It was a short drive today, only 2 hours to Ben and Jill's house. It was great to see them all again. They had unfortunate news that on their return home yesterday from a family vacation, her parents discovered terrible water damage to their home from a malfunctioning refrigerator water line. Furniture, new carpet, cabinets, the ceiling are all destroyed. Their home was to be sold and closed this week on Friday and the buyers have decided to stick with their plan and to have the repairs done. They close on their new home tomorrow. I feel awful for them - not what you want to see when you return home from a vacation.
Wednesday, August 19. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ELDEST SON, PAT. Boy, are you getting old! This is something that I knew was going to happen but I never really pictured how it would look today. Now, it kind of makes me feel old too, after all, 1969 was a long, long, time ago.
Today, Charlotte and I headed out to Baker Park Reserve to camp for a couple of nights. We were supposed to go yesterday but it was cold and rainy and they were willing to change my arrival date. It has been very cool today also, with rain every now and then but not since we arrived here. I love this place, the sites back up to woods, have plenty of space and lots of areas to explore and hike. There are lots of folks in the tent loops, but the RV loops are wide open. A very nice man helped to guide me into my site and he said "I'm really proud of your for doing this on your own, most women wouldn't even try it." That was a nice compliment and these days, I hardly think twice about going solo.
We had a little snack and then headed for the playground where it got crazy on the tire swing. Dinner and bedtime were shortly after and we talked and laughed and read and giggled until almost 10:00. We had pasta for dinner and Charlotte got silly and started eating it with her hands, it was sticking to her face and she got the giggles so hard that she couldn't quit laughing. Grandma had to be grandma and put a stop to it before it became a big mess.
She is into Sasquatch these days and we both got scared thinking that he was in the woods and might get inside our camper. I assured her that Sasquatch is also a friendly guy and she let him (that would be me) brush her hair when it needs it. What a vivid imagination!
My little camper girl, just waiting for me to get set up.
Thursday, August 20. We slept in until 8:30 and decided that we wouldn't even make the bed today. She can reach the counter for eating a little easier with the couch made into a bed. Our morning walkabout led to the beach where we remembered that dogs weren't allowed, so Frisco had to be tied to a picnic table while we played. We also started working on our scavenger hunt, where we checked off several items on the list of things that we had to find. Our real beach time came later on when it warmed up a bit (still too chilly and windy for swimming). Charlotte spotted a White Pelican on the lake and I remember them from Rockport, Texas and I knew they migrated to the north but had never seen one here. I was talking with a man who told me that last fall, while they were camping here, a flock of about 1,000 of them flew over the campground.
She never tires of getting buried in the sand. The small pile on the left, with the stick in the middle is her shoes.
Sunday, August 23. Today marks Mike's 68th birthday and also Jill's brother, Casey's 38th birthday and they are both gone from us. It is sad that we can't celebrate these evens together any more.
Yesterday was a busy day too. While Ben's family all went to a birthday party, I ran some errands to pick up some necessaries and also shopped just to shop. When the little ones got up from their naps, we piled in the van and headed to Lois and Dennis' new home, about a 25 minute drive from here. Jill took lasagna and Caesar salad for dinner. The house is very contemporary with a beautiful lawn and is surrounded by woods and prairie of the nature preserve.
