Gah (pronounced sort of like gay-yah, but said as one syllable) is my great grandma. She was named as such by my Aunt Sue. When she was young and tried to pronounce grandma, "Gah" was all that came out.

Gah lives in a nursing home in West Virginia and it has become customary for our family to visit her around Christmas. I've missed the trip for the past year or two and decided this year I needed to go. I'm so happy I did. It was so wonderful to see her and be able to spend time with her. She loves milkshakes, so we, of course, arrived with a vanilla milkshake in hand. She didn't set that thing down until the last drop was gone.

I brought my new camera with me to get in some practice and boy was it worth it. I was able to get some shots of things I always want to remember about Gah. Like the ankle bracelet she has to wear because she tries to escape sometimes.

And her hands, that so closely resemble those of my Nanny's.

We all worked on a puzzle together while we were there.



Four generations of women:

During our visit in West Virginia, I also had the chance to see and document many important sites around town. Like this beautiful house where my grandpa and his sister were raised by their grandmother.

This is the high school my grandpa attended. It was here where my grandpa's interest in engineering blossomed. He was also very involved in sports, playing both baseball and basketball. My grandpa tells me that the high school used to be so picturesque with its elegant columns and beautiful surrounding trees. Now all the trees are gone, there are power lines all around, and a CVS right next door. I still think it's a pretty impressive building.
Here's the church where my grandma and grandpa were married. It was much smaller at the time.

And the house where my grandma and grandpa shared their first apartment together.

This was my grandma and grandpa's first house together. It was actually right next door to Gah's house, where my grandma grew up.
Gah's old house doesn't look anything like it used to, but it's still there.

I also saw the hospital where my mom was born. It's been turned into doctor's offices now and is no longer a hospital anymore. 

We also drove through Potomac State College and I was able to see the wall where my grandpa is recognized. He attended Potomac State College for two years before transferring to West Virginia University to finish his degree. I'm so extremely impressed with my grandpa's ambition. Even though circumstances were certainly not easy, he did everything he could and graduated from WVU with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

I'm sure I had seen some of these sites in earlier visits, but now I am able to understand and appreciate the chance to experience some of these memories.