THE END OF AN ERA

On Friday, December 31st 2010, Joe and I, Ashley and Nathan had the great opportunity to go and
 meet with my Dad up at the Museum of Natural History for its last day of operations at its current location.
  Nathan had never had the chance to go the museum before and so I wanted to make sure he went while it was still "Grandpa's Museum". 
I wasn't prepared for the feelings that came over me that day.  As I walked around that museum, that at times became our second home on the weekends, I was overcome with emotion, just as I am now writing this down.  This was my Father's life's work,  he had always called it his 6th child, and I had no idea that I would be so moved this day in knowing that this was the last time I would ever see it again.  It was like a piece of me was dying or something with it that day.  My dad however, didn't seem sad  .In fact, he seemed quite excited about the new one being built and that would be ready this November. 
The media was there and needed someone to talk to about the history of the museum, well, who better than my dad?  I remember growing up and going there on field trips in school and being so proud to say "This is my Dad's museum" and then later with my own kids on their field trips saying "This is Grandpa's museum".  I guess I can't really say that anymore even though he has such a big hand in the making of this new one.
But life goes on.  Things change.  High schools get turned into community colleges and museums get built to be bigger and better. 
The exhibit that was always my favorite was was the one upstairs of the four deer in the mountains.  My brothers-Kevin,Steven, and Bryan and I posed for it up in the mountains for my Dad a long time ago.  This exhibit is now gone, just like many of them that won't be taken to the new museum.  But the memories of being with my brothers (including Alan) and my Dad and my Mom will live on long after those exhibits close, they'll be forever in my heart.