My granddaughter called a couple days back to check on me.
I liked that.
Mostly, I’m glad to have a grandfather relationship with my son’s four children.
That son is the eldest, the youngest is a musician in LA and I’m certainly not going to press the matter with him.
Like I said, I’m grateful to have a granddaughter who cares about me.
She lives in Canyon – named for the nearby Palo Duro Canyon – and the home of West Texas A&M University.
I’d love to go out and see her, but it’s hard to arrange for a 10 hour-plus drive of 623 miles from Bay City to Canyon – either for her or for us.
I’ve been to nearby Amarillo a few times over my life.
Amarillo was once part of a Texas Press Association convention that included a trip to the canyon to see the Texas Outdoor Musical theater production.
I ask Bailey about life up there.
She’s been to the canyon by now – Bailey moved there about four years ago.
Her move on her own in her early 20s startled everyone in her family, including me.
I once myself moved to Odessa and lived alone for a while.
I thought Odessa was the end of the world – I moved there because the publisher of the Odessa American was my first editor.
Turns out Odessa was kind of the end of the world for me and it’s not quite as far as Canyon.
Then again, out there in West Texas 100 or 200 miles is just travel chump change.
But she likes it and she likes her life out there.
Trips to Amarillo are only 18 miles (20 minutes according to Bailey).
She’ll call with winter weather reports – often when the temperatures are at, or below, 0 degrees.
I’ll humorously tell her the winter chill in Bay City sometimes drops to the low 50s, or that a cold front was down to the low 40s.
In Canyon, that’s nothing.
Honestly, I respect her independence.
She and MaLinda are buds. Bailey liked how MaLinda almost got into a shoving match to claim the last yellow Transformers Bumblebee model car at Wal-Mart.
The retail struggle impressed my son and me who were watching as MaLinda grudgingly gave in to the shopper who seemed to want it way more than normal.
It was good talking to the far-off Bailey.
I never had a grandparent growing up – my folks were well into their 40s when I was born.
I’m grateful to be grandfather to four grandkids – three young adults and a 10-year-old.
