Monday Meander - June 19, 2023

I'm meandering through the fields of family memories today, specifically memories of my grandfather. He was born in Lincoln, England on this day in 1885.

I adored him and now realize how so very privileged I was to have in my life until I was 29. So many memories of  Gramps have been flooding in today that writing this blogpost has taken hours to finish.  I  want to savour each rich moment. 

I stop to recall:

• the feel his hand holding mine as we sat in church Sunday by Sunday,
• the aroma of the House of Lords cigar he lit up after Sunday luncheon,
• watching that same cigar bobbing intriguingly between his lips and the growing length of ash,
• the metal lathe and steam engines he made with it,
• his voice telling the tales of his life as apprentice stationary engineer sailing the cargo vessels between Liverpool and Antwerp (his supervisor was a Mr. Kirkcaldy and he was a man to be feared!)

Training done, Gramps served as Engineer 4th class with the American Transport Line on passenger/cargo ships plying the Atlantic, London to NYC. He met Gram in New York, they married in 1911 and settled in Toronto where he became the chief engineer for the thriving city. He was 68 when I was born.

1961 - Gram and Gramps cheer on Dad and I poolside

1975 at my wedding

But my most treasured memory of Gramps dates to 1978. Norbert and I had bought land early in the year and having cleared the land, were building our house. Gramps wanted frequent updates on our progress and once the framing was up, he and my dad came up for an in-person inspection. We toured the foundations outside and inside, Gramps nodding and murmuring support. When we came the wooden extension ladder, the one with bits of black electrical tape mending a few of the rungs, we stopped to talk about what was happening above us. I figured the tour was over, I mean at 93 years, I wasn't expecting Gramps to climb that wooden ladder. 

To this day I can hear him say, 

"Well, are we just going to stand around here all day and gawk, or get up the ladder?"

This was one of the proudest moments of my life to stand alongside my beloved grandfather in my house, such as it was with plywood subfloor and 2 x 4 framing studs revealing roughed in plumbing and electrical at knee level. He inspected it all, approved of it all. I loved it all. 

Descending the ladder was more of a challenge than climbing it, but he did it. Still holding the ladder rails, but standing back on the cement foundation floor, Gramps looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes and said,

"Don't tell mother (meaning gram) about this!" 

And I never did. Thanks Gramps. Happy Birthday.

©2023 April Hoeller