassment when I had to explain to all my uncles, my brother, my dad and my grandfather what had happened when the police officer pulled me over!  My brother loved to tell that story for years to come.  My mother was NOT happy when she heard about this.

 I can remember when they decided to install the milking parlor into the barn.  This was a really big deal and I can remember the amount of work it took to make this change.  I can remember the first day they tried to milk the cows in the parlor.  The cows weren't sure what to do - and they had to take a step up to get into the parlor which was a totally new concept for them.  Now that I'm older, I see how big of a deal this change was for the men who ran the dairy farm.   

I'm not sure who this is - my brother maybe?  But I can remember doing this exact same thing many times in my grandfather's barn!

Found this picture of my brother....

Grandma had labeled it on the back:

I love this picture of my youngest cousins.  We spent a lot of time together running around my grandparent's backyard.

The gator!  My grandfather had a great routine of taking his gator for a ride every night after chores.  Many a time, you could see his dog, Molly, standing in the passenger seat.

This picture was taken a few years ago by a family member!

I love our talks we have now.

Some random memories I wanted to share with my grandfather....

I remember the time a kid came to your door to tell you that he had "crashed" into my your cornfield.  According to you, this kid had "a lot of holes in his head" and "hair down to his waist".  When you went up to check it out, you realized the kid had not crashed but instead taken a joyride through your cornfield before ultimately crashing into a stonewall.  I love hearing you tell this story.

 Another story you love to tell is the time I walked in through the kitchen door.  I called out, "Hello!  Anyone home?"  I continue to call out and walk around the house.  I rounded the corner and saw you standing at the front door looking outside.  I was really confused why you hadn't answered me.  I was in college then and thought you had gone deaf and nobody told me.  However, you turned and said, with a twinkle in your eye, "I heard you the first time!  What?  Did you think I had gone deaf?" 

  I mentioned in my grandmother's post how much I loved the Labor Day parties held at my grandparent's house.  Here are a few pictures I found!

I loved singing with the band!

And I loved hearing my dad sing with the band!

Here comes the pig!

My parents dancing...

  I mentioned how much I loved my grandparents' pool.  A few new pictures I found...

Me jumping in!

Grandma Carr

 I found a few pictures of my grandfather surprising us as Santa Claus!

 

  I have told the following story to many of my students over the years and I am sure will tell to the twins many time throughout their lives.  When I was going to Penn State I had a lot of homesickness.  Whenever I came home, even for the weekend, I would ALWAYS cry when I had to go back to school.  I drove past my grandparent's farm when I headed back to Penn State and one time my grandfather was crossing the road just as I was driving by.  I pulled over, and he could tell I had been crying.  When he asked what was wrong, I told him I was homesick and that college was hard.  He said to me, "If something is hard then it's worth working for."  He gave me a squeeze and sent me on my way.  He later told me whenever he took my mom back to college, she would cry as well.

  My grandparents were married for 68 years.  My grandfather talks a lot about my grandmother now and it usually makes me well up with tears.  To hear him talk about her, see him give a picture of her a kiss, it shows me how much love these two had for each other.  He admits maybe he worked too much during their life together but even as a child, I could see how much he loved her.

   I think my grandfather and I have a lot in common.  We're both stubborn, have a quick temper, love animals, enjoy making people laugh.....but the biggest thing we have in common now is how much we miss these two women pictured below.

 Thanks for the lessons, Grandpa, and the laughs, and the land where I had an amazing childhood and where my children love to visit and explore.

Here is a link to the interview I did with Grandpa.

My Interview with Frank Carr