He's got about a 10 minute limit on conversation memory so I've got to remember not to expect him to remember any running jokes I may think I have going with him. Not that it happened that Friday or anything...
And, when I wanted to get out the legos that we used to play with together as kids, I didn't know if he could manage it or if he was past being able to play with them like he is past taking pictures and using the computer.
But, he did great. Especially, once he got past the fact that we didn't have enough black blocks to make his entire house. After that, he was a building fool - calculating the size and number of blocks he would need at the end of the row to finish.
I was quite impressed.
But, when he was done, he was done. So, we (I) took pictures of our creations. The above two pictures are my Dad's house.
This is mine. I got two rows into building before I realized that my job was to find blocks for my Dad. Which was exactly what I did when Justin was a little boy and we played with his legos or put together his lego kits. It kept the boys playing longer - which was my point then and my point on Friday.
And, our mess before cleaning up.
{which also includes our houses again}
After playing, we went and walked around the mall. On the way to the mall, Dad asked if we could go see the old house. Mom had told me once that Dad asks every week to go see the old house. Of course, he doesn't remember that, so Mom drives him by the old house a lot.
I completely agree with Mom's philosophy, so we drop by the old house, which looks the same as the last time I dropped by.
But, I make Dad get out and try to take his picture in front of the house, when the unexpected happens...
The owner comes out.
{Photo op interrupted}
{I don't even know when this picture was taken!}
I introduce myself right away because I'm thinking he must think 'who are those crazy people taking pictures of our house?'.
And, for some reason, he recognizes my name!
I tell him that I grew up in this house. And not even I could have guessed what would come next...
He offers to show us the house!
{so excited!}
I cannot express how much that meant to me, and I'm sure Dad {who I'm sure has already forgotten} who told me all the way home to make sure I told Mom all about it - because all the way home I kept saying I couldn't believe that we got to see the inside of the house.
It was really neat to see how it had been updated and taken care of. The house had been sold to an architect who was the brother of the current owner. The house needed the tender loving care of the architect and, boy, it was just so wonderful to see that it had been taken care just as we had all hoped it would be.
The current owner was so generous about opening up his home, especially since he had no idea that we were coming. I know our home isn't clean enough on a daily basis for the previous owners to drop by.
The one thing that I did get to tell him about the house that really threw him for a loop was that in the back yard there were two tall pine trees. They started out as live Christmas trees that you can plant after Christmas instead of just throwing them away. They were so tall. He just couldn't get over that.
I didn't take any pictures inside or out back, except for the slab of cement in the back yard that we had apparently made for reasons I can't remember now but we all signed our names in the four corners. This was why he recognized my name in the beginning. He had found the slab and placed it by the gate in the backyard.
Even now, I'm still amazed that after all this time I got a tour. There are no words to express how grateful I am.
I just wish I could remember his name so I could write a thank you note.
And, I'm sure the next time I'm with Dad he'll ask if we can drive by the old house.
We'll probably just do a drive by.
{Don't want to overwhelm them.}
Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love,
the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
~From the television show The Wonder Years
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