Melanie & I are now first-time Grandparents!
And we are over the moon with pride in our son, Evan, and our daughter-in-law, Isabel, as well as our ever-new reverence for Life, its cosmic movements of celestial proportions, and the emanations that Life actuates, so that incarnate Being is yet again fulfilled.
The baby is a boy by the first name Reed. The last I held in my arms an infant soul this small, it was when our daughter, Erin, was born. And Reed has a look as similar to me as I recall Erin’s visage was. Except he is a boy — unmistakably, as I saw at my first sight of him au naturale. (And Thank You muchly for sharing that mental picture with us!)
For certain, I already know that, in a very few months, Reed will be flying in my arms, like this:

This blog entry will be uncharacteristically short, because Melanie, Erin, and I are traveling over five hours to enjoy three days in Crested Butte, Colorado — a sweet mountain town that Budget Travel selected this year as a semi-finalist for recognition as America’s Coolest Small Town.
But I digress …
We are going as Grandparents (I like the sound of that!) to care for Reed, while his brilliant and beautiful parents attend (and Evan officiates) one of his good friend’s weddings. (We don’t mind at all!)
Our children are grown now and ever-maturing (as are we). And we see our “empty nest” continually overflowing with Life’s new adventurous perils and payoffs. In short, what a Consummate Blessing Life Truly Is … My Chariot Awaits … Layta …
PenDell and Melanie: We understand! We are leaving this AM to visit our third grandchild, Ford Banner, age 2 1/2, who is an absolute delight….(big smile)