When Grandpa turned 70
Ghanadot.com

Grandpa is very old (Dr. Alfred Clayton Bannerman). And funny! Very funny. I heard people say that about him all day long the day he turned 70.

He is much older than my Daddy Kofi, who is his son. BB is my Daddy's older brother.  Val is my mother. We live in a place called Westbury, LI. Grandpa and my Grandma Mary have been living here for a very long, long time. I go to pre-school here and my Daddy also grew up here

My Grandpa is a big doctor (a retired Professor of Neurology, Columbia Presbyterian teaching Hospital). Lots of friends, colleagues and family members came to see him that day. They ate and drank and made fun of my Grandpa.

Grand Auntie Anna, my Grandpa’s sister, came all the way from Virginia with her husband Granduncle Joe. He is usually the quiet one but I am told he is a big trouble maker and is very funny in his own way.

Granduncle Dr. Ofei Djoleto and his wife, his sister Eileen and her husband Barry came from Canada. I suspect they all had a lovely time judging from the way they laughed and carried on.

But would you believe Grandpa, the old man who was 70 that day, also had an uncle? I don’t know what to call him (Great Grandpa Djoleto). He was at the celebration and was dancing as hard as everybody else.

The food was delicious. It was prepared by my Auntie Ama. I ate a lot of cake and drank many cans of soda. I would have had some more but both my Mummy and my Aunties (Christine is the other and older auntie) kept a watchful eye on me.

I saw Grandpa dance. He was funny. He reminded me of a picture of a man I saw once. They called him the “The Godfather.” My Grandpa is a good man. “The Godfather” was a bad man. Grandpa is a very good man, kind, and gives me all kinds of things. But it was Grandpa’s suspenders and belt and large stomach that day that made him look like “The Godfather” in the picture.

My Grandpa has a friend (Granduncle Niapa. His wife Joana thinks I am very cute). He is the one who is stealing my thoughts now to bring them to you. He is also the one who said to me that I was as full of mischief as my Grandpa. He said Grandpa was a ….a… a… (spontaneous) mischief maker. I didn’t know what that meant but looking back and seeing the sparkle and the twinkle in Grandpa’s eyes as people spoke about him that evening, I think I understand that now. I get those feelings too, except sometimes they get me into trouble.

Grandpa can’t get into trouble because he is old. But I suspect my Grandma Mary keeps a good eye on him all the same, same way she does to me. How else could he have lived this long?

Grandpa is a much traveled man. I am told he has been all over the world, seen many places and stayed in all the best hotels in the world. He lives in Ghana now but he is often here in America with us.

A doctor who worked with Grandpa at a Hospital in a place called New Mexico, (Dr. Regina Lacy) came all the way from there to give him a necklace. It was a present from some natives of New Mexico who also worked at the hospital. That tells you how much my Grandpa is loved.

When Auntie Ama spoke to wish my Grandpa a happy birthday, she said no one could take him away from her because he was her Daddy. Well, I’ve got news for Auntie Ama. As much as I love her, she is not going to take my Grandpa away from me either. Happy birthday Grandpa!
 

Auntie Christine and her Daddy	There is my Mum behind me.  Hey, I am just having fun on Grandpa's birthday		More pictures
	Photo by Albert

Grandpa and Grandma Mary

There I am, the newest generation of our family in the U. S. I promised not to spoil the fun for the party

There is Grandpa thinking he is a good dancer.  Auntie Anna is to the left. I am the judge

Grandpa enjoys a good laugh

There is Auntie Ama and her Daddy also my Grandpa