Had a slow start to the day…slept in a little, and then Barbara worked on Friday’s entry and the blog. For some reason, the pictures wouldn’t transfer to the blog the way they were supposed to, so that part didn’t get completed until later in the day.
Heather and Andy are in the process of purchasing a new house and had asked us if we would help watch the kids for a part of the day while they went over the inspection. The only question was when it would happen. We had planned to leave about 11:30 to go meet them, but Andy called at 10:45 to say that things had moved up a bit, so we hopped in the car and met them at the far eastern side of Garland…then followed them to the location of their new house, somewhere in Richardson.
Our job for the time was to watch Alexander and Abby, but they were clinging to their mom and dad for the most part, so we were there more for moral support than anything. Alexander finally loosened up and showed us the new house, especially “his” new room. He did stay still long enough to have his picture taken beside the fireplace before we all left at the end of the inspection.
From the house, we followed the kids to a really nice outdoor mall, the Firewheel, right off the eastern end of the George Bush Turnpike. The first order of business was to grab sandwiches at Charley’s, a new place for all of us (and we highly recommend it if you’re in the neighborhood…great Philly steak and chicken sandwiches at a really reasonable price).
Right next door to Charley’s was a Carter’s store (clothing for the little ones), so that was also a “must stop.” Heather wanted to look at some things for the kids, and we took the opportunity to find a little something for Alexander, Abby, and Little Jimmy (oops…Whitney and Jim, that’s a surprise, so just disregard that part).
We’ve been pleasantly surprised in our travels to find that shopping malls are really beginning to cater to parents with small children in tow by providing nice recreation areas. This mall was no exception, with a very nice outdoor play area (spongy synthetic playing surface and great “rides” for the kids. We managed to spend about 30 minutes watching, playing, and taking a bunch of pictures (although, as with yesterday’s efforts, the kids moved so fast that we ended up deleting about 4 of every shots because they moved out of range before the shutter snapped).
When we were finished at the playground, Barbara and I made a visit to Barnes and Noble to see what they had that we couldn’t live without. I’ve been looking for a copy of “Lakota Noon” (an Indian perspective of the Battle of Little Big Horn) for the past year, but haven’t been able to find it anywhere in the country. Since it was written in the early 1970’s, it’s hardly standard fare at most bookstores. As usual, the Barnes and Noble shop didn’t have it, but the young man working the counter looked it up and was able to special order a paperback copy for me. Wes Fox, it looks like your personal copy is safe for now. We can compare notes later.With a couple of purchases in hand and the book on order, we met up with Heather and Abby and returned to the car where Andy and Alexander were waiting for us. Then, it was back on the road to the kids’ apartment in Carrollton to visit for the afternoon (but not without a stop for Barbara and me at the local Sonic…Diet Coke for her and a cherry limeade for me…great stuff for a 94-degree afternoon).
The little ones were asleep when we got to the apartment, so we passed the time visiting, working at our computers, and watching television. Heather whipped up a great meal…barbecued brisket, ribs, biscuits, and salad that we thoroughly enjoyed. After a wonderful lemon bar dessert, it was time for us to say our goodbyes and head back up to Denton to get ready for our Sunday morning departure.
From the Destiny RV Ranch,
Jim and Barbara
“You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.”…Anonymous
