Pop's Place

Yellow Creek

J.C. Yates — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:23:01 +0000

Outside of Dickson Tennessee is where my grand parents lived (on the Yates side) until they died. Close to them was Yellow Creek, which holds a lot of history for me. It is where I first learned to swim (dog paddle, really). We used the “throw them in the deep water” method. Also learned that moss on rocks is very slick (after I and lots of others fell down a few times). Learned that spring-fed creeks are very cold, even when it is hot outside. Learned to skip rocks, build little rock dams, irritate crawfish, avoid snakes, and spash my cousins. It was always a treat to get to go there when we were in the country…

Father’s Day

J.C. Yates — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:17:14 +0000

Father’s day is a tough day for me. Not as much for the usual reason of missing your Dad, which I do. But more for the regret I feel for not having been a better Dad. I was too self-centered, too caught up in my own needs to understand the joy and obligation and gift that fatherhood is…or should be. So I spent years and years doing the “every other weekend and events” thing, instead of being there in the morning when they got up, helping with homework when it was confusing, and watching TV on Tuesday nights, for no good reason. So Dads, be there. Build the bonds. Know your kids. Be involved in their day-to-day lives. You can’t go back and catch up later…

Email

J.C. Yates — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:41:51 +0000

I have to admit I am not the techy guy I ought to be. Considering my profession, I should love gadgets and blogs and web sites. But I think machines can smell fear on me (whether it is a power tool or a cell phone). Just not comfortable with them. And I feel their disdain…
But it is so, so terrific to be able to communicate with so many in my family over this ‘net thing. I have gotten onto Facebook (limping along, but trying). I have a MySpace page, but haven’t updated it in forever. I am conversant with email, and have the joy of getting to chat with Madisan and Braden once in a while. It is also sobering to realize my grand kids are ‘working’ with computers. Man, I am old.

Mt. LeConte

J.C. Yates — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:47:55 +0000

Nana/Becky and I climbed to the top of Mt. Leconte the first of the month. It is about 5 1/2 miles to the lodge in which we stayed. No way to get there except to hike. No electricity, no running water. Great little cabins and porches, rocking chairs, views. The staff cooks supper and breakfast, and have coffee and hot chocolate available most of the time. We were there with lots of fun people, all who were glad to be there…

The best thing about the hike is the joy and accomplishment I saw on Becky’s face when we reached the top. It was a tough, strenuous hike. Slippery, steep, rocks, cables to hang onto in spots. And it took determination and training (something she has been doing religiously). I am extremely proud of what we did, and the heart she put into the climb. I am a lucky guy…

Fast and Furious

J.C. Yates — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:30:49 +0000

Driving in this morning, I had a small car zoom past me with a spoiler, pipes, the whirr sound of a souped-up engine, stickers on the window, and neon underneath. My initial reaction was that of an old fuddy-dutty…what a waste of time, didn’t they have better things to spend their money on, gas costs too much to cruise, etc. Then I thought back to my first car. I was a senior in high school. The car had started out it’s life as a white 1959 Ford Station Wagon with the fake wood panels on the side. I’m pausing for the laughter … Anyway, the original color had been white. It was still a lot like white. Randy Farrell and I decided to trick it out a bit. Bought “mag” wheel rims (from working at Giant Foods of America over the Summer), flipped the lee springs (so the back end was higher than the fromt). Even had a straight muffler installed, as I recall. Didn’t make it go any faster, but it sounded better. It had cracked windows (there would be ice on the inside of the windows after football games), a bench seat that was wide enough to lay down and sleep in, and an automatic transmission that was reluctant to go from one gear to the next. Probably feeling it’s age. It finally died when the engine locked up as I was cruising one day, for no apparent reason…

After thinking about the silly things we did to that car, instead of making it more dependable, I figure what these guys are doing is nothing different…

About Time to Get Up

J.C. Yates — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:31:36 +0000

One of my favorite stories about my Dad is this one… When he was a young man and still living at home, he would go down to Ruskin Cave to hear music and socialize. And as anyone who knew my Pop knows, he loved to laugh and have a good time. My grandmother Mary raised 8 kids, 6 of them boys. So you know she was tough. I remember her being a strong, stern little woman (I was convinced for a while she was shrinking as I got older. It didn’t occur to me for a while that I was getting taller…). Anyway, my Pop had partied long into the night, and drug himself home in the wee hours of the morning. He had sat down on the edge of his bed, pulled off one boot, and was reaching for the other foot when Mamaw Yates came into the room and said “About time you were getting up. There’s work to do.” From what I heard, he didn’t even argue…just pulled his boot back on and went down for breakfast. Bet that was a long day in the fields…

Bad To The Bone

J.C. Yates — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:20:52 +0000

Braden and Madisan

We had our “Pop and Nana” camp a few weeks ago. Had a blast! This is one of the pictures we took during the week (Bad To The Bone refers to Braden’s expression). Camp is us getting away with the grand kids (after they are 5 years old) and having fun. For this one, we went to the Williamsburg, VA area. One day was Busch Gardens, the next was Go-Kart World (with water bumper boats, putt-putt golf, a roller coaster, bumper cars). Then we went to a water park, and rode almost everything they had. Plus splashed around in several pools, ate great junk food, and laughed a lot. Other days involved bowling, more putt-putt, a museum, Wii, food, cookies… I think it is safe to say we were all worn out by the time it was done. But it was great. I am looking forward to “camp time” with all the grand kids, when their time comes. One of the reasons I work out is so that I’ll be able to keep up with them!

I’m Not Transforming!

J.C. Yates — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:18:27 +0000

This is one of those “family lore” stories we pass along. I did not see it, but Becky tells this story about Ryan…

When he was about 3, Transformers were very hot. All over the TV…commercials, toys, etc. For his birthday, oddly, he only mentioned wanting Transformer Underoos. Was very adamant about it. So his Mom complied. On the day of his party, when it came time to open gifts, he started into the stack of gifts. With each one, he would open it up and discard it. Kept doing this until he finally got to his Underoos. Joyfully, he tore open the package and pulled the underwear on (over his shorts…in a big hurry). He stood there a moment, and let out a yell “I’m not transforming! I’m not transforming!”. On the TV commercial, the little boy had transformed when he wore his Underoos. Ryan was devastated. And has been cynical about advertising ever since…

William Canaan

J.C. Yates — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:41:34 +0000

I was able to spend some time with Canaan the other day. We were having a family get-together, and things got a bit loud (no surprise there . He was upset, and I asked Sumer if we could walk for a bit. I scooped him up in my arms, went outside and showed him the yard, then around to the front of the house and checked out a few things. We finally sat on the porch and chilled. I love my one-on-one time with the grand kids. I like to think they feel safe with me. I like to have them wrapped up in my arms. As they get older and more involved with their world, my importance (and relevance) will diminish. But that is as it should be, and as I expect it to be. Explore, enjoy, laugh, love, live. Don’t spend too much time hanging around with old people.

I was also reminded of seeing Jason and Corey in my Pop’s arms. He had a deep, gravely voice that always got their attention, even when they were a little upset. I’ve seen them lay their head on his chest, just to feel the vibration. Not quite like an earthquake, but close (if you are an infant). He loved his grand kids.

Walking on Branches in the Rain Forest

J.C. Yates — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:53:54 +0000

Had a terrific camping trip with Corey and Caleb and Josh and Zak a couple of weeks ago. We went to the country, and set up in the corner of a field in which I have camped for decades. We did all the camp things, like a fire, roasted hot dogs, cheetos (which are a kid favorite, and will be on the menu until they decide they don’t like them), slept in tents, played with glow sticks, made smores. We all ran around a lot, flew kites, walked in the woods, played in the grass, spent time doing “tick checks” after any excursion (we were careful, Moms. Lots and lots of bug spray!). The next morning we broke camp after pancakes, and headed to Yellow Creek for some serious splashing and rock skipping. It was just right, except for juicing the kids up on sugar and expecting them to fall asleep in 20 minutes. That will call for an adjustment…

One of the things I enjoy the most about being around the grand kids is the way they say things. The title of this post is a combination of statements from Zak and Caleb. Zak called the woods the rain forest. I have a feeling Diego on TV has influenced that. And when we walked on some fallen trees, Caleb called it walking on branches. I thought that was wonderful… I’m kind of crazy about my grand kids, in case you haven’t noticed…