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Al, Dotti, Glenn, & LeRoy1981
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The Five Coons.
Grandma and Grandpa are up front with our grandson Kai, and Dad and Uncle LeRoy are looking over the top from the rear. Having our family together again was such a joy for Dotti and me!
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I don't know how she does it, but Dotti just keeps getting prettier as the years go by. That radiant smile puts the sun to shame! And with Dotti in my life, of course I am smiling too!
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Our handsome son Glenn. We were so happy that he and Kai decided to spend their vacation together with us. It is something that we will remember always with many happy feelings! Glenn is a Chief Electronics Technician. In the Navy, "making chief" is a huge accomplishment, that Glenn shares with my best friend Jim. I am very proud of Glenn for doing this, and for holding down a demanding technical position in the Navy, and a power troubleshooter for the US Navy ships around Japan, who jumps in and helps out when the ships' technicians get in over their heads on a problem and need an expert to get the equipment up and running. That's my boy! |
Our other handsome son, LeRoy. He really made things perfect when he came down to complete the family circle at the reunion. LeRoy also served as an Electronics Technician in the US Navy, and was also stationed in Japan. Both of our sons followed in Dad's footsteps in both joining the Navy, and in going into the electronics field while serving. Today he lives in Spokane, and he gets to see a lot more of our dear friends, Jim and Tammy, our nieces, and our grandson Hunter in Spokane, than we do. It is nice to know that he is well looked after. 
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Our handsome, and bright Grandson Kai. What a joy he is to have around! We looked at the stars together and located the "red heart of Scorpius"—the bright Antares—along with other stars and constellations. We played chess on a computer and basketball in our driveway. We went down the Deschutes River in a raft, visited the science museum where we solved puzzles and visited the animals at the Oregon Zoo. Still, it wasn't half enough! Kai is a wonderful child, and he has captured our hearts!
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Father and son. Or son and grandson, depending upon your point of view. In either case, here are a couple of handsome guys!
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And speaking of handsome, here are our two sons, LeRoy and Glenn. From Kai's perspective, its Uncle LeRoy and Dad. But no matter what you call them they are great guys! In spite of suffering under the handicap of having my contribution to their looks, they overcame that and turned out to be right handsome fellows.
Seriously, I consider myself to be a very lucky man to have these men as my sons!
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Grandpa and grandson, and this is naturally one of my favorite pictures. I have to admit I think that with each picture, but this is something really special.
That reminds me of something that I wrote on August 6 to my cousin Fay:
…the night before last I was already nestled in bed with my book, calling it a day. Everyone else was still up and Dotti came in to wish me goodnight. (After 32 years of marriage that is still a wonderful thrill for me!) But following right behind her, uncoached and all on his own came little Kai.
He came flying through the door, up onto the bed and slithered across the top, right up on my chest and put his arms around my neck and squeezed. “I love you Grandpa!” My arms were around him in an instant and I have to admit, it was one of the true highlights of my life.
Grandkids are far more than I had ever dreamed them to be. Kai holds a place in my heart that I never even knew was there, and it turns out to be a part that is huge and filled with wonders, sort of like discovering the Carlsbad Caverns for the first time.
If for no other reason, my life has meant something important because it has led to Kai.
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It is a wonder that the camera didn't just melt down into a puddle of ecstasy with all this in one photograph. My smiling grandson next to my beautiful wife—I love this picture!
I love these people, and that certainly makes me biased. But I ask you, aren't they both a sight for sore eyes?
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Note: If you don't agree, please don't write to me, because I refuse to debate with irrational people.
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I don't know why we couldn't cheer up! We had Dotti, Kai, and the photographer all trying to make us smile. Even aside from the photos we got from this session, it was a blast doing it for me. I love my family very much and it always brings joy to my heart when they can be together like this. I could never return all that they have given to me. I am a very lucky man!
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We are a little more serious in this one, though still smiling. I really like this picture, but the last one felt more like the real us.
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When my ship pulled out to sea, these are the three I left behind. When I said the words, "my family," to my shipmates, this is who I was talking about. My wife and sons are what have given my life meaning!
Dotti is all I ever could have dreamed of in a partner in life, a soulmate that has invigorated my inner self worth, and made everything in my life better. She is a bubbling spring of fun and enthusiasm for life that has filled every corner of my otherwise dark life with brightness.
Glenn, who is named after me, was taken from me by divorce, and during his childhood, moved in and out of my life, and left a big hole in my heart every time he was not with me. He is a lot like Dotti, with his outgoing personality and he followed in my footsteps, going into the Navy and pursuing electronics. He even surpassed me, by making Chief in the Navy, and is going to retire in 2010. I am very proud of him!
LeRoy, who is named after my father, is a wonderful son, and so much like me in many ways it is scary. In addition, he is a man of honor and values his word highly. I am very proud of him as well! I was lucky enough to have him at home with Dotti and I throughout his childhood, and couldn't ask for a better son!
This is my family, and they are far better than I deserve to have, and I know it!
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And now, there is also Kai! When I mentioned I liked Mozart, he started humming a piece by Mozart. When I put in the soundtrack from CATS, he tells me about going to the play. He plays basketball, and is working on chess. He is an amazing human being, and he's our grandson! Just when you think your life is already filled with wonderful people, you find there is room for more. And what an amazing addition Kai has been to our life!
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At 10 years old, I couldn't hold a candle to doing what Kai can do. He is smart, a quick study with whatever he sets his mind to. He is athletic and musical. He is halfway to twenty, and if he continues in the second half of his first 20 years as he has progressed in his first half, there is literally no limit to what he could do. From scientist, to university professor, to doctor, or lunar space pilot, he has what it takes, if he sets his mind to it. I am not only proud of him as he is, I am also eager to see what he will be one day. Whatever he chooses to do, I know it will be good, and he will be good at it!
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And Kai isn't just a smart kid, he is a happy kid, who knows how to have fun. He is well mannered and thoughtful of others, beyond most kids his age, but he also enjoys life. If he can hold on to that quality, while continuing to excel in the other areas he is already doing so well in, he will not only be successful, but he will be happy as well. I so much hope that is the way things will go for him, because he deserves it!
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The promise of the future, and the joy of today are what grandkids bring to us. How one child can do so much is impossible to explain. But just because you can't explain it, doesn't mean it isn't real.
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If Kai lived next door to me, we would be best friends, I know it. We already share so many similar interests, and while, he is certainly a video game aficionado, he also understands the value of a good discussion. And the basketball we could play too! I miss him now he is back in Japan, and I am really looking forward to his next visit already!
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Here we are, the same group that you saw at the very top of this page, but all of us are now
 27 years older. Dotti is as pretty as ever, and she is not having any trouble getting that brilliant smile of hers going this time around! What a knockout! And our two sons turned out to be very handsome men!
Before Glenn and Kai actually arrived, what first gave me the idea of having a photo session was that 1981 photo, and thinking about how much I have loved that picture over the years. I thought revisiting the studio would make for an interesting comparison. But then there was Kai to think of, and we really wanted to get some good pictures of him as well. Suddenly, the whole thing seemed like a really good idea, especially when LeRoy came down for a visit while Glenn and Kai were here from Japan.
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Dotti really likes this picture. It has a fun feel to it, and the sepia style fits it well. Any picture with my family is a good picture for me!
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What can I say? These people love me, and it just doesn't get any better than that!
Even after taking all these pictures, everyone was still having a good time.
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Dotti's guys. Where's the basketball?
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The Coon family today.
It was the end of the photo session, but we had a lot of fun, and we got a lot of good pictures out of it, and we will treasure them for the rest of our lives!
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