Ah!
Love-at-first-sight! It---was…indeed! Such a precious bundle-gift for Family!
Jet-black
full head-of-hair, generous bright brown-eyes, a ruddy-complexion---Healthy!
Our
very first look at the new (1st & only, at that time)
grandchild! Wow! Perfect!
And---that…was
only the beginning of our blessed-delight. Such Great-adventures to come!
In
the following anthology through photos and prose plus occasional-rhyme we shall
endeavor to capture the universe-of-Love!
we experienced through the birth of our Zachariah Tyler on July 24, 1987,
forty-years after my own coming to this world. What a celebration! Z.!
For
some 16-years my shadow-buddy and I
enjoyed myriad adventures---all…exceptional!
Z.
Tyler traveled with his Nanny and Bapa around the St. Louis-region on into
Missouri and Illinois. And, we visited Tennessee (Bapa’s birthplace), the
southeast including Florida and the Bahamas, Colorado, Oregon, British
Columbia. Z.-man rode with me as “shotgun” through the Rocky Mountains up
Cheyenne, Wyoming-way one dark night. As the full moon rose over the summit to
the east, my co-pilot, age 2, seated in his safety-chair beside me in our big
ole Ryder rental-truck pointed to the bright orb and announced, “The-mun! The-mun!” We celebrated his birthday “on-the-road” that year as the
family trekked Northwest out ole Oregon-way. Yahoo!
By
age of nine-months, that boy could hold a plastic “base”-ball in his left hand,
drop it from head-high and hit it “mid-air” with his little red plastic bat
before it hit the ground; we played “pitch & catch” in our garage in Salem,
Oregon when he was just 2 ½ years old.
We got Z. a set of plastic golf clubs (which he very quickly out-grew); we took
him to the local driving range and taught the boy to hit golf balls---turns
out…he was a natural! Sure-enough!
That’s true!
When
he went to school (I cried---lost my “play”-mate). That’s okay---‘cause, I took
him out of school and the two of us went out and played golf for the afternoon
on many occasions. Fore!
Okay! I did “cheat”
on the score card when we played; just so Z.
Tyler would win!
But,
by the time he was 12---I didn’t cheat any more…I honestly could not beat him! Bravo!
He
played high school golf for the team; adults were “un”-invited to watch---Darn!
But,
he had the stories! Wow! On a 330-yard hole with a creek at the 300-mark, he
took out his “Big-Bertha” driver---the coach had a fit telling him to
“lay-up”…uhn-uhn! Z. drove the ball over
the hazard; it bounced onto the green and stopped about 8-feet from the hole! Birdie-time!
When
my “Shadow” turned 12, I had bought a lot (7 ¼-acres) and constructed two lakes
with plans to build a house for us to live in for a while and then sell. At the
time, I had a bright-red Ranger pick-up truck, 4-wheel drive. I let Z.-man
drive the truck on that property. Fun!
When
winter came, he invited his hockey-team buddies (with their dads) to join us on
the frozen lake for some Saturday-fun of ice-time, a bon-fire, hot dogs and
chocolate. Great-time!
We
lived in Oregon for a couple of years and traveled the Great Northwest---Adventure-fun!
From
the Northwest we trekked on down to Nashville where Z. Tyler’s mom completed
law school at Vanderbilt. Eventually, we returned to good ole Illinois.
Mr.
Z.-man got a tractor-ride one frigid evening when he was about a year old. I
had promised the boy a ride on my 60-hp White diesel; when the weather turned
freezing, we bundled him up and off we went. He sure enough enjoyed that
adventure---Bapa, too…I reckon that’s true!
Seems
the real-kid in this marvelous family-tribe
never did “grow-up!?---that would be…ole Bapa!
Transgression-confession!
The
incident of a “snowball” fight in Nanny’s new house, when our girls were
little, which resulted in a pop-gun barrel hole in Becky’s bedroom door should
have been a huge-hint to Bapa’s delinquency! Well! Perhaps! Hey! We were
just playing “cowboys & Indians!?
Adult!?
Well!
When Z. Tyler came along---Nanny’s-house continued to “suffer” the
adult-vacancy.
Seems
Z. Tyler broke a ceramic-butterfly while hitting golf balls…In the house!
Another
time: a fancy vase bit-the-dust! Z. told Nanny, “I was just watching!”
And---if
ole-Bapa had it all to do over again?...Yep! I’d surely do it all the very
same! Amen!
So
many great-times! Travel! Vacations! Swimming! Horse-back riding! Ice-hockey!
Soccer! Baseball! Softball! Fishing! Shooting! Hiking! Boat-rides! Rock-climbing!
Sight-seeing! Pool!
“A
star”!---at every-endeavor!...To be
sure! Wow!
In
one 30-day period, the boy traveled from Florida to Portland! He’s been to
Seattle and Canada. Z. Tyler had one great-childhood (I still am having one)
and grew to be quite a man!
It
has always been---and…still is a huge delight for us to get together. Love! Is wonderful!
Our
family has added a sister for Z. Tyler: Alexandria Elizabeth (16 years his
junior and quite the horse-enthusiast) and a husband for our Miss-Becky; they
have two precious equestrian-expert riders: Lauren Victoria and our “pistola”-Anna Marie! The girls display
talent in music, sports, art, painting, writing and all challenges they face. Each
of the four is a sacred-delight!
Each-Beautiful!
Intelligent! Sophisticated! Kind! Loving! These cherished children, along with Lovely-Lady Candice Leah (Nanny) and
Beth and Becky are the prized jewels in my metaphoric “golden”-crown. What a
fantastic-family! I have won the Lottery-of-life!
Amen!
So---in
this presentation…we celebrate: Life! &
Love! And---our…Z. Tyler’s
wedding-day!
On
October 13 (Z’s lucky-number), 2018---Z. T. will marry…Beautiful Jennifer
Jung! Yea!
Welcome!
Lovely-Miss Jen! To our little corner of the world.
In celebration
of our myriad blessings---
We offer this Love-echo!
Presentation…
Remembering the
“Great” past- and anticipating
future-times!
Congratulations! We love you
dearly!
Nanny
& Bapa
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