Challenger

I recently asked my Dad what I was like as a kid, and he said I was inquisitive. I suppose I can see that because I've been asking a lot of questions lately. I asked my Dad about my Grandpa after looking at some family photos since I don't know a lot about him.

My Grandpa had a stroke when I was a baby and that was a bit less than 30 years ago. I remember fairly little about him since he lived Missouri and we lived in Washington and most of our visits where when I was quite young. My memories consist of being a bit shy and uncertain, riding in a basket on Grandpa's motorized bike, and watching him playing backgammon with my Dad. (I guess he liked to bend the rules in backgammon.)

After his stroke, my Grandpa couldn't speak, but he could understand who you were and what you were saying. About four years after the stroke, my Grandma was at a friend's house for a visit - Dad said she was playing bridge - and the friend got a call from someone. Her friend realized eventually that it was my Grandpa Paul calling, and since they could tell from the sounds he was making that he was upset, my Grandma went home to check in on him. Grandpa showed her on TV that the Space Shuttle Challenger had broken apart, and that was why he had called.

After my Grandma helped my Grandpa calm down, she headed back to her friend's house. It wasn't until she was partway there that she realized that my Grandpa still knew how to use the phone. I'm glad I asked more about my Grandpa because I didn't know that story.