I think even those of you in other countries will recognize the John Denver song that says, "Almost Heaven, West Virginia." Well, it's the truth. Jack and I were there last week to celebrate a certain birthday for my mom, and it was a great time with her and my dad. Jack's first word in the morning every morning was "DOODAH!!", which is what he calls Dad. Then he went to sleep every night with a concert of lullabyes from Nana. So it was an all-around win for him! Thanks to my dad's babysitting skills, and my mom's willingness to stop at Starbucks in the mornings, I was able to go to work with Mom and get nearly all of my transcribing done. We also got to visit with Mamaw and Pop and their fascinating (to Jack) cat. Last Sunday, we had a real Bird family shindig at Granny's house, with nearly all the aunts, uncles, grandkids and great-grandkids. It was wonderful. Jack had his first hayride, his first tractor-driving lesson, and his first four-wheeling session on this trip, too. So in celebration of the good times, here are some priceless photos.
My parents' house and "The Girls"
Fall Colors/Colours
Wearing the cap both my brother and I grew up wearing and a jacket from my parents. A true farm boy if ever there was one.
Being annoyed with me for taking too many pictures
(well, actually for not letting him down to help Doodah with tractor repairs).
Riding Doodah's Harley.
Yes, he's driving. Not very well, mind you. But he is driving.
With his cousin, Caden, explaining what happens when you pull the light cord. (By the way, this is a reincarnation of my brother Kevin and my cousin Nicholas, Caden's dad.)
On the real tractor. We had to pry his fingers off the steering wheel.
Swinging at Granny's with Nana and Doodah
You can see the barn (pre-fire) in the background, to the left.
Now, on to the "Except for the Fire" portion of today's broadcast...
On our last day home, someone got the bright idea to burn down two barns in the area. One of them happened to be our 150-year-old barn. It was a surreal experience to look out through the field and see flames 40 feet high eating away at something that had been standing since way before my Grandpa bought this place many years ago. Thankfully, my dad's hay was spared, which means he won't have to sell off the herd of cattle he's worked hard to build up over the years. Unfortunately, the barn is a total loss.
In this one you can also see our old hay wagon at the right side of the picture.
This is the metal from the roof. The house in the distance is my Granny's. You can also see the wires that run by for phone, electricity, cable and internet. Phone, cable and internet were down for hours after the fire because the flames melted the lower wires.
Not to leave you on a down note, here's a parting shot of Jack winking as he carries around his favorite toy of the trip: a children's shower adaptor.
Wonderful as it was, we were happy to get home and see that all-important person: Da! Now if we could just get the winter weather to hold off for another month...
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