Gramps

For months Brentonio has been trying to make/take/plan a time to visit his Grandpa Rich down in Provo. Time flies. It's so hard to have a whole free day to do whatever and visit whomever we want. Sunday was the day. It was a perfect day to spend time with our Owen Rich. I'm positive he was happy to have us.

I've never actually really gotten to know Owen. I've just heard the main stories and the basic bios about him. So when we do get to spend time with him it's usually a big family thing, we give some hugs and the sqaweeze by so the next person can give a hug...so no one on one.

Brent has always told me his Grandpa helped establish KBYU and was a very distinguished professor at BYU, but that's all I really knew. As we pulled into his driveway and walked through the carport I noticed KBYU was playing quietly, Owen later explained to us that he has it play 24 hours at his house. That's a true blue (byu blue) follower. Owen was rather excited to have visitors on his sunday afternoon!

Sitting in his living room, that looks over Provo valley to Utah lake, we chatted about several things. Some being of the past and some more recent adventures. Owen was ecstatic to hear that I come from a family that hunts. Not very many of his grandkids like to hunt and he loved it back when he was a bit more mobile. Brent's never been. He's shot guns before, just not an animal. So maybe this next deer hunt we can get Grandpa Rich to think Brent's even cooler than he is.

The more we talked the more I learned how fascinating Owen is, and what an incredible life he has led. He has such a sharp memory! He tried to tell us that his mind is slipping but then like 2 seconds later he was telling us his memory of the first time he ever heard a radio when he was 6 years old. He's 88. I don't even remember stuff like that....well I do remember our first computer but not in detail like he told us. Listening to him talk just blew my mind away, it was just a year ago I was taking care of my Grammy, who eventually didn't even know her own last name. It's soo different, good different.

That sunday afternoon I also learned that Owen didn't just help establish KBYU, he's the one who created it. Check out a short bio on him here. He's an amazing man. A man who also loves to garden and eat rhubarb.

Before Brentonio and I got married he had an immaculate garden with everything from blackberries to rhubarb to corn. He can no longer tend to the garden because of his knees, so a neighbor of his does the work and he gets the food. Sounds like a not-to-shabby deal to me!

While we were there Brentonio's mom had made a request for rhubarb from the garden. So, Brentonio slipped on the rubber boots and they tromped across the yard. Owen and I enjoyed ourselves watching Brentonio do the work. This seems to be a reoccurring theme...
I made the mistake of blurting out that I had never tried rhubarb before (except for that bite I took out of Brentonio's piece of pie). I'm talking about raw rhubarb that isn't smothered in sugar and delicious goo. Owen was tickled pink with the idea of giving me a piece of raw rhubarb. He said "oh it's so sour! you must try it". Try it I did. Like it, I did not.

Owen Rich is stand up guy and I'm delighted to be part of his family.

You guys, I'm just over the moon that I get to know what Brentonio is going to look like 65 years from now. Not bad, not bad at all. As long as he gets to keep his hair too, we'll be alright.