What a blast visiting the Boston College campus and watching an Eagles hockey game at Conte Forum. In a year of masks, confusion and solitary confinement, it sure felt great.

I’m a lucky Grand Dude.

I had a blast on the frozen slopes with you today @ Gunstock Ski Area.  You’re  a great skier and an even better companion.  I hadn’t been skiing in something like five years, so today’s outing was a special treat…  I even bought new skis, boots, helmet and jacket for the occasion!

Conditions were good, a decent amount of fresh, loose powder which is often a rarity in northern New England.  Busy, lots of people, but ski areas are amazingly different now because of the pandemic.  With the exception of one socially distanced selfie (thx Camden), we ( and everyone else) wore masks all day long. When people didn’t, they heard about it fast from no bullshit Gunstock staffers.

Tickets are RFID credit cards, read through new technology gates that sense the chips. Visiting the lodge? Forget about it. Your car is your lodge, and that’s where we ate the lunch we brought. Bathrooms are outdoor port-a-potties. A quad chairlift often has one or two people; you have to be with people you know, in your pod.

Despite all the changes, it’s awesome being outside, shushing down the slopes, enjoying your special company & warm sunshine.  It was 45 degrees out there!

As is always the case when you and I team up for a special day, I thoroughly enjoyed our wide ranging conversations on the way up and way back and also observing how much you’ve improved as a skier. It was an awesome day – can’t wait to do it again.

Hey Camden & Madigan! 

“Memorable” is the word that comes to mind when I think about your Freshman 2020-2021 hockey season. That’s because it was right smack dab in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Attendance was restricted at games – I only saw you in person one time; Grammy never did. The photo tells the tale: players – and anyone in attendance – had to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. I have no idea how you guys could even suck in enough air to skate your shifts. LiveBarn was a two-edge sword: good because we got to see you play; bad because reception was generally horrible with cameras at different venues placed in awkward positions that often made it impossible to even spot #8, let along see a puck reach the net. Oh well, onward and upward! Proud of how you handled yourself Cam, you overcame adversity and learned valuable lessons. We’ll all be so happy when the world returns to “normal.”

With a global pandemic (aka COVID-19) sweeping the globe in 2020 and 2021, your Freshman year of ORHS hockey was anything but normal.

Grammy and I watched you play in person for an entire season (I saw you one time in person, see photo below), relying instead on the very unreliable LiveBarn service to see you in action. While a lot better than nothing, reception was uniformly sketchy and ice length visibility sometimes nil. The first time your Mom watched you play remotely (us too) we all thought your team had white uniforms, watching the entire game believing this was true. Later on, we all found out you were the other team. Doh!

As the photo attests, you and your teammates played games with Covid masks on; no idea how you could get enough air skating up and down the rink.

Proud how you gave it your all Cam. Next season (your Sophomore year) will hopefully be a lot better, with fans back in person vs. glued to mobile screens.

One of the highlights of a busy, fun day was watching you open your “big” present.  I’m sure you were NOT wondering “I wonder what’s in this long, green, mysterious box?” There was no hesitation or doubt on as you quickly tore the paper to reveal a new custom hockey stick for the 2020-2021 season.

May you score many goals and get many assists!

Merry Christmas and lots of love to our favorite hockey star.

What a great day together. Love you!

In November 2011 I started writing stories and publishing photos about my seven grandchildren.

Blogs about you.

I’ve written hundreds of them over the past decade.  Every month, every year, for 10 years. At an average of three blogs per month per grandchild x 12 months x 7 grandchildren x 10 years, this brings the approximate total to over 2,500 blogs – if I did my math correctly (always suspect!).

It’s become one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done.

There are so many special moments – from ordinary to life changing – I’ve been able to capture and share.  You’ll be able to look back and read the stories of who you were, what you did, the funny or amazing things you said and how you transformed from a little kid to an adult. It’s my legacy gift to you.

When I wrote your very first blog, 10 years ago, here’s what I said:

I created this blog for you to capture the stories of your life, the ones that express your spirit and feed my Papa soul.  It will be a fun ride we take together.  You’ll always be a special part of me and I will always love you very much.

What a blessing having you in my life.  The moments we’ve shared together will be with me always, even when I’m no longer here. Believe this. You mean everything to me.  Love you to Pluto and back. I’m the luckiest Papa in the world.

Welcome Joe Biden and Kamala Harris!   This is a wonderful, sunshine moment in a devastating year.

America voted Tuesday, Nov. 3 and on Saturday, Nov. 7 it was determined the evil forces have lost their job. Thank goodness for goodness.  We can’t imagine how much further back America would have fallen if the people hadn’t reversed the evil tide of the past four years.

I want to share a little story about politics and the importance of paying attention.

When your Mom (Clickman grandkids) and Dad (Beaupre grandkids) were growing up, Grammy and I often discussed politics at the dinner table – and honestly, at any time of day whenever important topics came up.  We never shied away from sharing our frustrations or hopes for the following reasons:

1. We wanted our kids (Tim and Nicole) to understand the world around them and why politics do matter in the everyday lives of every American.  People are impacted (sometimes positively, sometimes negatively) by decisions made (or not made) by elected officials.  Sadly, many politicians are only in it for themselves, to become wealthy and gain more power.  Who suffers?  All but the greedy and wealthy, including Planet Earth.
2. Grammy and I lived through the 1960’s and 1970’s, two of the most volatile and historic decades in U.S. history.  I was 10 when John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; Grammy was eight.  I was 15, Grammy 13, when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated in 1968.  The War in Vietnam was at its peak in the late 60’s and early 1970’s.  Every newspaper, radio and TV news program featured the Vietnam war on a daily basis – innocent people were bombed and killed, we saw them shot and gassed on the evening news.  A distant Asian nation (Vietnam) was devastated for no reason other then U.S. corporate and government greed.
3. We saw and read stories about innocent college students shot down in cold blood on the campus of Kent State by National Guard soldiers. We watched American city streets on fire and political protests by disenfranchised minorities. 
4. In the summer of 1971, after graduating from high school, and before going to college, I worked in the local office (Somersworth) of Senator George McGovern. He ultimately became the Democratic nominee against Richard Nixon when Nixon successfully ran for his second term of office in 1972.  Grammy and I lived through the Nixon years (the worst president in our lifetime until Donald Trump) who was impeached in 1974 and flown out of Washington, D.C. on a helicopter.  We saw what happened when the wrong people were elected. We paid attention when women mobilized to gain respect and equal rights and students protested inequities and injustice.  We were angered and frustrated when corporate interests and many greedy Republicans (they’re not all like this) took over the White House for 13 years.
5. We wanted our children to be on the right side, the side that helps make American lives better, not worse (in an authentic, profound way, not with false claims and hidden racist meanings like “Make America Better”).  Politics can be a force for tremendous good, or near consuming evil.

Grammy and I are proud of your parents – they both absorbed those conversations around the dinner table.  They paid attention.  The seeds we had planted blossomed. Today (and for many years) they’ve understood the importance of staying informed and supporting elected officials who give a damn and work to make lives better.

We’ve continued our tradition of discussing politics together, especially over the past four years.  We all know friends and relatives who haven’t been able to express their opinions and discuss politics in the same room – or sadly, the same family – because of the extreme, bipolar, sometimes cruel and uncaring opinions some people have embraced since 2016.

Since the orange narcissist man was elected, the nation and world witnessed the damaging effects of a corrupt, racist, uncaring, negative, money-focused individual (he’s never been Our President; we never used those words). Our country has been isolated and torn apart; the entire world noticed and suffered the consequences. That’s why I worked with Dover Democrats this Fall to help get out the vote at a local level for this year’s Presidential Election and make sure any rejected absentee votes were fixed and counted.

Despite our mutual frustrations and high levels of stress as the Election neared, Grammy and I enjoyed every second of the many active conversations we’ve had with your parents about Trump and his crooked cronies. The biggest highlight?  Witnessing a new generation, our grandchildren – YOU –  espouse, embrace and support the good side of politics that’s working hard to make the world a better place. You’ve been listening and paying attention!

Remember this election grandchildren!  

Continue to pay attention!  Never blindly accept anything. Beware of Machiavellian despots and tyrants (look up the words).  Read, listen, debate and stay informed.  Do your own research and form your own opinions. Get involved and don’t be afraid to respectfully express your views (humor helps).  Be a mentor and guide to your own loved ones as the years go by and plant new seeds that blossom for the new generation that come into your lives.

We’re so proud of you!