Grandaddy at Blackwater, aka Big Dan

I spent today in the boat with Jasen, Juni, my dad and his wife Kim. I absolutely love the smell of the brown water.It's earthy, fishy and fresh, all at the same time. I love the wind in my hair. As a child, I'd perch in the bow and howl like a wolf into the air.
Today reminded me just how much I miss all of my grandparents that have passed. I think about each of them almost daily, but even more so on days like today. And so I decided to write a little something about each one. This is the first installment about my Grandaddy at Blackwater, as we called him. My Dad's Dad.
Grandaddy was called Big Dan for a reason. He was big in every way. Tall, fat, boisterous. A truly larger-than-life personality. The man had giant hands, like my Dad's, and gave the best bear hugs you
imagine. He would hug me so hard my shoes would lift off of the floor. And he had huge cheeks - jowls, really, that blushed when he laughed.
He had bright blue eyes and delicate silver hair. He used to love it when my sister and I would fiddle with his hair while he drove the car.
My Grandaddy loved his family, food, and life as a whole. I have the feeling he was a little wild in his youth - he was a moonshine runner, drinker, and rumor has it he once took a bullet to the belly.
He worked hard as a young adult, built a hugely successful business, and retired early. Grandaddy took risks. He bought property, played the stock market, dreamed of developing.

Here are some of my favorite memories:
Seeing Grandaddy squeeze himself into my freshman dorm room at Tech. He said it felt like a jail cell, and he started to sweat. "How can you stand it in here, girl? The walls are cinder blocks! And I can hardly turn around in this room. I need some air. Let's go get some dinner."
The way he looked when I graduated college. He wasn't hard to pick out of the crowd, not only because of his size, but because of the enormous smile on his face. I was the first in our family to ever graduate, and it meant the world to me that he made the trip.
Riding in the boat. I felt so safe and secure, even though he drove way too fast with motors way too big. We took Jasen out when we were first engaged. Jasen grabbed the console so tightly his knuckles turned white. "What's wrong whitcha, boy? Scared?" I'm pretty sure only the prop was in the water at that point.
My 13th birthday, when he let 25 newly-dubbed teenagers spend the night in his Shop (which is a house with commercial kitchen, Jacuzzi and pool table). He stepped on grapes the next morning on the floor, and found Elizbeth's very frozen bra in his freezer. "What the heck is this, girl? A band aid?"
His chitterling parties. Women, thank God, were not allowed. Jasen and his grandfather went to the last one he threw before he died, and burped pig guts for 3 days. Grandaddy loved to entertain so much that he put in a commercial kitchen in the shop. I loved t watch him cook. He had huge steamers, pots, knives. It was like being in a restaurant. And the more the merrier.
Being driven to high school in his Rolls. They never drove that car. But he drove me to school in it, and picked me up a few times. They also drove it to Tech once, and I'm pretty sure he just about had a heart attack when he saw the on-street parking.
Spending the night at his house, and having a weekend-long panic attack. I couldn't sleep, so he and Corky would take turns rubbing my head and back all night. When it was Granddaddy's shift I'd know it, because his giant fingers would beat against my head rather than scratch or rub. He also snored. Loud. Even during naps in his over sized La-Z-Boy, the man snored.
His stories. Just talking to this man made me happy. He was loud, with a unique accent, and had the best stories.
His hugs. The best ever, hands down. I could never get my arms around him, but I did manage to snap his red suspenders every time I saw him. He was a financially successful man, but wore a pair of blue overalls all the time, with tan shoes.
His diamond. He bought some crazy diamond - it's over 10 carats, I believe. He kept it in a safe along with some other jewelry that he'd take out and show me sometimes. I remember seeing all of his perfectly pressed clothes and thinking I'd never really seen him in any of them.
When he was sick in the hospital, and I told him I was engaged. "You've picked a good boy, girl. He's a boy that can take care of you." He then turned to Jasen, tears glistening in his eyes, and told him he loved him. I asked him if we could get married on the water at his house and have the rehearsal dinner in the Shop, and we spent the afternoon planning the food. I love that he got to see my house, and know I was going to be well taken care of. He knew Jasen would work hard and provide for our family. He passed away unexpectedly from a massive stroke 4 months before the wedding.
Holding his hand when the doctors turned off the machines. It was definitely a Steel Magnolia moment. All three of his granddaughters were by his side. I remember trying to imprint on my brain just how big his hands were, and how strong his body was. It was a moment I never want to relive, but am so grateful to have had.
Seeing his picture propped above Jasen's head in the gazebo where we were married. A hot tear rolled down my cheek.

I inherited many things from Grandaddy. His bunions. His blue eyes. His round head and pronounced cheeks (Juni is a spitting image sometimes). I even inherited his insatiable appetite and love for food. I love entertaining like he did, and family.

Anyone who met my Grandad never forgot him. You couldn't, really. He was just that cool. I'm sure there are countless other memories I have hidden somewhere in my little pea-brain, but to be honest, I'm getting a headache from controlling my tears. And my face is beginning to burn from the salt. I just hope he knows how much I love him, and how proud I am to be his granddaughter. Big Dan was definitely one of a kind.