Juliet

I called my grandfather Pop-pop. Much like my grandmother "Mary"'s name - this is what I grew up believing his parents had named him. He was an eccentric man so why not have an eccentric name to go with it?
He did a lot in his life. Most of it a bit shady, slightly reprehensible and completely risky, but he was my grandfather and he made no apologies for himself - ever.
The first time he took me in his plane we flew from Hudson airport in southern Michigan to Evart Municipal airport in North Central Michigan. It took longer for my Mother to drive me from our home to Hudson than it did to fly the remaining 200 miles to his home at the lake. I was 13 years old. I was scared - most because my grandfather was crazy and even at 13 I knew that he lived life by the seat of his pants so to speak. I didn't entirely trust him.
Once we got in the air - I slept. The next thing I knew, we had arrived. We sounded the 'come pick us up at the airport' alarm by 'buzzing' the lake. This amounted to making a very low, swooping arc over the cottage nearly ripping the shingles from the roof and the limbs from the surrounding trees. This was my Pop-pop's style.
The next day my grandfather took me on a road trip to another lake.There are millions of them in Michigan. Just drive a half mile and you'll run into one. This lake had a tiny community that bordered one side. It's still there. Withing that community was a dinette. They served shrimp baskets - strictly off limits according to his doctor. But we made a beeline for it - and I wasn't to tell anyone.
On the way he asked me questions about the plane ride. You know, the usual. Did I like it? (very much.)  Could I see out? (not really.)
It was a terrific clandestine day. On the way home - he pulled off at a roadside stand and bought a paper sack full of plums. I think he ate half of them just getting home. He loved them.
The next day he asked me if I wanted to go into town with him. He didn't say what for, but there wasn't much else going on, so I went.
He pulled into the Evart Municipal Airport, left me in the car and told me to wait. He had to go to a "business meeting." If you knew Pop-pop at all, you'd know that when he called something a business meeting it meant that there was probably going to be a lot of good ol' boy-ing and even more b-essing. He came out after what seemed like eons and formally introduced me to Juliet - his plane. She was a Piper. Blue and Orange stripes on a white body.

We flew again that day - I was under strict orders not to tell about this trip either - I sat in the front seat this time. I could almost see over the control panel. I could definitely see out the side window. Here is what I saw.

When we got back home I was to tell anyone who asked that we had gone to Reed City, then stopped at the A&W Drive-In for root beer floats on the way home. We did see both of those places during our flight. It wasn't a total lie.