I hope those of you who have been reading my column over the years know of my propensity for boasting about my granddaughters, If I diverge for a moment to view some of the less salutatory aspects of "grandpahood."

So, how about that often asked question: Is my memory failing? Or am I just becoming less interested?

Going off to college sets a scene we're all familiar with. Same routine, different child, but the emotions never change. The new generation leaves the nest and déjà vu rules.

This year, my adopted granddaughter Aundy Fellhauer, once a student at North Fork School and the daughter of Teresa Fellhauer, began this stage of her life.

Well, I'm back. I went to Missouri to see my granddaughters.

Some readers might remember the column I wrote on my first trip to that faraway place. We went by plane and I wrote about the trauma of it all.