Tuesday, July 29 - Thursday, July 31, 2014
Tuesday, July 29
We began getting back in the swing of life in Mineola today. I went to Yantis for the weekly prayer meeting at First Baptist Church and then drove down to Our Little Lot to transfer some things from the house to Big V and mow and trim the lot. Meanwhile, Barbara stayed at the house, did laundry, and had a big meal ready at noon.
We were both tired from the trip and our morning exertions, so an afternoon nap (something that pretty much went by the wayside while we had the grandkids with us in Big V) was high on the priority list.
We received word this afternoon that a former Liberal student that we both taught, Maria Sandoval, had lost her fight with cancer at the very young age of 33. We were heartbroken over this, as we had watched Maria fight valiantly the last couple of years and had hoped and prayed that she would overcome this insidious disease.
For me, it was the second death to cancer of a former student in recent days. Randy Harris, one of my first band students in North Carolina back in 1970, passed away at age 57 after a long bout. It was another grim reminder that cancer is no respecter of age or gender. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends of Maria and Randy.
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Wednesday, July 30
We really were back in the traces this morning. I went out early and spent four hours mowing and trimming the yard and mowing the North 40, which hadn't been touched for a couple of weeks.
Barbara worked inside, first baking a new dessert she had read about, Brookies, a treat made with a fudge brownie mix and chocolate chip cookie dough slices. It's a good thing we have lots of neighbors and friends to share these treat with, because they are definitely not on our diet plan!
While the Brookies were cooling, Barbara turned to putting together a meal that reminded me of the ones the farm wives used to fix when I worked the wheat harvest in Perryton, Texas. We sat down to a meal of slow-cooked pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, and salad...Yum-Yum!!!
The trouble with a meal like that is that there are lots of dishes and cooking utensils to wash afterward, but we got everything loaded into the dishwasher that would fit, washed the rest by hand, and had the kitchen clean in time to take a short nap.
After our nap, we went on a visitation spree to hand out Brookies and see friends. Our first stop was across the street to see John and Wanda. Unfortunately, we didn't take the camera with us, so there was no photo of them.
Next, we went to Autumn Winds Assisted Living Center, which is just across the North 40 from us, but you can't get there from here without driving farther than than.
We visited with former next door neighbor Addie Provow, who just recently sold her house and moved to Autumn Winds. Addie broke an ankle just the other day, so she was moving around slowly, but was happy to see us and hear about the Big V trip.
On the other end of the building, we found Jenny Bunn, recently widowed when Elmer, Mother's oldest friend, passed away while we were in Portales in June. Jenny had been in Galveston with one of her sons a couple of weeks ago and is now back and going through all the processes that remain when a spouse passes away. But, Jenny was a very gracious hostess and wanted to know all about our adventures.
As we headed toward our last visitation at Aunt TJ's house, we commented that this must be our day to visit the Widow Ladies, as they are called in these parts. Uncle Harry passed away in November, 2005. Harry's death was the inspiration and impetus for our retirement in June of 2006 when we decided we wanted to visit family and friends at times other than funerals.
While we were at TJ's house, she asked me if I would take the old registration sticker off the front windshield of her car and apply the new one while we were there.
As we left TJ's house, Barbara said that we had one more important stop to make...at Sonic, since we hadn't been there in quite awhile. So, we made the Sonic run and then returned home to rest a bit and have supper.
Later, I drove out to Yantis for Praise Band rehearsal, but found that only a couple of members of the ensemble were there. I figured I just didn't get the memo about cancellation or rescheduling of practice and returned home...where I reread Danette's email and found that I just hadn't read it to the end. Oh, well...if that's the worst thing that's happened this week, it's been a very good week!
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Thursday, July 31
This was supposed to be a housecleaning day, but when we woke up, we were having a terrific thunder/lightning/rain storm, so we just focused (literally) on the wonderful rain that was falling. Barbara grabbed the camera first and began shooting almost as soon as she got up, by which time we had nearly three inches of water in the rain gauge, the street gutters were running like rapids, and the North 40 looked like Lake Edith.
The rain slacked off around 9:00 and we thought it might be done for the day, but then the skies darkened and here it came again, with lots of sound and fury.
We managed to get a few chores done throughout the morning, but nothing like we had planned for the day...working around the rain was just too much fun.
By mid-afternoon, the storm had abated to a few periods of drizzle every now and then and we were able to get outside and observe the landscape. The rain gauge was showing 3.5 inches, a Godsend for a very thirsty Wood County!
With the temperatures in the low 70's and the rain having stopped, we decided that a little wind therapy on Taz was what we needed after being cooped up in the house all day.
There was a large flock of these guys feeding on a rabbit that had made its last hop, but most of them scattered before we could get turned around and stopped to take pictures.
The new (well, relatively new) overpass on U.S. 69 just south of Mineola has some interesting decorative relief figures. Maybe one of these days we can take time to shoot each set individually.
And what's a Taz trip, even a short one, without one of Barbara's patented helmet selfies?
We rode through town and picked up the Loop from U.S. 80 West to try to get some shots of the sun breaking through the clouds, but the clouds ended up winning.
We headed back toward downtown, but this road left us wondering if we were anywhere close to civilization.
We managed to find our way back to the downtown area, but not before discovering some neighborhoods we didn't even know existed. Our next stop was at Sonic, because what's a Taz ride without a Sonic stop?
Before going home, we stopped off to see Ladd and Angela for a few minutes. Ladd has set three old saddles out on his fence and the horses have discovered that they are great for rubbing against. We didn't actually see the horses near the fence tonight, but we took Ladd's word for it.
When we are at Ladd and Angela's property, we feel as if we are miles away from town, even though we are right in the middle of it.
Ladd had never seen Taz lit up for night driving, so we took time to show off the illumination features.
And people wonder why we call it Taz...
We left Ladd and Angela's place and returned home to settle in for the night. The perfect end to the last day of a wonderful month.
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"Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need." - Sarah Ban Breathnach, Author of Simple Abundance
At Home in Mineola,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
Thursday, July 24 - Monday, July 28, 2014
Thursday, July 24
With the grandchildren and their parents gone, it was time to do some serious cleaning in and around Big V. Barbara started at the front of the coach and I started in the back and we dusted or wet-wiped every surface, cleaned mirrors and glass, vacuumed carpets, and swept and mopped the floors. I even managed to fix the doorknob to the bedroom...it had gotten stuck in the closed position when Jimmy was changing clothes the other night and we had to pry the latch open with a knife and then remove the entire assembly. I shot the assembly full of WD-40 today and got everything working again. Gotta love WD-40, for nearly everything that is supposed to move, but doesn't!
Next was laundry time. We normally do laundry every couple of days, just to keep from getting behind, but we hadn't been willing to give up grandkid time for laundry time, so we were pretty far behind.
We loaded the laundry hamper and all the towels that wouldn't fit in it into the car and drove over to one of the laundry rooms and filled several washers. While our clothes were churning, we went out to the pool deck for some quiet time and reading.
When the clothes were all washed, dried, and folded, we put them back in the car and returned to Big V to put everything away.
By then, it was time for lunch and some downtime before making a shopping list and going to Walmart in Burleson to get supplies for tomorrow night's big family get-together.
We were both suffering from Sonic Deficiency, so later in the evening we drove the six miles down I-35 to Alvarado for the cure.
Back at Big V, we settled in for a quiet evening of computer time and getting caught up with the world's events when disaster struck; Barbara's laptop crashed...not just a simple crash that could be fixed with a reboot or restart, but a total crash, from which there would probably be no restoration.
There was nothing to do then except share the one working laptop, a feat that wasn't particularly disastrous, but did remind us that we do not play well with others (or each other) when it comes to sharing a computer.
We did manage to get a blog published, but gave up trying to share the laptop as a lost cause and went to bed to read real books.
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Friday, July 25
It was a good thing we got all the housework and laundry done yesterday, because we spent nearly the entire morning at Best Buy, trying to make a decision about repairing vs buying a new laptop for Barbara.
After explaining what we were experiencing and hearing our options, we decided, after being told by the salesman that the Geek Squad could check out the Samsung today and give us some answers, to purchasing a new Dell laptop. We then returned to Big V to get the Samsung and returned to Best Buy to hand it over to the Geek Squad for diagnosis. We were told that the worst-case scenario was that nothing could be done with the crashed computer. The best case scenario was that the problem was a bad hard drive that could be replaced and the data files recovered.
The representative reiterated that they should be able to do the diagnosis and retrieve and load the data files to the new Dell by the end of the day.
Having done all that, we decided we'd get lunch at Panda Express. Leah and Ryan had just returned from church youth camp, so we asked them if they wanted to join us, but they said they were exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Besides, we'd be seeing them later today anyway.
So, we got our orders from Panda Express and once again headed south on I-35 W to Jellystone Park and Big V to enjoy lunch and get a little rest.
Not long after finishing our meal, we got a call from John saying that he, Carol, Randi, and Nick had arrived from San Antonio and were at Leah and Ryan's house. Since car passes for Jellystone were at a premium, we drove to the kids' house, visited awhile, and then loaded all of us in two cars to go back to Jellystone for the evening.
Later, Barbara's sister Nancy and her family drove in from Cleburne, so we had Nancy, Tom, Brandi (Tom and Nancy's daughter), Keylin (Brandi's daughter), John (Barbara's son), Carol (John's wife), Randi, (John and Carol's daughter), Nick (Randi's boyfriend), Leah, Ryan, and us, all gathered in and around Big V.
I fired up the charcoal grill to cook hot dogs and warm up some hamburger patties while Barbara fried up her mixture of diced yellow and zuchinni squash, red potatoes, onions, and peppers. Nancy brought a squash casserole, and soon we were eating likje kings and queens and having a wonderful time with multiple conversations rolling all around the group.
John, Ryan, and Nick left the group early to go to the vet and get Leah and Ryan's dogs from the kennel, but the rest of us spent time cleaning up the mess, sharing stories and getting caught up on each other's lives.
When Tom, Nancy, Brandi, and Keylin left, the rest of us loaded up and went back to Leah and Ryan's house to continue the visit under cool air conditioning. It was a great evening, but as it started to get dark, Barbara and I decided we were exhausted, so we said our goodbyes and returned to Big V for showers and a good night's sleep.
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Saturday, July 26
We figured the kids would be sleeping in at Leah and Ryan's house, so we did some sleeping in of our own in Big V.
When we finally did get going, we passed on having breakfast with the bunch (we were trying to stay faithful to our diet...well, as faithful as possible, anyway) having our usual breakfast before heading to Walmart to buy food for dinner tonight (which was definitely NOT on our diet.
When we got to the house, we unloaded and put away all the groceries and then the girls took off on a shopping spree.
We guys didn't document our morning, but we did make visits to the Army/Navy store (where I could have dropped a couple of hundred dollars easily, but didn't) and a gun shop, before going to Walmart for some last minute items for tonight's cookout.
We all returned to the house for a bit and then the girls, except for Barbara, went off to see a movie. Barbara and I began work on a couple of batches or Big Red ice cream, a staple for all family gatherings.
I went outside to oversee the churning operation and Barbara stayed inside to prepare potato salad.
It took a while, but once the ice cream was done we had the guys (and us) test it to make sure it was good enough for human consumption.
After the ice cream was packed in ice and salt and covered with towels and the potato salad was chilling in the refrigerator, Barbara and I cleaned up our mess and then made another trip to Best Buy to find out what was going on with the computers. One of the guys on the Geek Squad had been very rude to Barbara earlier in the afternoon, and when I called about the progress (or lack thereof), he told me the computer was "in the queue," which was evidently his stock answer whenever he didn't want to deal with a company.
When we got to the store, we talked to a young man who said that the new computer was ready last night and they should have called us. He apologized profusely for the bad manners of the other employee and set about making everything right, including overseeing the orderly transfer of all the data files and teaching Barbara how to use the new programs. We still had to leave the Samsung for a few days so they could run diagnostics on it, but we were prepared for that. At least Barbara had a working computer and a little training on how it operated.
We returned to the house and began preparing the food for tonight's meal. I was going to grill country style pork ribs, chicken breasts, and sausages, while Barbara oversaw all the other aspects of the meal.
When the girls got back from the movie, we all just sat around and visited while the meat cooked on the grill.
The evening was great fun as we laughed, almost cried, shared stories, took photos (lots of photos) and threw caution to the winds in regard to diets.
It was a wonderful evening of family fellowship, but as it got dark, it became time for us to say our goodbyes and head back to Big V. John, Carol, Randi, and Nick planned to head for San Antonio early the next morning, so we have them special hugs all around, thanked them for coming to see us, and wished them safe travel on their journey home.
We made it safely back to Jellystone Park and Big V, where we immediately cratered... totally exhausted from a wonderful day and ready to get a full night's sleep.
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Sunday, July 27
Ryan and Leah usually attend the second service at Nolan River Road Baptist Church in Cleburne, so we got some additional sleep-in time this morning before getting on the road to join them. We heard some great new music from the Praise Team and another timely and wonderful sermon/lesson from Pastor Larry York as we sat with the kids and met some of their friends.
We forgot to take the camera along this morning, so there were no photos...guess we just didn't look at our daily checklist.
The kids were going to return home to crash after their very busy week and told us they probably wouldn't come out to Jellystone to see us before we leave, so we had hugs all around and said our goodbyes before returning to the park and Big V, where we warmed up the leftovers from yesterday's Panda Express meal, had a little Big Red ice cream for dessert, and then went to bed to read a few pages of our books before taking our nap. We just didn't realize how totally exhausted we were from all the week's activities!
When we finally woke up and began moving around, we started getting things ready to pack and return to Mineola tomorrow. One of the biggies on our list was to go through the storage bins, get rid of some things we haven't used in four years, and generally reorganize the bins so they'd be ready for the next trip. We did some of the same inside, although it wasn't as cluttered as the storage bins.
By evening, we had things pretty much the way we wanted them. Barbara put the final touches on the inside and I downsized the patio area so we could sit outside tomorrow morning if we chose to do so.
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Monday, July 28
We hadn't planned to get away from Jellystone until around 10:00 this morning, but we both woke up early and refreshed enough that after a quick breakfast, we finished getting Big V ready for travel, hooked up the car, and pulled out of the park at 9:00.
Traffic was fairly light all along the way, so we easily merged onto I-20 from U.S. 67 and made our way to Mineola...where we hit the first traffic jam of the day. The highway department was repaving Loop 562 main intersections, and we waited in line for nearly 30 minutes just to go a half-mile to the Walmart parking lot to unhook the car.
We had to take some back roads just to get from Walmart to the house, but within another hour, we had unloaded both Big V and the car and then headed out to Our Little Lot to park the motorhome.
We had to go behind Walmart and back through the parking lot to get on Texas 37 and noticed a lot of flashing red and blue lights as we got on the road. It seems that southbound cars had a mighty collision, causing southbound traffic to be backed up for a couple of miles. Since we were northbound and that lane was open, we got out of the traffic jam and didn't encounter any other problems along the way.
Once we got to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork, we parked Big V under the shed, checked for anything we might have missed in the unloading process, then hooked up the electricity, closed her up.
Back at the house in Mineola, we spent the rest of the afternoon resting, decompressing, getting the house back in order, and reflecting on what a blessing the past ten days had been; God is Great, and God is Good...all the time!!!
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Back home again in Mineola, Wood County, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
Saturday, July 19 - Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Saturday, July 19 - Mineola to North Texas Jellystone Park
A Little Background...For about a year, we've thought of how to get various family members together for a visit at Jellystone Park near Burleson, Texas. Our grand idea, when we began thinking on it, was to park Big V at Jellystone for a month and let the grandkids take turns staying with us for several days. But, with the older grandkids having their work and school schedules, and the younger ones having their own activity and vacation schedules, it looked as if our plan, if it was to happen, would have to be pared down a little.
While we were in Galveston with Jaycie and Keaton, a plan started to come into focus, and when it worked out that Alexander and Abby were available for a few days and Whitney could bring Jimmy to the Dallas area for a visit, we took the plunge and reserved a spot at Jellystone to have a camping experience with Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy for the first time. We took Alexander and Abby to Galveston two years ago, but this was going to be a brand new experience for Jimmy.
With our plans made and after several days of preparing and packing Big V, we hooked on the car and began the two hour trip from Mineola to the Burleson area. And, as always, a camera and photos were involved.
It didn't take long driving across I-20 to see that others had somewhat the same idea. We took this photo of a rig that passed us because we were amused at the license tag on the car...IMINTOW. Since we are able to flat-tow the car now, maybe we need to look for a specialty tag...or not.
I had not begun reading Stephen King's Dr. Sleep, otherwise, I might have had thoughts far removed from and much more sinister than vanity license tags as we formed this mini-caravan for a few miles.
Traffic along I-20 and U.S. 67 was generally light, so we easily made it to Alvarado and then up I-35 W for about six miles until we reached our destination, Jellystone Park and Pirates Cove. After completing our registration, we were shown to our lot, where we pulled in, unhooked the car, and began setting up our home for the next 9 nights. On the good side, we had a nice, shady spot. The downside was that the lot was far from level, so it took quite a bit of adjustment to get the rig close enough to level that we could stand up straight and walk around in it without difficulty.
While Barbara took care of setting up the interior of Big V, I went outside and got our patio ready.
We had invited Leah and Ryan for supper, so Barbara went to work whipping up a meal inside.
When the kids arrived, Ryan and I did some work to complete the set-up, while Leah alternated between the inside and the outside, offering assistance where needed.
And then it was time for a fun family evening...good company, good food, and time for some photo phun.
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Sunday, July 20
Leah and Ryan were leaving after church this afternoon to take a group of kids to church camp at Mt. Lebanon, so we arranged to meet them for the early service at Nolan River Road Baptist Church.
We heard some great music from the choir and a wonderful sermon from Larry York (whose Mother lives in Mineola). Then, we went outside with Leah and Ryan for prayer and some pictures,
After saying our goodbyes, we got in the car and drove back to Jellystone to prepare for the arrival of the grandkids. Barbara went inside and fixed lunch while I sat at the lookout station.
Heather, Andy, Whitney, Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy arrived around 2:00. We got the kids' stuff moved into Big V and then we all sat around to talk and enjoy Barbara's pulled pork recipe (and take lots of pictures).
When the big kids left to return to Richardson, we briefly went over the rules for the grandkids and then set out to explore the park, beginning with one of the swimming pools.
Then we trekked back to Big V...
where we dried off, rested for a bit, and then headed across the R.V. park toward Pirates Cove to see what it was all about.
After drying off, we drove across the park to the inflatable village where the kids mastered the climbing wall. First, Alexander...
Then Jimmy...
And then Abby...
And then it was time to enjoy some bouncy fun...
When we returned to Big V, we dragged out the washer boards that Leah and Ryan left with us and had a heated washer tournament. Alexander was clearly the one to beat.
After all that activity, it was time to settle down for a meal. For supper, we had that good old campground staple, hot dogs with all the trimmings. When we had cleaned up our mess and washed the dishes, it was time for a walk to the shower rooms to get everyone scrubbed down. Big V has a perfectly good shower, and Grams and Gramps made use of it, but it would have taken way too long for the three little ones to shower in the motorhome.
When the kids were finished with there showers, we walked back to Big V to get the beds ready (Jimmy, who has never spent time with us in the motorhome) was enthralled with the push-button fold-out couch).
It was at this point that Grams and Gramps made their first big (as in H-U-G-E) tactical error. We had promised the kids S'Mores for a nighttime treat, never considering that small hands should NEVER be given such a gooey treat to enjoy in bed after taking a shower. That experience has already been filed away under "Don't even think about doing
this again!"
Once the messes were as cleaned up as they were going to be, we settled in for the remainder of a movie and then called it a night.
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Monday, July 21
Grams and Gramps got up relatively early this morning to enjoy a few moments of quiet before the start of the days activities. Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy weren't too far behind, though, and were soon ready for breakfast and adventures.
The kids got both breakfast and adventure in one package, as they helped prepare their own meal. Following Leah's advice, Grams had each of the kids mash a banana, put the mash in a cup, stir in two eggs, and then take the cup outside where Gramps would fry it on the griddle. The kids had fun, and the banana pancakes were delicious!
Then came the real fun...eating the finished product...
After eating and then gathering their trash and throwing it away, Grams and the Grands (sounds like a perversion of a 50's rock band), went across the street to the playground to get rid of some pent-up energy.
The playground only whetted appetites for more fun, so everyone came back to the lot for another round of washers. What we found from that experience is that Gramps is a sore loser.
Later, Grams came out and challenged Alexander to a game.
It was close, but Alexander continued as champion for another day.
While Gramps was taking pictures of the washer games, Abby, our budding photographer, was busy shooting the scenery and people (including a selfie) around us.
We all needed a little downtime for a few minutes, so Alexander and Jimmy broke out some Legos...
While Abby enjoyed being...just Abby...
One of the activities we observed last night was the Hey, Hey, Hey Ride, an old-fashioned hayride with a twist. The riders carried water guns and shot at campers along the way, while campers armed themselves with water guns, water balloons, and even water hoses and sprayed down the wagon.
The kids wanted to participate in the fun, but didn't have water guns, so we went to the Burleson Water-Arms Emporium (AKA Walmart) to make the appropriate purchases.
When we returned to Jellystone, we changed into our swimsuits and immediately went to Pirates Cove for an afternoon of fun in the sun and water.
Even Grams and Gramps found the cool water too refreshing to resist...
And for the kids, it was a no-brainer...
After enjoying as much splashing and sunning as we could stand for the time, we went inside to order lunch and take a break. The kids discovered the Jumping Frog attraction and rode on it while we waited for our food.
We returned to our cabana (Barbara's idea, and a very smart one at that) to enjoy our lunch in the shade.
And then it was time to attack the water again. The sign said "Beware of the Pirates," but we were thinking that maybe the pirates should beware of Alexander, Abby, and Jimmy!
The kids were enjoying the splishing and splashing, slipping and sliding, and Grams was doing a great job of chaperoning, so Gramps decided to read a couple of chapters and take a little siesta...and, yes, that is a copy of Stephen King's Dr. Sleep, maybe not a highly appropriate choice for this activity.
When we were finally completely wrung out from all the fun at Pirates Cove, we returned to the main building, the kids had an ice cream treat, and then we waited for the afternoon fire truck ride through the park. Jimmy was developing a headache, so he went to Big V with Grams, while Gramps stayed with Abby and Alexander for the ear-splitting ride. there must be some OSHA regulation about fire sirens!!!
Armed with the trusty camera, Abby recorded this event for posterity.
When the fire truck ride was over, we returned to Big V so the kids could take part as active spectators in the Hey, Hey, Hey Ride.
We had a cool-down time of movies in Big V, just to get out of the sun for awhile.
And then after a supper of Gramps' world famous spaghetti and meat sauce, it was time to hit the swimming pool again, this time armed with weapons of wet destruction.
And then it was time for showers, followed by the evening movie in Big V and a night of deep sleep!
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Tuesday, July 22
The kids woke up ready and raring to go for another day. After changing their "bedroom" back to a living room and then having breakfast, they headed across the street to the playground to get "warmed up" for the day's activities.
Then it was back to Big V to watch Frozen until time to go to the activities center.
And then it was time to go to the Bear's Den (activity center) to register Abby and Jimmy for the karaoke contest. We had some time to kill before karaoke started, so we went through the door to the store, where the kids found a machine that filled plastic tubes with various colors and flavors of powdered sugar (had to get there sugar fixes to handle all the activities of the day).
Prior to the karaoke event, we took time to have our photos made with one of the bears.
And then it was time to watch and listen as first Abby, then Jimmy, performed on stage, with each of them doing a fantastic job and receiving thunderous applause from the audience.
The entertainment continued as Abby and Jimmy teamed up as impromptu dancers while others sang.
Gramps wore his "Property of My Grandkids" tee-shirt today, so after the karoke bit, we stepped outside for this photo.
After all that hard work of entertaining the masses, it was time to return to Big V to eat lunch, change clothes, and head to the pool for some water time for the kids.
Nancy, Barbara's sister, came over from Cleburne to have some "sister time" and go out for lunch while I stayed with the kids for a couple of hours.
While Barbara and Nancy were out having their fun, the kids and I went to the activity center for the afternoon Bingo session. To be admitted to the session, each of participant purchased a $1 candy bar and then put it in a basket to be used later as a prize.
Jimmy was the winner of the first game, and his prize was 3 candy bars, so we broke even for the session.
When Barbara and Nancy returned, we enjoyed a little downtime in Big V.
And then it was time for more activities. Grams took Abby to the activity center for arts and crafts time.
And a photo session with Yogi, himself...
While Gramps took Alexander and Jimmy to the laser tag range...
We decided that instead of another swimming session, we'd go to the Dry Zone at Pirates Cove and see what fun and games it had to offer.
Supper tonight was grilled hamburgers with all the trimmings. Since it was the last night the kids would be with us, we spent time gathering loose ends and packing dirty clothes before turning on the TV and watching a couple of movies.
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Tuesday, July 23
Today was our last day with the grandkids, so we decided to make the most of it. First was breakfast, and it was obvious the kids were having a good time with it.
Once the dishes were done and everything was put away for the day, the kids decided to recycle their sugar candy tubes from yesterday and use them for drinking tubes (and also get the last of the sugar into their systems.
The kids were really great about helping with housekeeping chores each day. One of today's chores was to haul the accumulated trash to the dumpsters.
With chores out of the way, it was time to go to the activities center. The boys decided they wanted to paint ceramic figures, and Abby wanted to finish the one she started yesterday.
And then we had finished products...Jimmy with his Rainbow Kitty...
Alexander with his Yogi Bear...
And Abby with her Penguin...
Our time together was winding down. With only a couple of hours until Andy and Whitney were due to pick up the kids, we voted that pool time and lunch would be a good way to wrap up our camping experience.
We had just finished lunch on the pool deck and the kids had jumped into the pool for one last dip when Andy and Whitney arrived (Heather left early this morning to go to North Carolina for a college visit). We made our way back to Big V, got all the kids' things transferred to the car, shared some favorite memories, and then said our goodbyes as the kids, Andy and Whitney climbed into the car to head back to Richardson.
And then we were alone...it was so very quiet and we had nothing on the agenda, at least for the remainder of the day.
We spent the remainder of the day doing absolutely nothing important...just enjoying special time in Big V with some wonderful memories of a great time with grandkids.
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"Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old," - Mary H. Waldrip, Author
From Jellystone Park near Burleson, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
