Still reeling from jet lag after 7 weeks in London - Lulu and I could not resist a 1000 mile round trip drive to see Jack. Our grandson was already 2 months old and we had only seen him one time. So Lulu and I piled bikes - tent - surf board - beach chairs - towels and blankets into the van and off we went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The ride went well and in 8 hours we were there. Jack has grown so much. He holds up his head already a month ahead of schedule. Imagine - just 8 weeks old and having your first jet flight.
It is thrilling seeing Robin and Drew being such good parents. They have experienced all the wakeups for feeding and crying. Jack is a "swing baby" as grandmother Charlotte says. He loves to be moving. Beside swinging - and eating - he loves to get a bath. One of the funniest things - he loves the vibrations of "riding" a clothes washer. Must be a bit of "bus driver" in his heritage. He loves to move. It reminds me of my Mom - Lil - when she used to say, "There is gypsy blood in the Everharts."
One of the best things about the trip was seeing Jack with his great grandfather - Jack. When it came time to lobby for a name for the baby - I liked simple names - and I thought Jack was an excellent choice. Many are called Jack but most of them are really - John's.
Jack is 81 - and a real gentleman and sweetheart. He was the minister that married the other Jack's parents. He also has a gold medal from the 1948 London Olympics. He played on the USA Basketball Team. Could you think of a better name for your grandchild than that? Jack's other great grandfather - John Cox - was also called Jack.
One of the best parts of visiting South Carolina was listening to Jack tell stories about sports and his church. He and his still beautiful wife Charlotte - travel all over the world. Shortly - they are doing a 77 day cruise to - Alaska - Siberia - Japan - Vietnam - Thailand - Australia. Let's hope Jack inherits some of that longevity and style.
My favorite story of the weekend was a conversation between Lulu and Jack "the great grandfather." Lulu is still coming down from her whirlwind trip to London and Europe. She just gushes about how civilized London is. Our son Keith often chides her about "name dropping." Right on cue - Lulu started telling about her tour of Buckingham Palace. After her bubbly tirade - she asked Jack did he get to see Buckingham Palace during the 1948 Olympics in London. Like most of us senior citizens - Jack is forgetful about recent details - but he has a steel trap mind about "facts from the past."
Jack said that - yes - he was invited to Buckingham Palace during the Olympics. He met "Princess" Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. He also met the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother before that one. He went on and on about how pretty they were and how gracious they were. More details came raining back from this time capsule. He said both Elizabeth and Margaret had on very plain, simple cotton dresses - each with one glorious string of pearls. It was so much fun for just a moment seeing Lulu deal with some "real" solid historic travel details of the London that she had just skimmed. It was like Chevy Chase's dream sequence in "European Vacation."
After a beautiful sunny day on the beach and a wonderful time visiting more of our Jack's ancestors - our trip was coming to an end. The next day we had another 500 miles home. We did not want to leave. The steady rain that was forecast had already started as we loaded up for the ride. There were dire warnings of downpours and tornadoes all the way down the coast to Tallahassee. After lots of hugs and kisses - and the obligatory group photo - we hopped in the van - set the GPS - and headed south. A couple of times I felt a twitching in my hands to turn the wheel and head back for a few more minutes. Lulu would not have said a thing if I did a 180 and went back for just one more chance to hold Jack.
As we traveled south - the rain let up a bit. But in Georgia we saw a lot of felled trees on or near the highway. But by the time we reached Florida - the sun was shining again. The sky opened up and we "could see enough blue to make a grown man's shirt." Life was returning to normal - and we anticipated our next visit - maybe Thanksgiving - maybe Christmas.
One of the biggest problems with being a trailing spouse is being so far from old friends and family. Three days and 1000 miles of driving - it was all worth it. 40 gallons at $4.00 a gallon - a bargain. Don't even start in about "energy credits."
More pictures of Jack - http://gallery.mac.com/dreweverhart
Picture -
Front - left to right -
Great Grandfather Jack
Mother Robin and Baby Jack
Cousin Rebecca and Cousin Baby Will
Great Grandmother Charlotte
Back - left to right
Father Drew
Uncle Jay
Grandmother Charlotte
Grandpa Harry
Uncle Travis
Grandma Lulu
Great Uncle Henry
Great Aunt Frances
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