Good Morning From Kansas City

Our Granddaughter, Marlena, A Freshman At the University Of Arkansas

A Missouri Morning

It's 8:00 and sunny here in Lee's Summit, a suburb southeast of downtown Kansas City.  I was up at 7:00 and let Evie sleep in for the first time in a while.  Tom and Mary just got up so the three of us are sitting here on our devices, drinking coffee.  It should be a fine late autumn day with temperatures reaching into the 50's in the afternoon,  

Sun Rising In Oklahoma

We were not looking forward to yesterday's eight-hour drive but it was better than we thought and we made it in under eight hours, arriving at Tom and Mary's before 2:00. We did get a good start from our hotel and were on #75 heading north out of Dallas by 6:10.  It takes a good forty-five minutes to an hour before we were out of the Dallas suburbs and into the countryside. We drove past a couple of stores with parking lots already filled with cars as the Black Friday shoppers were out early. 

We took #75 north, then #69, a minor four-lane highway, driving through an occasional small town and having to stop for a stoplight or two. We stopped once for breakfast at McDonald's, once for gas and that was it for our eight-hour drive. We were fortunate with the weather, sunny and blue skies most of the way although early morning it was cold, the fields on the side of the road white with frost.  

Happy To Be Back In Kansas City

Marlena And Me

Tom, Mary, Marlena, and Bella were in the front yard waiting for us, with Bella seemingly the most excited to see us. We came right in, unpacking the car later. It was our first time to visit KC since last Spring and the family was able to visit us this past July for a week. We sat around their kitchen island until Nick and Aundraya came over and then it was time for libations and happy hour.  Tommy made us killer old fashions and Mary heated up some wings for an appetizer.  

Aundraya, Nick, Chris, And Marlena

Better Together

The Kitchen Crew

Nick's best friend from high school, Chris, stopped over and stayed for dinner which was great.  He, along with Nick and another friend, Peyton, spent a week at the lake after their high school graduation in 2016. 

Steaks Are Ready

For dinner, Tom went crazy and bought a slab of prime steaks from Costco. While we enjoyed happy hour, Tommy cut seven inch thick steaks and seasoned them with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  He then stoked up his Weber Smoker to 500 degrees and grilled the steaks for about 10 minutes until they were medium-rare.  He then put slabs of butter on each steak and let them rest for 10 minutes before we sat down to eat.  

No Turkey Tonight

They were the best steaks I have had in quite a while and with salad, rice, and leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner we had a feast. For dessert,  Mary made her famous carrot cake and a banana cream pie.  I had both.  We then sat in the living room, watching the best of SNL until 9:30 when we all were tired enough to go to bed. 

Dusk