Bit the Bullet

I just bit the bullet, my friends, and booked my FIRST CLASS ticket to Europe;)  The way things are going I just may, in fact, actually bite bullets as the first stop is Brussels.  After departing Belgium it's off to Amsterdam where I will INSIST on taking a side trip to visit grandpa's tomb in Nieuwe Kerk, Delft.  The most stressful part of the trip will be fireworks in Paris on Bastille Day.  After that I think I will relax and the river cruise from Paris to Normandy will be oh-so-mellow.

Anyway, I'm on my way to see you grandpa.  We will have a nice long, silent chat as I feel the need to tell you directly what an asshole you were (oh yes, the family still has stories that are not found in history books).  Yes, you were a complete asshole on some fronts.  However, you left a legacy that still holds your fighting spirit.  I still love ya anyway despite your shortcomings.

A couple images of gramps.  It is really eerie how my father looks just like him.  One would have thought that the mixing of DNA over the generations would have mutated such a striking resemblance.  I love the one where he's giving the finger LOL.  The apple did not fall too far from the tree.