A Grandpa Interlude

While we are on the road, I would be remiss in not mentioning the many stories we have heard from Grandpa, as well as all of the valuable items he has picked up along the way.

Items:

• a black zip tie
• a washer
• a bolt
• something that looks like a large white hair band with a bead on it (he says it is a tarp tie)
• 1/4" socket drive
• hex drill fitting

I might add that none of these items were picked up off of the side of the highway, but rather they were found at various places we stopped.  My dad regularly stopped his car on the side of the highway and made my brother and I hop out to pick up an old bungee cord.

Our favorite Grandpa stories:

• The Secret Pooper:  My uncle was on an aircraft carrier in the Vietnam war.  Someone would wait until your boots or your pillowcase were left unattended and then poop in said items.  The unsuspecting owner would slip his feet in his boots or snuggle up to his pillow and have an unwelcome surprise.
• Survival Training:  While in the Air Force, Grandpa and his crew mates had to endure a little more than 2 days in a 18" wide by 28" deep by 24" tall box to simulate being in a prisoner of war camp.  One person cried and they released him from the box.  A smaller airman was able to maneuver around in his box and drop his trousers so when they opened the box, all they saw was "his big bottom."  He got extra points for that.  Grandpa saw cheat grass on the floor, but hallucinated that it was maggots on the ground.  
• Grandpa told me all about learning to fly when he was 17 and how he flew from Bellevue to Wenatchee and back with his brother.  I also heard about how he and my mom travelled to Texas for pilot training.

If you know my Dad, the stories are endless and entertaining.