With Memorial Day coming upon us, there are many we can thank and remember. I would like to thank all of our Men and Women Soldiers stationed all over this world, that give of their lives. Protecting and serving, helping to keep the world a better and safer place. They don’t know me by name, but they are willing to give it all so that I can have peace and freedom. So Thank You for Serving!!
Grandpa Harry’s Rose
This time of year also takes me to back to years gone by. A time to look back and reflect about the loved ones that are not with us any longer and the legacy that they have left. Some things may seem small, like remembering the Grandma that always made the Cookie care package at Christmas. The other Grandmother that made the BEST Apple Pie and Potato Salad in the world. My Grandpa Harry, or Pop as I would call him, sitting in the morning on his knee, as he sat on the old blue kitchen stool. He would be drinking his morning coffee, before heading out to milk the cows.
My Dad drove a log truck for many, many years. I remember riding along with him early in the mornings, watching the sun come up over the dash-board, as we bumped along the logging roads. The smell of the fresh-cut timber, awwww….. as good as the smell of fresh mowed grass. Every time I smell the sap running in the warm Fir Trees, it brings back those fond memories of those wonderful days.
Growing up on the Oregon Coast, getting up early in the morning, heading to the beach to dig for Razor Clams. At that age, I didn’t do much digging, but I had the fun of running around on the beach, collecting whole sand dollars, drift wood and always on the lookout for the elusive Japanese Glass Float. To this day sitting and walking on the beach, brings a calm. It brings clarity and rejuvenate my soul.
Pop’s Rose Legacy
So many wonderful memories of the years gone by. I am very fortunate to have one living memory still with me to this day. It is what I call Grandpa Harry’s Rose. It is a Rose bush moved from their farm in Knappa, Oregon to their house in Portland. My mom had it after my grandfather passed away and now it lives at my house. I don’t know what her official name is, but oh what a beautiful site she is. Grandpa always said there was nothing more beautiful and perfect than the rose. Well she is blooming again…. Oh what a beauty. Grandpa Harry’s Memorial Rose is a legacy that I will continue to nourish, until it’s time to pass it on to the next generation.
~Oregon Smiles with Franny, On The Road Less Traveled.
Header picture by Tracie Louise Photography. Thank you for your beautiful work.
~Oregon Smiles ... 