Remembering Papa

 In the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about Bob’s dad, affectionately called “Papa” by his grandsons.  It started when Erik told us that he and his brother Paul, when playing a game of Boggle, started reminiscing about Papa.  I don’t know if it was a Boggle word or just brotherly companionship.  Whatever it was, they spoke about Papa’s sense of humor and jokes he used to tell with such amazing relish that even if you didn’t think the joke was funny, you laughed and laughed, enjoying his pleasure.  The joke they remembered was one about a Barefoot Boy with Cheeks of Tan (from some 19 century poem) becoming through the telling of the joke, a Boyfoot Bear with Teaks of Chan.  I can still hear Papa laughing in my head and it pleases me no end, our sons remember it too.  Walking yesterday on the Cal campus, where Papa taught and did research for the last 25 years of his career,  on one of our daily walks, I spotted a couple of bronze Cal bears lounging with their feet showing.  I took a photo as it reminded me of the Boyfoot Bear.....   So today, as I cut up the fresh pineapple I had, I decided in Papa’s honor to make his favorite cake, a Pineapple Upside Down cake.  As we ate it,  it was such pleasure to remember the lovely man Papa was.  He was so very smart and hardworking, but he also was gentle and loving.  He never said a bad thing about anyone.  He was always there to help whenever help was needed.  He so loved his grandsons and told stories about them to anyone who would listen with such amazing delight.  I will never forget the first time I met he and Edith on a visit Bob and I made to see them after a ski trip.  As we were leaving, Papa went over a cut the most beautiful long stemmed rose in his garden and gave it to me.  He was a romantic too.