Alex found these baby spoons and forks when we were going through stuff in the basement on New Year's Day. They were mixed in with the adult silverware and chopsticks of different colors and intricate designs that his dad collected, presumably from Japan. His dad, Randy, flew hot air balloons, among various other hobbies that one might consider eccentric. He was an eccentric man. He traveled a lot when Alex was young and competed in hot air balloon competitions all over the world. He visited Japan several times and would tell stories of his wild adventures overseas when we were all together.
A lot of Alex's childhood memories have to do with hot air balloons or photography. His parent owned Taylor Photo back in the day with stores in Findlay and Toledo, OH. Randy had the first ever 'special shape' hot air balloon. It was in the shape of a Kodak film canister (back when people actually used film and went to photo printing stores to print out their pictures).
In high school Alex drove the chase vehicle for a lot of Randy's flights. I rode with him once, racing down country roads, having no idea exactly where we would end up. We took off from my house once, right in the front yard. The length of the balloon stretched the whole length of the yard. Neighbors took pictures as we sailed away over the houses and out into the open country. It was a perfect day, a beautiful memory.
When Alex pulled these baby utensils out of the box I studied his face very carefully. I could see years of memories flash through his mind at the site of them. He smiled. He said, "I remember these. Let's keep them. One set for each of the girls when they are old enough to use them."
Randy passed away several years ago. He will never meet his grandchildren and that makes me incredibly sad. He would have been an awesome grandparent. He would have made them laugh and told them stories and taken them on adventures. I am glad we have some pieces of him to share with the girls. Maybe when they are older we will go on a hot air balloon ride and tell them that their grandpa used to fly all over the world. The world looks different from the height of an air balloon. It looks calm. You feel weightless. I want them to feel that too.
A lot of Alex's childhood memories have to do with hot air balloons or photography. His parent owned Taylor Photo back in the day with stores in Findlay and Toledo, OH. Randy had the first ever 'special shape' hot air balloon. It was in the shape of a Kodak film canister (back when people actually used film and went to photo printing stores to print out their pictures).
In high school Alex drove the chase vehicle for a lot of Randy's flights. I rode with him once, racing down country roads, having no idea exactly where we would end up. We took off from my house once, right in the front yard. The length of the balloon stretched the whole length of the yard. Neighbors took pictures as we sailed away over the houses and out into the open country. It was a perfect day, a beautiful memory.
When Alex pulled these baby utensils out of the box I studied his face very carefully. I could see years of memories flash through his mind at the site of them. He smiled. He said, "I remember these. Let's keep them. One set for each of the girls when they are old enough to use them."
Randy passed away several years ago. He will never meet his grandchildren and that makes me incredibly sad. He would have been an awesome grandparent. He would have made them laugh and told them stories and taken them on adventures. I am glad we have some pieces of him to share with the girls. Maybe when they are older we will go on a hot air balloon ride and tell them that their grandpa used to fly all over the world. The world looks different from the height of an air balloon. It looks calm. You feel weightless. I want them to feel that too.
Wonderful and wistful
ReplyDelete❤️ what great memories those will be to make with your girls
ReplyDelete