Eulogy of an In-Law

We traveled to western Pennsylvania again this past weekend for the funeral of Amy's grandmother, Eleanor (nicknamed Jackie). It was a simple service that spoke volumes about the kind of woman she was. She lived almost all of her 87 years in a farm house on a tiny road directly across from the church that she attended. Her last few years were plagued by an encroaching dementia that eventually overtook her, but I had the opportunity to know her before the disease took her mind completely and I came to know her girlish giggle and acutely pleasant disposition. The family had also brought a number of old photographs to the viewings and although it was never apparent during the days that I knew her, the photographs revealed aspects of Jackie the tomboy in her early days, confidently posing for candids in her softball uniform, arms akimbo, firm square jaw, and a huge smile.

I first visited Jackie with Amy thirteen years ago and at that time there were few other houses nearby and the house on the corner of the nearest intersection doubled as a small grocery store in true form for rural living. These days, there are more houses around, modern constructions that reflect modern times, the store has long since closed and converted to being simply a home, but despite these changes the simple, agricultural roots of the area's past inhabitants continue to echo strongly. In many ways, those echoes of the past along with current residents create a singularly picturesque representation of rural living as long as one avoids any perenially prickly subjects of conversation.

This was the first time I had met many of the extended branches of the Beck/Bell/Weaver side of Amy's family tree. I will never pretend to possess the ability to unravel that tangled lineage, but it was good to finally be able to put some of the easier pieces into place. I had the opportunity to meet Jackie's sister Katie. Katie is 90 years old, the oldest and only surviving member of that group of siblings. I had always heard stories from Amy about visits to Katie's house but was never able to meet her due to her own declining health so I was thankful to finally put a face with the name. In many ways, most notably her benignly peevish attitude and that signature giggle, it was obvious that Katie and Jackie were sisters.

Jackie lived her life long and well. She will be missed by her family, including this in-law, and despite the pangs of sorrow, I think that every one of us can agree that she is better off without the pain and confusion of her final days. We are thankful that her more painful illnesses did not have a chance to drag her through her final days any longer than necessary. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to know her.

Attacking the Darkness

It appears I spoke too soon about that Dungeons and Dragons campaign. But before I get to the pending campaign, I have to explain how we got there. After a couple of weeks playing HeroClix, we've moved to playing the D&D Miniatures game, which is almost an exact replica of HeroClix except that each figure's statistics are stored on a card instead of on a dial in the base. After one session, I think I have a good deal of the basic rules learned, which is a major departure from HeroClix. Because of the easier flow of play, I think we've found our game (as Jordan has been wont to say).

So, because we're now playing a combat-focused version of D&D, our old interests in the pen and paper version of the game proper have rekindled. Before I even played the first miniatures session this past Wednesday, Jordan and I were already talking about trying out the role playing game.

I'm kind of excited to see how far we can take this. I don't think anyone wants to have any marathon sessions anytime soon because none of us have that kind of time. But, speaking for myself, I'm more excited about playing D&D again than any of the video games that I've been trying to play lately except for Brain Age which, if I actually owned the thing, would have me pretty hooked. Fortunately, that game gets to stay with my parents. Until I pick up my own DS of course.

The Road More Travelled

Amy and I were visiting our childhood home this past Labor Day Weekend for her brother's wedding ceremony. Despite a slightly rocky rehearsal, the ceremony went quite well. Mike and Pam are now enjoying the Caribbean sun from the deck of a ship most likely somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. Congratulations to the new couple!

While we were visiting, my mother recommeded that Amy and I take a walk on a newly paved bike trail that wound through the trees just behind some houses in my old neighborhood. As we walked the path, I was astounded by how closely it followed the motorcycle paths that had been so well travelled by my friends and I when we were kids. A good number of kids in my neighborhood, myself included, had small off-road motorcycles in the mid '80s that we would use to get around town. We would ride through fields and forested areas to avoid the roads, not to mention it was much more fun. Eventually, newly constructed homes eliminated our motorized access to the paths, but by then we had our drivers' licenses and had no need for the dirt bikes anymore. It was really fun to be able to walk the trails that I had driven countless times over 20 years ago and I had to laugh when I thought about how easy it must have been to find a good route for the bike path because a bunch of 12 year old kids had driven it bare such a long time ago.