Visiting Gramma Gloy

Our kids had never been to Aberdeen to visit Great Gramma Gloy's house until this year. We spent an afternoon with her during our trip. There is no place in the world like her house. The rooms are decorated with countless trophies from Grandpa's many hunting expeditions in Africa. I thought the kids would be more intimidated by the stuffed leopard or massive horned beasts than they were. I remember being a bit uneasy about it all as a small child.







Equally fascinating is the children's playhouse in the back yard, which was built at the same time as the main house from the same materials. It is the perfect size for kids to have fun for hours. At first Scott didn't see how the house could be interesting for a boy like him. However, 30 minutes later it was nearly impossible to drag him out of there to go eat lunch.









Lunch at Grammas? Does it get any better than that? The jam and rolls were to die for. Gramma talked to us a bit about the history of the town, and how she has lived there pretty much since the beginning. She said she has probably lived there longer than anyone else. She once was Justice of the Peace. Grandpa Cliff was a long-serving Mayor in town. She taught at the high school forever. She IS the town of Aberdeen, as far as I am concerned.



The kids loved playing in the basement with all the indestructible die-cast metal toys that were there when my dad was a boy. The name "Marc" is still etched in the metal beam above their heads -- a lasting reminder that boys will be boys.



Afterwards, we visited the Aberdeen Cemetery to see Great Grandpa Cliff's grave. The kids had never really been to a cemetery before, so it was a learning experience for them. In order to keep them occupied while we talked with Gramma, I let them each have a camera. The headstones in that section of the cemetery are now very well documented.

My photos







Scott's photos





Katie's photos





Before leaving town we made a stop at Wallace Drug, which was owned by my great uncle Frank. Uncle Frank wasn't at the counter (he retired in 1995), and the arrangement inside is a bit different than I remember, but they gave us a great deal on our ice cream, which is exactly the sort of thing I remember about the place.



It was a magical afternoon in Aberdeen. We need to come back soon. We love you Gramma!