He almost made it

...to be 100 years old.
My last grandparent went to be with Jesus on October 17, at 99 years of age. One of the ministers at the funeral said that since we believe in life at conception, he DID make it to be 100 years old. :) Of his parents, brothers and sisters, he was the longest living member of his family.
It's strange to think that the generation of my grandparents is all gone. I should have listened to their stories better. I should have learned more from them.
Before the arthritis in his hands caused him to stop, Pa loved to make knives. Pocket knives, hunting knives, any kind of knife you could think of, he would try to make it. He liked to use different types of material for the casing, as well. One series of knives he made the casing out of deer antler.
Below are a few pictures of the last time I was with him and some pictures of the knife he made for me. It is a real, operational lock-back knife, but it's only about 1 1/2 inches long, blade open. Did I mention he wore a size 14 ring? I don't know how he did it with such large fingers, but one thing about my Pa was that once he got his mind on something to do, he was going to do it.
Now...I did learn that.