Pop-Pop Makes a Stop

Karri's dad (aka Pop-Pop) arrived safe-and-sound this afternoon.  He got to join Karri while picking up Matthew and Victoria from school and then Thomas from football practice.  While waiting for Thomas to be done, Karri gave him a quick tour of Seattle Prep.  Sounds like he was impressed.

We've had a great evening.  Victoria wanted to play a game, so we settled on Tripoli - a fun card/board game that combines poker, rummy and hearts.  Pop-Pop had never played before, but that didn't stop him from winning the first hand and jumping out to a big lead in chips (look at that pile)!

We took a break to enjoy a delicious salmon dinner with broccoli, rice and a Caesar salad. Yum.  But the highlight was sharing stories about Pop-Pop's grandpa who worked on a WPA project at the base of the Grand Canyon during the Great Depression - helping build Phantom Ranch.

(A picture of a picture - that's the crew that built Phantom Ranch.  Pretty awesome.)

It was one of those magical moments where US history intersected with family history (and horses... the root of all the best Hendrix/Gillette family stories!). Thomas did a great job sharing what he's learned about the Depression, FDR and the New Deal.  Pop-Pop and Karri tied in the family connection.  And Pop-Pop added a great personal touch with the story of taking his loyal and worthy horse, Clyde, to the base of the Canyon.

I think we need to plan a family trip to Phantom Ranch!