Both of my grandmothers were born on the 6th of August, which made it easier to remember their birthdays when they were alive (heck, it’s still easy to remember them). My dad’s mother, Helen Haskins Smallman, would be 101 today. I have great memories of visiting her and my grandfather at their home in Wisconsin when my family still lived in Nebraska. But I did not know her as well as I knew my mom’s mother.

Born Geneviève LeDuc in 1903 but known to me as Grammy, my mom’s mother’s first language was French as her parents were French-Canadian. She and my grandfather moved to the Seattle area in 1975 to be closer to my family, something that made sense since my mother is an only-child. From their arrival onward, Grammy and I became close friends with a special bond. When I graduated from high school in 1981 she asked if I would be willing to spend a week in Paris with her, at her expense. The experience remains one of the highlights of my life. I’m sure you can imagine how being back in France reminds me of my grandmother so today’s posting is a salute to her. I didn’t bring any photos of her to France but I did post a couple on Facebook, hence today’s picture.

Joyeux anniversaire, Grammy!