I was rooting around on one of my memory sticks and found a scan I had made several years ago. The scan was of two pictures (side by side) of my Grandpa and I and a shot of Taters. Before I show it to you and let you decide if you think there is some family resemblance, I want to make some proper introductions.

My Grandpa Darrel was a cool dude. I was just a little over three years old when he passed away from cancer, but I do remember him vividly. Sitting on his lap while he mowed the orchard, sharing his cherry flavored cough drops (when I wasn't even sick which really torked my Grandma off), hanging out with him on the old rickety porch while he drank his coffee and I sipped my juice - great memories.

For you Humboldt locals, I remember he and my Grandma taking me to the old Eureka Mall to look at the "fishies" in the walkway. Do you know what I'm talking about? Before Winco and during the time of Sears and Newberry's, it was a really neat place to walk around in - especially with your favorite Grandpa.

I recall some of the sad times, when he was confined to a hospital bed in the livingroom, suffering from the evilness of cancer. We all offered him love and support as he passed on - almost as if we were giving him permission to go. I was there when he died and his viewing and funeral were the first dealings with grief and death I had ever had. Thankfully, his passing was explained to me as a positive thing rather than a tragedy; he was truly suffering and the idea he was finally at peace was a consoling factor - even for a little kid. Cancer is evil and chemotherapy (at least in those days) was just as bad.

It will be 30 years this March since he passed but the memories are still there. I'm truly fortunate that my kids have two awesome grandpas to make memories with and they've been working hard on doing just that.

Here's the picture. Can you guess who's who?

And here's my dad (Grandpa Darrel was his dad) and my little bro, Uncle R: