Grandpa Hill's Children Stories: Recent Episodes
Grandpa Hill
In 1991, Grandpa, Don, was a development engineer by day and homeschooling and homesteading Dad at night. Some persistent and relatively large creature was eating the animal feed intended for the ducks and rabbits. As the battle with the creature continued, Don came to realize that is was a RAT that he was dealing with. […]
When Grandpa was a seven year old boy in 1964 he visited his Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Bob in Cheboygan Michigan. Upstairs in a hot room a fan was spinning trying to cool the room and boys were playing and the fan was interesting. As Don was considering putting his fingers into the fan, perhaps […]
In 1974 Grandpa was 16 years old and was cleaning the outside steps that went up through the woods to the front door of Mr. Griemel’s house. There was to be a party that night and the steps would be clean of dirt and debris. As he sprayed the water to clean the railroad ties […]
In the fall of 1975 Grandpa (Don) climbed into a T33 Trainer Jet for what he thought would be a short 5 minute ride. His “ride” turned out to be a scare, a thrill, and much more than just a ride. Don was eighteen years old, had never been in a small plane before. Now […]
Grandpa Hill has done many unusual things and many of them happened on his annual back packing trip with the Hill and Richman Family. For the past 30 years he has gone backpacking with his family and the Richman family. On this trip Grandpa came eye to eye with a bat. Grandpa was alone. They […]
This episode of Grandpa Hill’s True Stories took place in May of 1989 along the Western shore of Lake Superior. Grandma and Grandpa (Mary and Don) take their four children on a long Memorial Day camping vacation. The story is of five precious memories that make up the five chapters: Mittens in May; Short Sheets […]
Grandpa Hill shares another true personal story of fishing with a four year old. Grandpa claims to have always caught something on every fishing trip, even this one. Caleb his grandson challenges Grandpa when he seems to contradict himself, ‘Sometimes never even getting a bite, yet always catching something. Come on! Which is it?’ In […]
Grandpa is taking his daughter Amy across the fields of western Wisconsin in 1990. The two of them had come out of the woods away from the rest of the group. The Romo’s children, and their mom, Mrs Teresa Romo and Don and his four children had spent the late morning hours foraging for medicinal […]
In the summer of 1968 Grandpa Hill (Donald) was playing with Mike Martin his cousin. They were along Hamlin Road in Rochester Michigan playing tricks on his brother Eugene. Donald and Mike decide to hide from Eugene after they had secretly dropped leaves and twigs from high up in the tree nearly hitting Eugene as he pedaled buy. Those trees are gone now. The old fence line where Donald and Mike had hid is gone now. Hamlin Rd no longer cuts through farm land. Rather there are large houses and a nearby industrial park. What isn’t gone is the memory […]
A counselor was recently asking Donald (Grandpa Hill) some probing question about his childhood. She was trying to understand Grandpa and help him understand himself and feel better about the world he lived in. Donald, as Grandpa Hill recalls his answers to the lady that was trying to help him and shares his answer with his children, and grand children. In the fall of 1964 Donald was in the second grade at Hamlin Elementary School in Rochester MI. There was a struggle going on. Donald had, in his mind, invented numerical bases for counting, and used them fluently to do […]
This last episode of Grandpa Hill’s adventure trip is told by Grandpa Hill. It truly happened to him. There and back, the trip was nearly 500 miles. This last episode starts on Day 6 and is full of adventure and fun. The day starts with spirits high, leaving MARION. Eggs are stolen from a hen house and they confess when discovered. They are cared for by Aunt Margaret at the farm in Harrietta. The next day they make it to Okenama and Bill Lecuru’s grandparents. The bikers pick berries to get food money to come home. Tension builds the group […]
Part 3: Day 4, Day 5, Day 6. Stuck in Marion Michigan. Grandpa Hill and his friends leave Wilson State Park, where their neighbors had taken them after their highly unlikely and very fortuitous chance meeting the day before. They headed out of the park on what would come to be known as the “disaster day.” The road was clear… until it wasn’t. There is a tractor trailer truck in the opposing lane, going 70 or 80 mph. The gust from the speeding truck makes the bikes wobbly and some of them fall down. The bikers are a little […]
Comment below! And share with your friends! On The Great Michigan Bicycle Trip PART 2, Day 2 and 3, Grandpa Hill has a much better time than day one of this 500 mile adventure across Michigan by four teenage boys. In Day 1 the Lapeer County sheriff deputy was called to question him and he was rescued and escorted by the North Branch police. In Day 2, his friend Bill gets cut by Dean and his big bowie knife. Later Dean insists on showing his knife as they pedal on MI-46 in downtown Saginaw. The next morning little girls […]
COMMENT BELOW – Share what you thought of this episode! Grandpa Hill was 16 years old and drawn to adventure. The adventure in this story is a 500 mile long bicycle trip in the early 1970’s. Four boys leave Rochester Michigan on their 10 speed bicycles. Not one of the boys had ever been even on an overnight bicycle trip. Their experience at camping was next to nothing. A recipe for disaster. Grandpa Hill, Don, knew that if they didn’t go this year they would never go. Summer jobs, graduation, college, military service, their interests, and their responsibilities would be […]
This story isn’t really about Devil’s night, a night of tricks and pranks. It is a story about an unfortunate—or rather fortunate—course of events that led to Sparky becoming the dog of Grandpa Hill’s family, way back when he was a just a boy of 11 years old. It was 1967 on a foggy Devil’s […]
Once upon a time there were two little boys in the back of their father’s aluminum flat bottomed fishing boat, two big boys took turns at the front, but the two little boys got bigger. As the four boys grew, one moved away, and, the little boys were crowded and heavy in the back of […]
In the spring of 1973, Rochester Michigan, Grandpa Hill found freedom, fun, and adventure on his light and fast 10 speed bicycle. He had saved up for this bike and it met all of his needs and then some. Grandpa had plans of pedaling his bike on many long rides packed with adventure. In this […]
Every year Grandpa went, with his family, to visit his Grandma and Grandpa Bonse in Northport Michigan. He remembers the great food especially his grandma’s raisin bread. Yum! Grandpa had adventures every year! A pine forest deep and dark and quiet, and the steep grassy hills behind the barn, set the “stage” for his vacation […]
In My First Car, Grandpa wants his own car. He is 16, it is 1973 and he doesn’t want to wait until he is 18. He has money from jobs and the recent sale of Brandy (his pony). Great Grandpa and Grandma Hill (his parents) do not want to repeat what happened to Grandpa’s […]
Grandpa Hill, decided in 1973 in the summer to sell his Brandy. He had received Brandy for his 13th birthday. As horse and rider Grandpa and Brandy had been through a lot together. Grandpa had learned to be responsible, to be a caregiver, and he learned how to ride well enough to stay on Brandy. […]
Grandpa Use Geometry to master his troublesome pony. Brandy has been holding his breath while Grandpa puts on the saddle. As result of 2 pi R Brandy gains three inches of looseness on Grandpa, so Grandpa goes flying when Brandy stops for clovers. The solution: Grandpa waits for Brandy to relax, then he cinches up […]
Grandpa gets a pony for his Birthday, Brandy. Brandy, as it turns out, is a thoroughly stubborn animal who fights Grandpa every step of the way. Hours of watching and reading westerns couldn’t prepare him for this bucking bronco. It doesn’t help matters that Grandpa knows neither head or hoof about caring for horses, much […]
Grandpa tells the story of his first and only driver's test, with his family's old stick shift 1970 (and 1/2) Ford Torino. On this driver's test the officer giving the test asked Grandpa a very important question, "Do you know how fast you are going?"
Brian the Navigator, Grandpa Hill’s True Story about one of his son’s amazing ability to know where he was and which way to go at the age of five. This story recounts what really happened to Grandpa Hill and his family in the summer of 1985.
Losing My Two Front Teeth is a story for Grandpa Hill’s 8 children, 22 grand children, and all children. Four of his grandchildren are ready for bed, listening to Grandpa Hill recall the fun time when he had his teeth and played in the clean sheets that his mother had washed and hung to dry.Losing […]
In this Grandpa Hill Slightly Wiser True Story, Grandpa loses a child at the Columbus Ohio City Zoo. Grandpa Hill had a system to make it easy for a lost child to find him. He wears a yellow shirt. The yellow shirt system failed and Brian, the lost child, had an adventure while lost with […]
In Trout Fishing for The First Time Grandpa Hill spends his last day of his first vacation away from home trout fishing. Way back in the 1970’s Grandpa Hill fished at a pond in Northport Michigan. The pond was completely full of brook trout! More trout than Grandpa had ever seen all in one place […]
Hide in seek is a very fun game, which everyone loves to play. Hide the bunny is also a very fun game, except when it is not. In Lots of Bunnies Grandpa Hill tells the true story, as best he can recall, how a bunny died because it could not breathe. A few days later […]
Can Grandpa really go sledding in the summer? According to his true story he sure can. Listen as he relates what fun he had with his family sledding on the hills at his Grandma and Grandpa’s place near Northport Michigan in the early 1960’s, IN THE SUMMER! Gorf doesn’t want to go sledding until he […]
When I Finally Go Camping! Grandpa tells the rest of the story of a time he really wanted to go camping. In Part 2, Grandpa now has enough platelets, and finally goes camping with his brother in Canada; where they meet several mosquitoes, a skunk, and not enough fish. Gorf is worried that Grandpa quits […]
Grandpa tells the story of a time he really wanted to go camping. A disastrous turn in his health threatens the trip. Grandpa’s platelets were mysteriously and quite completely gone! Listen to his intense efforts to to get those tiny little cells called platelets back up to normal safe levels. Marshmallow, the raccoon and Gorf, […]
Grandpa goes fishing in the unlikeliest of places. A pipe. Fishing without a fishing pole? Fishing without bait? How do you do that? This unique fun and challenging adventure, was also Grandpa’s Grandma’s way to afford pickled herring (suckerfish). Marshmallow the raccoon is quite excited and sees the value of play while working, and, of […]
Grandpa Hill tells the story of Lake Livernois to three of his 22 grandchildren. Grandpa and his brother Gerry make a lake! The story recounts how his seemingly harmless excitement at dam building, had a sobering not-to-be-repeated impact on his neighbors. A police car, fire truck, and a dump truck all come to make things right. Through […]
Some fun isn’t worth the price. As well as he can remember Grandpa tells this personal experience story of his first bike wreck of his childhood. He learned about listening to his mom, wearing his shirt and shoes when pedaling, using the right sized bike, and restitution. Credits: Produced by David RichmanExecutively Produced by Grandpa […]