Family History

Yestday I went fishing with my dad (Stan) and father-in-law (Jack) at Lake Eufala, OK. We were after crappie and had a great day. The wind stayed low, the temperature was seasonably cool, the sun was out and the fish were biting. We hauled in somewhere between 60-75 slabs. It was neat to share that day with Stan and Jack since they are so important to me and they live so far apart...

Anyway, while we were out there my dad told a story I can't remember ever hearing about before. Its a sad tale, but true, and worth of keeping alive in our collective familial memory.

Late in his life, George Smith, my grandfather, apparently had Alzheimer's Disease. But it was the 1960's, and no one really knew what that was yet. So, Helen, his wife, became his caretaker. (Nothing unusual so far.) One day, in a state of dementia, George, who was a life-long hunter, got hold of one of his rifles and held Helen hostage in the house they shared on Main Street in Springfield, OR. He apparently couldn't remember who she was... He made threats to her life. The police were called in. Traffic was diverted off Main Street. A standoff ensued. Finally, Steve (Stan's older brother, my uncle), walked right up to George, grabbed the rifle and said something akin to, "Dad gimme that! What are you doing?" End of story, except to say that dad, a Vietnam vet, was thoroughly impressed with Steve's courage. (Steve couldn't go to Vietnam for health reasons.) As I said, sad. George loved Helen, but Alzheimer's, the most despicable disease on planet earth, doesn't care. Ultimately, as George's mind was taken from him, his identity stripped away, it made life for Helen miserable. To love someone and have to bear the burden of watching them lose control of their mind, and ultimately, their body, puts a strain on a relationship that is almost too much to fathom.

Niagara Falls

Mike and Audrey Fultz with the Smith fam.















Mandi @ Niagara Falls (American)















The view from our hotel room. Sweet!















Mandi and Jon at Niagara Falls.















Ready for The Maid of the Mist voyage!















Jon & Mandi at Niagara Falls (Horseshoe).

Yeah, it was a sweet trip. We got to help Audrey and Mike get hitched, (YAY!!!) and even managed to work in a quick trip to see Niagara Falls. By the way, the place is totally overrun by Indians. Seriously, even the restaurant of the Ramada Inn where we stayed smelled like curry, which isn't a bad thing, mind you, its just an interesting development. I didn't expect to see so many Indians there. Basically, we got there late at night, walked to the falls from our hotel, went to bed, did the Maid of the Mist, and headed for home.