We were on the road again this weekend – and this time our destination took us north to Des Moines, home of Ralph, Blair and their 2 beautiful girls who just happen to be 2 of our granddaughters. Almost as good as seeing the little girls was getting a 3-day weekend. We had hoped to travel on the motorcycle but the weather report on Thursday had us vascillating between which Honda to take – in the end we opted for the Accord and our decision was verified when we rode through some heavy rain on Friday.
We last saw Ralph and the girls in early July but since Lydia started walking she has definitely slimmed down – gone are the thunder thighs and bhudda belly to be replaced with her new longer and leaner look – still with the gorgeous dark complexion and killer brown eyes. She has decided to remain mute for now but clearly understands everything that is said to her and entertained us royally with her anctics – often at the delight of her big sister and sometimes to Julia’s dismay as little sis grabbed the spotlight.
The guys got to play golf yesterday morning and Ralph and I ran a few errands and then took the girls to the park to play. This particular park has an awesome slide and Julia showed her fearless nature by quickly climbing to the top and zooming down – then we headed to the historic carousel and delighted in riding the assortment of animals as the old-time music played. Since we hadn’t brought lunch with us we went home and had a picnic in the backyard and watched the girls enjoy their playset.
Ralph and I managed to get in a little shopping while the girls napped – hit the shoe sale at Dillard’s and then snapped up a few other bargains in the mall before heading home for more playtime in the backyard. After dinner Julia and I walked to her favorite ice cream stand, Snookie’s. It’s over a mile from home but she was raring to go and we had a delightful time singing silly songs and waving at our shadows on the sidewalk. Burl met us for a treat and drove us home and Julia exclaimed she was glad he picked us up because she was SO TIRED – what a Drama Queen she is!
Our drive home today was uneventful and with temps in the 80s and clear skies we were regretting our travel decision – it was a perfect day for the motorcycle! However, I enjoyed plenty of time for knitting and reading and while I can read on the back of the motorcycle, knitting has it’s own set of challenges with the wind.
A few days of work and we’ll be on the road again………..next stop, Kansas City!
