Brandon,
Your post is in no way out of line. I have a similar story but it involves my Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill was the epitomy of a western Pennsylvania outdoorsman. A miner by trade but a hunter and fisherman in his spare time. Every summer my family would drive the 4 hours or so from Cleveland to Rural Valley, just east of Kittanning to visit grandma and all the aunts and uncles and cousins for a week. Every year my uncle would offer for my brothers and I to stay for as long as we wanted. Unfortunately I was too much of city woosie to take Uncle Bill up on that offer. As I have gotten more involved in the outdoors the last 12 years or so, it has made me realize what an opportunity I wasted. I could have learned so much as a kid that I didn't discover until I had children of my own and got involved in scouting. My father isn't an outdoorsy guy so we didn't camp or fish growing up. My uncle was such a great guy all around. I miss him still and regret I didn't take that chance to stay. My most treasured rod and reel is an unknown spin/fly combo rod and automatic reel that my aunt gave me a few years ago. The reel sits on my tying table. I always think of Uncle Bill when I see it and anytime I am in the woods, or at a pond or in a stream.
Thanks for sharing,
Mike