inaugural baseball game

Courtesy of our customary tickets-via-POC, Romie attended his first in-person baseball game on 4 August.

It was delightful to have him along but perhaps we didn't pick the best game.  The team was honoring its 20th anniversary team - meaning a lengthy battery of ex-player introductions accompanied by concussive scoreboard eruptions and raucous cheers from an immense crowd (38,000+).  That's a rather challenging introduction for a rookie.  But a fine time was had by all, even if the rook only made it through a couple innings.  You have to start somewhere.

For those of us that stuck around:  D'backs beat Giants!

All is good pregame as we buy H2O from our customary vendor.

Host-POC explains the situation to The Rookie.  Etc.

watching watching

Among other charms, I find it endlessly interesting just to watch Roman watching things.

Here's an example.  He's pretty fascinated by dogs (in this case, Pumbaa).  But what's he actually thinking?

It's a favorite photo.

talking

Grandson appears to observe pretty much everything.  And now - starting with conversations with his parents - he's progressed to wanting to discuss what he's observed.  In detail. 

Sure his technique could benefit from a bit more refinement, but this is quite an excellent start.  At least I can't stop watching this.  (Captured by PJ 15 May 2018.)

little boy's outfit

L-R Paul Sr., Paul Jr., Romie

From: Paul Gales
Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2018 5:23 PM
To: Ernest Gales; Roman & Joy Gales
Cc: Patricia Gales; Paul Gales; Nedda Reghabi Gales
Subject: just a little boy's outfit

Hi everybody –

Happy Mother’s Day to Joy!

We were over at Paul Jr/Nedda house today to honor Patricia and Nedda (her first mother’s day).  Before we got there,  Paul Jr. and Nedda were taking “five-month-old” photos of Latest Romie.  Guess what – they dressed him in an outfit that Original Romie had given me (though we are guessing that Joy may actually may have done the shopping?)

I like to think about what happened here over the years:

   • Original Romie and/or Joy buy the outfit for me in 1956

   • Ernie and Helen take me for my studio picture in the outfit (no mere snapshot!)

   • Helen holds onto the outfit for 31 years, keeps it in good condition, gives it to Patricia and me

   • Patricia and I photograph Paul Jr. in it

   • Patricia holds onto the outfit for 31 years (coincidental time period), keeps it in good condition, gives it to Paul Jr. and Nedda

   • Latest Romie wears the outfit for his photo in 2018

   • Now it’s up to Nedda to keep the outfit in good condition for whatever happens next!

Photos below.

Pleasant thoughts about each of you today, thanks as always for being in our lives.  We feel very lucky.

Paul & Patricia

Same three fellows, 13 May 2018

Romie's here!

a big change for this little family

What really is there to say when the very-first representative of a new generation arrives?

Roman Christopher Gales was born on 7 December 2017.  Congratulations and thanks to PJr and Nedda.

ahh 

As I sat holding Roman for the first time, somehow the feeling of generational continuity (don't know how to describe it exactly) was running pretty strong - here I am literally sitting right in the mid-point of a chain linking the only five generations of my/our family that I'll ever know - in a hospital room with my son present, and holding his son, and thinking about my father, and his father before him - thinking of (and beyond grateful for) the women who made all this happen (two of them present in the room with us) - I've known each of them so well and they've each been so central in my little world! - anyway it yields some quiet-deep mixture of gratitude and peacefulness and perhaps feeling just a bit of new/indirect responsibility as the tiny (well, not that tiny, actually) fellow sleeps in that peaceful newborn-way.  I had the very good fortune to live close by both of my grandfathers and see them regularly - I thought about both of my grandfathers while sitting with Romie - they, and EMG, set a daunting standard for being a grandfather. Maybe something like "mostly stay out of the way while being present"?  Lots to learn in this new role, we'll see how it goes.  I don't think that generational continuity-feeling will disappear anytime soon.

PJ seems to know how to handle these little folk!

And of course it's quite marvelous watching my little wife handle RCG and sing him the same little songs that I heard so often with our five in the 1980s.

We're happy that Romie's here.  We can't wait to watch him grow up.

the kid passes inspection

good timing:  Romie showed up just before Sreedhar had to head back to India

three winners; KVG and Beth correctly betting on Palmer's bday