A Brief Excursion Overseas

I was recently afforded a trip back to the homeland rather unexpectedly which was A Very Wonderful Thing. Granted the whole family is scheduled to return to those environs late next month, but this was just me. Last minute. Colorado bound. It was so nice to be back, but the reason for my visit was the unease of having a loved one in ill, but overall unknown health and not knowing what was wrong, how long you might have to visit or how bad any of it truly was.

The loved one in question is the handsome devil below, my grandfather Fred Elmer. He's currently 92 years old and before April was the picture of health for most of his adult life. He was driving into the mountains to ice fish alone. Last year. He took a fishing trip to Wisconsin the year before that. He is an avid fisherman, golfer and wood carver. He volunteered at the local reservoir until he was 90. He's definitely the patriarch of the family, and probably the most admired man I've ever known.

Handsome young chap. Maybe only 22 or 23 years old at this time (maybe younger) with a wife and young son (my Uncle Dennis) at home as he sailed to Europe to participate in WWII.

This isn't a eulogy. He's alive and well. And getting better. But he was not so well before I came and is taking some time getting back to his old self, which we all expect him to do. I don't know how it feels to have so many family members descend on you when you're in a state like that. Is it comforting knowing what a great family you have and how much they love you? Or are you thinking "Oh sh*t, I must be really sick."? For him (who wouldn't think a swear word anyway) it was the former. It was so nice for me just to be in his presence. He seemed glad to have a house full of people chatting and catching up. We gave him plenty of time for rest, don't worry.

I hate to say it, but it was really good. I've never before put into words how much he means to me and don't always think about him as much as I could or should. I let him know, in a letter, how much he really does mean to me and to his whole family and all of his many, many friends. We're going back in late June and it'll be nice to see him again. It'll be nice to not have to worry about him while he's sitting next to you. It'll be nice to tell him in person how much I love him.

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Now for the other part of the trip. It was really nice to experience America again after being away in a lovely, yet foreign country for a year. My cravings for the unobtainable foods had mostly subsided, but since I was there, I felt I owed it to myself and my wife to indulge. Straight from the airport in the rental car, I stopped at Wendy's for a Son of Baconator. Terrible name, so-so burger. But the fries! They were salted! And the drink had ICE in it! It was a revelation. The next day, we visited the average BBQ place down the street, although this time it was GOOD. It was amazingly good! It was the first pulled pork I had in over a year. So I had it the next day and the next until come three days later, all I wanted was some fresh fruit.

So after dropping my brother off at the airport, I stopped in at the grocery store and picked some up. And some Hebrew National hot dogs (they had Nathan's too, but I had a craving!). And some beer. American craft beer. Oh, delicious IPAs. Oh delicious porters. Oh, what's this? A variation on an already unique stout. I've had several oyster stouts before and I love them. They date back to a time when beer was safer to drink than water and if you could get some added nutrients from other foods, then even better! For the uninitiated, the beer does not contain actual oysters. They run the hot wort (pre-fermented beer) through a vat full of oysters to impart it with taste and nutrients. It generally picks up some minerally notes. Wynkoop outdid them all though with this concoction. I haven't tried them yet, but I will. I'm not afraid. And they only sell them in a pair. Classic.