Yup, today is the birthday of the Most Interesting Man in the World! My very own brother, Skip. Happy Birthday---I love you.
Skip, also known as George (Clayton, 3rd) was born on February 24th, 1949--you do the math. He is a little younger than I am and lot younger than our sister. Lindy and I, according to Mom, gave him the nickname "Skip", but if there was a reason why, I don't remember what it could have been.
Skip and I have things in common. We have the same parents, same sister; we each have a spouse, children and grandchildren. We both live in New York State. We look more like each other than we look like Lindy. (We take after our Dad, Lindy after Mom). We're both thin and have blue eyes. We are both always right!
And, of course, there are differences. There's the obvious--our plumbing. I really "look up" to him as he is really tall and I am short. I have hair, he doesn't. He likes "Apple", I don't.
When we were little and living on State Fair Blvd. in Baldwinsville, Skip was forever building with those little red bricks and lincoln logs. Dad was an architect so I guess for a while, Skip had an interest. When he wasn't building houses and such, he was riding on his green tractor. I can still see him going all around the driveway and beyond. He didn't become and arcitect---he became a school psychologist and a darn good one. He is retired now and golfing alot!
Also, while living there, Mom and Dad went on a trip and the 3 of us were to stay with a neighbor. Lindy cried so hard when they left that they came back and took her with them. So it was just me and Skip staying with the Spevacks (not sure how to spell it now). He had Stevie to play with and I had Karen but we pretty much stuck together. We were both homesick but especially Skip--he cried every day so we kind of bonded then.
Then we moved to South Otselic to our grandparents home. One of my first memories of Skip there is that I had to take him to his kindergarten classroom on the first day of school. Not sure why it was me and not Lindy, except that his classroom and mine were in the same wing. I remember that when I left him he tried so hard not to cry, that I did cry all the way to my own classroom.
Skip had lots of friends, including a wild raccoon he found somewhere--actually, I think it just showed up in our yard. He fed it and tried to interact with it as much as he could and was furious when he found out it wasn't a legal pet and he had to give it up. Skip, at that time, and I think even now, really likes animals.
He and his friends, I remember, used to hike a lot---not sure why I remember that and have no story to go with it. But I can tell you about the time he was in the gorge, and came running home with a nest of bees after him! Apparently, he upset a nest and they were ANGRY. He was really scared and I think got several stings. I don't know if that was a hiking trip or not but I bet he remembers that, too!
When he was a little older he attended CBA (Christian Brothers Academy). I'm not really sure how long he went there, but I do know it wasn't for a long time, maybe only a year. It was in Syracuse and he rode with Dad who worked in Syracuse. It made for a long day for him and his friends were all going to South Otselic Central. It was 40 miles one way so left him with little time for other things.
On a sad note, Dad's funeral was on Skip's 12th birthday. Mom was horrified after the fact when she realized that and talked about it to me numerous times. At any rate, Skip became the "man of the house" at that time and he took it very seriously! We had a shared driveway with our neighbor. Billie threw a lot of parties, and Skip decided to charge each car 25 cents to park. Mom was so embarrassed and wanted him to stop but Billie loved it, so it continued for I don't know how long. She had lots of parties so I imagine he did all right in his first business venture! He also took care of the yard, so when Lindy's boyfriend, now husband, parked on the lawn to wash his car, Skip got pretty upset and made him move it. Lindy didn't know how to take that, but Jon said he understood and thought Skip was right so it was no problem!
We had a wrap around porch in South Ot. so many nights Skip would sneak around on the roof to our bedroom and scare the bee-jesus out of Lindy and me. Or maybe he was just spying! He would also sit on that roof and drop water balloons on trick-or-treaters on Halloween---until Mom realized what he was doing!
We used to swim up at the Blue Hole on many a hot summer's day. It was a great place to go to cool off and have a lot of fun, as long as you watched for,and avoided, all the cow flops. Skip had been given Dad's gold ring and lost it at the Blue Hole. We all searched for it for days but never found it. He felt as bad as a person could ever feel, but it was an accident and a lesson learned for all of us. Leave all valuables at home.
Grama had 3 sons and always said that as much as she loved all of her grand-daughters, grandsons were special to her. She waited on him hand and foot most of the time and I know he will probably deny that---so ask Lindy. Anyway, I think that was maybe the one thing Mom and Gram sometimes argued about. (I'm sure there may have been others, but I never heard about them). If Mom told him to pick up his wet towels, Gram would do it saying something like "Now, Elizabeth, boys are boys."
There was a small bathroom fire at one time. Skip happened to be in there and, according to him, the toilet seat "just caught on fire for no reason". He just could not understand it. I think it was one of two things, and, of course, I could be wrong. It was either hot sh-- or maybe he was smoking.
Then...............there was the car incident! My bedroom faced the garage. One summer night I heard strange noises outside so I looked out the window to investigate. And, there big as life, was my brother and a couple of his friends (they were all supposedly sleeping in the upstairs room of the garage) quietly, or so they thought, pushing Mom's car out of the garage and past the house. When they got a ways down the street, they got in, started it up, and drove off! I really was petrified and didn't know what to do, so instead of getting Mom up and telling her, which is what I should have done, I stayed glued to the window waiting for them to get back. I was literally terrified that they would get into an accident or be stopped by the police. Finally, they did get back safe and sound, much to my relief. I wish you could have seen their faces in the morning light when I asked them how their midnight ride went! Sheer panic and surprise!! They begged me, and I promised, not to tell and I didn't, until years later. It worked out well for me for a while--I had Skip and Little Al at my beck and call. They did dishes for me (I have pictures!), went to the store for me, and did whatever I asked. I don't know if they ever enjoyed another "middle of night" ride or not, but if they did, they had learned to be much more careful!
Skip played the trumpet in high school, and he played it very well. He even had a solo or two in the school music nights. I bet he can still play.
He met Marge, his now wife, while in college. He was such a handsome, and young looking!, groom for his beautiful bride. They have a son, Chris, who lives in BC, Canada. He is married to Carissa and they have a wonderful little girl, Aiyana. I know Skip and Marge would love to be closer in distance to them. And they have a daughter, Julie, who is married to Jean. He is in the Army and stationed in Korea right now. Julie lives in Baltimore. At their wedding bar-b-que last July we all got to meet Chris and his family for the first time---it was great to see them and I also wish we all lived closer to each other. Julie and Jean's outside wedding was fun and it was nice for Lindy, Skip and me to all be together for such a good reason.
Skip is lot like I remember Dad to be. Not only in looks, but he has Dad's sense of humor. And, like Dad, he loves and gets a charge out of kids. They both love golf---Skip has been known to get a hole in one once or twice!
He is sensitive to a degree but also very stubborn and very opinionated on certain topics---I try to stay away from those! He makes his own very excellent beer! And, if he could, he would buy the house in South Otselic---he loves that old home, and so do I. But I wouldn't want to live there again. I know he would.
I love you, Skip, with my whole heart. You are my "baby brother", and I could never ask for, or want, any other!! So, Happy Birthday--have a great day!
OK---now, go play some golf!!