My Grandpa

Remember the extra-special blog post I have been promising?
Well here it is at last.

This post is a dedication to my grandpa, Robert Anthony Rodrigues, who passed away over a year ago now. I think of him often and miss many things about him. Here is a compilation of photos and memories that I have of him.
I look forward to the day when we will see each other again.


My grandparents on their wedding day.

What a great looking couple!

With me as a newborn.


This is me also. And I am guessing the cake in the photo is a Buckland Cake,
which was my grandpa's favorite.


With my younger sister, Amber. I love his smile!


Three generations - taken in 2002.

Some of my most cherished memories of my grandpa come from when they were still living in their house on Carmel Drive:

• I remember making "soup" out of loquat tree leaves and other backyard treasures which we ate out of abalone shells on the back deck.


• I remember playing Lode Runner with him at his computer, probably my first introduction to computer games. I would always freeze up as the evil monks approached and consumed my character with horrible bone-crunching noises.


• I remember the bedtime stories he would tell to Amber and me about the adventures of "Reggie the Raccoon" who one day climbed into a hollow tree trunk which then turned into a rocket ship!


• I remember him faithfully watering the front and back yards. The well-tended green foliage served as a "forest" for me as a child when I would be exploring, looking for bugs, or playing cops and robbers with the neighbor kids.


• I remember him sitting in his armchair in the morning while reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of tea or coffee.


• I remember sneaking into his bedroom with Amber so we could eat his large chewable vitamin C's that he kept on his night stand. They tasted like orange candy.



Eating our "soup."



My grandpa helped instill in me a love for baseball, and made me an Oakland A's fan at a young age. I remember taking the BART to the games, meeting up with his friend Richard, and munching on pistachios as we watched. Baseball will always be my favorite sport.




Working on the car with Grandpa. He loved his cars.
And I love the fact that I look like a little boy in this picture.


One thing people always noticed about my grandpa, is how cheerful he was. You could almost always find him with a smile on his face. My grandpa definitely had a goofy side to him which would come alive when the whole Rodrigues clan got together.
I wish that I could hear his laughter again.




To me, this photo is the epitome of my grandpa's goofiness. :)


At my dad's wedding - May 1, 2010.




I regret that as I grew older, time and conversation with my grandpa became less frequent. I suppose he wasn't sure what to do with me now that I wasn't a little kid anymore. Both of us are quiet by nature and so not much was said between us. I always wondered what his thoughts and opinions were as he sat in his armchair, listening to others' conversations. But I never got the courage to ask. I hope others don't pass up these opportunities with their loved ones due to fear. You never know how much time you have left.


Probably the last picture we took together as a family before grandpa passed away.


I think this is my favorite picture of them all.

Love you, Grandpa!