Happy 9th birthday Jack Andrew Clickman!

You’re a cool, smart, good looking, funny kid with a lot of friends.

You’re naturally curious about the world around you, out in space and historic events in the past. I can ask you hard questions (I don’t know the answer to) like “how many moons does Saturn have” and you’ll say, in a very non-assuming way, “I think it’s something like 82 Moons,” which of course ends up being correct.  Amazing.

You crack me up when you quietly say random things like “Donuts are one of the best inventions” or “Wouldn’t it be funny if Mendum’s Pond was called Shawn Mendes Pond?”

You’re a geography buff – I asked the other day which states make up Four Corners and had my answer in a jiffy.

You love airplanes and even have favorite brands- Emirates & Delta.  You’re excited to be going to Florida in February — the number one reason?  “I’m excited because I’ll be flying on Delta and see the airport.”

Too funny.

I don’t know if you’ll be an airline pilot, engineer, inventor, astronaut, archeologist or history teacher, but the world will definitely be your oyster.

There’s no stopping you Master Jack. Lots of love.

I love listening to you, often asking you to repeat what you’ve said because you’re talking so low (or I’m losing my hearing… probably a combination of the two).  I’ve never been disappointed with the extra effort to thoughtfully hear what you’ve said; out of your mind come the most amazing thoughts.

Here are a few recent examples:

I don’t even see the point of school.

Papa, do you think Madigan will be boy crazy when she grows up?

Wouldn’t it be funny if Mendum’s Pond was called Shawn Mendes Pond?

This is sort of embarrassing, but I just learned to cut my food and I’m not very good at it.

I am shy.   I get nervous meeting new people.

Weren’t you and Grammy going to take us to Hawaii?

Going through McDonald’s drive-through, the kid working at the window has a bad case of acne.  Ben is with us.  You notice his face and blurt out…

…that boy has puberty.

(Ben instantly says, “Jack, what he has is called acne.  That’s when your skin is oily.  You’ll get that when you’re older, we all do.  It’s important to wash your face and stay on top of it.”)

10 boys came to your house to see if Molly wanted to watch a movie with them.  No way that was going to happen!  You shouted out the window “She’s not interested!”

Donuts are one of the best inventions.

I was sitting next to you at a soccer game. You were asking if you could come over my house. I said ‘we have to run that by your parental unit Jack. Sometimes I get in trouble when I say things.  To which you replied:

That’s because you’re talking to Mom or Grammy.  You try to do fun things but they don’t want you to.”

Jack, you say the darndest things!

August 13, 2019 was an epic day.  We took two cars to Nashua, NH to experience a day loaded with new kinds of fun & adventure including:

Red Robin in Nashua for lunch – yummy

Indoor skydiving at Sky Venture NH SkyVenture – flying without having to pack a parachute, pull a ripcord, or jump out of an airplane.

Indoor boogie boarding on the “endless wave” at Surf’s Up NH, the largest Indoor Surfing facility in North America.

Indoor rock climbing

Drinks and treats at the pool snack bar.

You guys had a blast – I was so proud of your bravery and determination.  No one quit, no one backed down!  Grammy, Nicole & yours truly enjoyed seeing go from nervous and tentative to bold and amazing.  I would have joined you if not for my broken shoulder. Next time!

We missed you Ben!!

What an awesome August Adventure.

On June 19 Grammy and I drove to Patriot’s Place in Foxboro.  Sounds like fun, right? Unfortunately I was there to have surgery on my rotator cuff – not watch a football game.  My shoulder has been hurting for 8-10 months and I’ve been getting weaker, so it was time to get ‘er done.

The surgeon who worked on me – Dr. Oh – is one of the talents in the world of shoulder surgery.  He’s worked with Patriots and Red Sox players.  I was in good hands, and within a few hours of getting to Mass General/Brigham & Women’s hospital, we were on our way back home, Grammy taking over the driving duties.

I’ll feel crappy for 4-6 weeks, sleeping in a recliner, wearing a sling day and night, not being able to drive or use my right hand for anything. But you gotta do what you gotta do and suck it up to get to a better place.  I’ll do lots of physical therapy, but in 6-9 months I’ll be back in the game.

It’s weird – last year Grammy was down and out with her hip surgery; this year it’s my turn with shoulder work.  Sometimes in life you have to go through challenging times to get to a better place.

I was so happy and a little emotional seeing your drawings, cards and balloons when I got home. You made my day!  I’m so lucky to have you in my life.  Love you lots & lots forever.

photo below: Papa is obviously not pleased to be in this situation. Lefty better step up his game, he’s got a lot to do with righty out of commission.

June 18 was a special day for you & your siblings – the last day of school in Dover!

Epic!

I still remember what it felt like as a kid when summer arrived. In those days we would have said Groovy!

As the final week of school wound down, our teachers (nuns in my case) backed off a little bit on the homework.  Classrooms were hot and we had a hard time paying attention to anything. Freedom was upon us.  Freedom to not go to school for an incredible two and a half months. Feedom to not have to study, take tests and sit still without moving at  our wooden desks. Freedom to be a kid, relax and have a little fun.

I hung out with my friends during summer, read books, swam in my above-ground pool, climbed trees, made models, listened to rock and roll on my transistor radio, read comic books, went to the Pines recreation center, played baseball, shot baskets, and made slingshots out of Y tree branches.

Summer sunlight lasted way later, until 8:30-9pm.  I remember the loud sounds of crickets in the woods at night outside my open bedroom window.

Several times during the summer, we’d visit my Grandmother at her cottage at Wells, Beach, often sleeping over.  She’d bake bread and her husband (not my real paternal grandfather) would bake pies.  I loved playing with my army men on the beach, throwing the frisbee, digging holes and going in the water.

Relatives on my Mom’s side came down from Berlin, NH (where she was born and went to school). I liked hanging out with favorite cousins, Paul & Marc Montminy (twins), who were two years older than me. On warm summer nights, we’d gather on our screened in porch at 7 Lord Court in Somersworth, eating sliced canned ham and potato salad my Mom inevitably served along with her trademark Oh Henry rice krispie treats with peanut butter chocolate icing.

Below: first photo: at Echo Lake in North Conway…me in the middle, Paul left with boat, Marc to my right, sister Fran to my far right. Second photo: Fran and me in front of our garage at Lord Court, Somersworth, posing with our new Schwinn bikes.  Third photo: Fran and me at Wells Beach during one of our visits at Memere’s cottage.

At least once during the summer wed reverse roles and my family would drive up to Berlin or we’d meet up at Echo Lake or White Lake State Parks for the day, having picnics, hiking around the lake, swimming and eating.  I loved those days most of all.

My favorite summer foods?

I loved fruit. Nectarines, plums, peaches, watermelon.   I ate plenty of stuff that – looking back – wasn’t good for me like ring dings, funny bones, devil dogs and twinkies.  There wasn’t a single candy I didn’t like as a kid. I loved summer veggies, including cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes and scallions.

Fave drinks? White milk, chocolate milk, Hawaiian punch and Zarex (a fruit concentrate I’d mix with water).

When my sister Fran and I were too young to stay home by ourselves, my Dad worked second shift at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to be with us during the day when my Mom worked at the same place.  We always liked the fried spam sandwiches he’d make.  He’d slice up the “ham,” melt american cheese on it, place it in between two slices of bread and add lettuce and mayo.  We hung around him while he ate it, hungry eyes begging for a bite. He never disappointed us.

Another summer memory is my sister and I eating potato chip sandwiches – Wise chips, mayo and white bread.  Definitely not healthy, but we loved it!

Sometimes Dad would take us to a nearby lake before he went to work.  He taught me how to swim when I was young. He loved the water.

I went to summer camp several years – Camp Carpenter in Manchester -run by the Boy Scouts. I learned how to start a fire without a match, swam a mile in the lake without a life preserver, went on canoeing expeditions and learned new things so I could become a Life Scout (one notch below Eagle Scout, the ultimate peak of Boy Scoutness.)

I often went up to Berlin for a full week, staying with Paul & Marc, sleeping there every night, going to drive-in movies and walking around what seemed like a huge city, compared to Somersworth.  One time my cousin Paul grabbed a cat by the tail and twirled it around and around. The cat was not pleased.  Paul ended up becoming a priest when he grew up, too funny!  So did his twin brother Marc.

Summer lasted forever.  When it was time to go back to school, I always felt like I had changed tremendously, wasn’t the same kid, and a new world of possibilities would open up for me as a new school year unfolded. I was convinced everyone would notice how different I was, but no one ever did.  They probably felt the same way.

Time feels different when you’re older, zipping by way faster.

I’m so happy summer is here.  You’ve got time and freedom to fully relax, be young and free, have fun in an uncomplicated world, sleep in late, laugh all the time, no worries, and live 100% in the moment.  All the summer adventures we’ve had together over the years are with me always, keeping me young at heart. What a gift you’ve given me.

When you’re older you’ll look back on the amazing time known as summer vacation and smile, your own memories flowing back like a spring waterfall.

Enjoy every second Jack, these are special days.