Afternoon With Family, Morning With Rhys

t

Tommy J

Backyard View Of Pool And Woods

The Family

It’s 7:00, and I was up at 6:10, joining Grandma Mary and Rhys. He was watching a video about tractors and trucks while eating a bowl of blueberries. He loves staying overnight at his grandparents’ house, and they clearly enjoy it just as much. A little later, Tom, Rhys, and I rushed outside to watch the garbage truck arrive. Rhys waved enthusiastically, and the driver obliged with a blast of the horn as he pulled away.

Dining Room

Yesterday’s road trip to Lee’s Summit was uneventful—just long and boring. The only rough stretch was driving around St. Louis, five to six lanes of driving hell. Both sides of the highway were lined with buildings and shops, especially car dealerships, and the strip malls seemed endless. Once past that, it was smooth sailing until we neared Kansas City, where traffic picked up again. Eventually, we arrived at Tom’s house, where Tom, Mary, and Marlena were outside waiting for us.

Rhys And Granny

Grandma Mary And Rhys

Rhys Watching A Truck Video

They moved into their new house about a year ago, and this was our first visit. It’s a striking place, essentially with two living rooms: one above the pool that includes the kitchen and looks out over the woods, and another at pool level with a couple of TVs, a bar, and a workspace for Tom. We got settled quickly and caught up on their lives, but mostly we waited for Nick and Aundraya to arrive with our two great-grandsons, Rhys and Tommy. The afternoon was spent watching Rhys play and taking turns holding Tommy. Both boys are a delight, and we envy Tom and Mary for having Nick’s family living so close.

Tommy With Grandpa Tom

Wearing Grandma Mary's Glasses This Morning

Nick and Aundraya both have busy lives since they work full-time, though each has taken advantage of three-month parental leaves at different times. Earlier, Tom pulled out 20 pounds of wings, doused them in hot sauce, and let them blacken in his smoker for a couple of hours. After a couple of glasses of wine and some quality time holding Tommy, he went down for a nap. We sat down to dinner—wings, salad, baked beans, and cream corn from a local barbecue place called Smoke Stack. Everything was delicious, and I happily finished off the beans and corn. Yum.

Morning With Rhys

Tommy With Great Granddad 

Nick and Aundraya took Tommy home around 6:30, and Mary put Rhys to bed at 7:00. Earlier, Marlena had baked cookies to take to a party, so she left around 7:30 and planned to spend the night at Nick’s house since it was close by. The four of us struggled to stay awake until 8:30 while watching the NFL game, but by 9:00, we were all in bed, worn out from the drive and a busy, wonderful afternoon with the boys.

Six Hours To Kanas City And Family

Morning at 6:24 In Effingham

Sun Rising Over Steak And Shake At 7:14

Like most road trips, I am up at 6:00 to take advantage of Hamptons Inn's breakfast along with other travelers. Evie usually sleeps in and texts me for coffee when she wakes. So far, it's 6:49, and I have not gotten a text. She just texted for coffee at 7:10. 

Sunday was a long day, nine hours long as predicted for our road trip from the lake to Effingham, IL. We left at 7:30, and our first stop was on Ohio 271 for breakfast and gas near Wooster. I continued driving around Columbus, then west on #70 until near Dayton, when Evie took over. Just as we were entering Indiana, a warning popped up on Waze, an app on our phones, warning us of a one-and-a-half-hour delay unless we got off at the next exit. After much indecision, we took the detour and followed back roads for close to a half hour until we got back on #70. As we looked back east, there was no traffic, so #70 was still blocked. We made the right decision to follow Waze. 

Typical View Of The Flat Lands In Indiana

We then traveled west to Indianapolis, with little traffic until we hit the city, and it was back to normal traffic once we got around it. We stopped at McD's just before Indianapolis, waited for at least ten minutes for our lunch, and then I drove through the city and on to Effingham. We arrived at 5:00 our time, 4:00 Central time, and quickly moved into our room and relaxed for an hour.

Firefly Grill

We have always liked to stop in Effingham because we love the Firefly Grill, about 100 yards from our Hampton Inn. It's about as nice a restaurant as we have been in, warm and friendly, and always crowded. We got there early, 6:00 our time, 5:00 Effingham time, and easily found a seat at the bar. 

A Comfortable Bar

We ordered Blue Moon drafts, nine bucks a pop, and they have a device to chill your glass. Cool. The menu is vast and expensive. I ordered shrimp risotto and an appetizer, steamed buns tacos, stuffed with chicken and spices. Both were great, and we watched the Steelers/Lions game on TV. 

We left at 6:30 Central Time, came back to our room, and watched more football and read until 8:45. We were really tired by then and turned off the lights and slept pretty well. 

Road Trip

6:40

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We are on our way to Effingham, Illinois, once we have our coffee and breakfast and finish up the blog. We hope to arrive at our son Tom’s house in Lee’s Summit, a suburb of Kansas City, by mid-afternoon on Monday. By the way, Happy Winter Solstice. 

Saturday was a busy day spent preparing for our trip—finalizing what we wanted to take and making a trip to the Transfer Station. We both worked on packing in the morning, and I was finished by 10:00. After cleaning out the refrigerator and shoveling the parking area, I headed to the Transfer Station, where I was the only car there. I was back home by 10:30, parked the car in the garage for the next couple of weeks, and then took the Kia to Hogan’s to fill up with gas. Once home again, I charged the plug-in battery for a couple of hours, and the car was ready for the trip.

Evie made me an omelet with toast for lunch, after which I watched my show and took a brief nap. We had been invited to another gathering on Saturday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00. Unfortunately, Evie still wasn’t feeling well, so we decided it was best for her to stay home. Our neighbors, Barb and Jim, kindly offered to drive, so we left at 1:40 and were the first to arrive at Tom and Julie’s beautiful house, set on 60 acres of snow-covered woods with a small frozen lake—a perfect winter setting. It’s their tradition to drink champagne at Christmas time, so that’s how the afternoon started, along with excellent appetizers. About a dozen of us gathered around the kitchen island or sat on the sun porch, overlooking the woods. Julie was my yoga teacher for several years, and Tom had invited both Jim and me to help make sauerkraut back in October. We stayed until 4:45 before heading back to Woodlawn.

Great  Friends, Julie And Tom

When I returned home, Evie was relaxing in the TV room and was fully packed for the trip. I’m sure having that done helped her feel better. We had an easy dinner—salad and hot dogs at 6:15, and I wasn’t very hungry after all the appetizers and cookies earlier in the afternoon. We watched our show, reviewed what we needed to do in the morning before leaving, and then Evie went upstairs to bed. I watched a little more TV but soon tired and headed upstairs, hoping for a good night’s sleep.

Windy, More Snow, Some Sun

7:23

7:44

7:57

8:29

 It's 8:10 on a cold, 18º morning. Once again, the yard and lake are white as we received four or five inches of snow yesterday afternoon and evening with Thursday's high in the 50's and today in the teens.

Friday was a boring day until the evening. We were both up early for no reason and sat around trying to figure out the best way to get our car to the mechanic for a rear brake replacement and oil change. So I drove there around 9:10, dropped my car off at Keystone, and Evie picked me up ten minutes later. We came home and started the onerous task of getting ready for tomorrow's roadtrip, with lots of washing and trying to figure out what clothes to bring. We have two days, so we were in no hurry; in fact, we will probably put off the final decisions until Saturday afternoon. We have had a hard time making decisions lately. 

I had the leftover pasta and meatballs for lunch and watched another episode of my show. Around 2:00, we drove back to Lakewood, navigating snow and icy roads, and picked up the Kia, ready for a 1600-mile drive to Kansas City and back. When we returned, I was tired and took a decent nap. I showered around 5:00 because our neighbors were having a Christmas Party. Unfortunately, Evie was dealing with a bad headache and couldn't go.  

Ladies Of Woodlawn

Three couples live here year-round, three more come up quite often for winter weekends, and one couple grew up here, so it was a Woodlawn Christmas Party with lots of appetizers, libations, and talk. When I returned home around 8:30, Evie was already in bed. I was tired from too much red wine and watched some of my series, but went up to bed early and fell asleep reading. 

An Ugly Late , Late, Fall Morning

7:19

8:29

Well, the snow has begun to melt, the lake is gray instead of white, and the lawn is starting to show green in our front yard as the temperatures fluctuate. Either rain or snow is expected this morning as the temperature hits 33º.

Swans On Thin Ice

Three More Swans, Looking For Breakfast

Thursday was a strange day. I was up early as usual, obsessing about our trip west. Evie slept in because she was not going to school until later in the morning. I had breakfast with the gus at 8:00, and before I left, I had to scrape the ice off the car windows. I returned at 9:10 and finished up the blog. Evie finally went to school, her last day until January, around 10:30, with a bag full of gifts for each kid in her class. I volunteered to return some of her Amazon packages. One had to be returned at a UPS outlet, so I drove to to Jamestown, to the UPS store on Foote Avenue. On the way home, I stopped at the bank to cash a few checks and get out some money for our trip. 

A Spectacular Afternoon Sky

I was home by noon and heated up some of the leftover pizza for lunch. I watched my show, but to my dismay, Prime viewing is no longer commercial-free, a new way to rip off its clients, even though I am paying 139 bucks a year to be an Amazon Prime customer.  After lunch, I read and napped until Evie returned, around 3:00.  At 4:00,  I went over to a friend's house for beers with the guys and stayed until 5:30. When I returned, Evie was finishing up the pasta and meatballs for our dinner. We relaxed in the living room until 6:15, then ate and watched a couple more episodes of our series. When Evie went to bed, I watched a quarter of NFL on Prime, then finished up another season of Prime Suspect before going to bed. 

Here Comes The Sun

Why We Are Driving 14 Hours to Kansas City For Xmas

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It’s 9:14, and I’ve just returned from Bemus, where I had breakfast at the Lake Life Café. For those familiar with the Lenhart Hotel, it is now surrounded by a wire fence. I can’t help wondering if this means they are finally about to begin renovations—something that has been promised for a couple of years.

7:12

7:32

9:14

The Bridge This Morning From Bemus Point

Wednesday was another busy day. By 7:30, we were on our way to Westfield because Evie had a couple of tests at the Westfield Hospital. I dropped her off, then waited for her at the Full Strength Coffee shop in Westield. I had breakfast, coffee, and finished the blog. Around 9:30, she texted me, and I drove back to the hospital to pick her up and then drove home.  

Full Strength Coffee In Westfield, NY

We were home by 10:00, relaxed, and eventually, I decided to go for a walk, hoping to head into the woods. The snow, however, was still too deep, so I walked in the campground instead for about forty minutes. With the warming temperatures, the paths were fairly icy, and I was glad I had my crampons.

View From Campground

Snow Piled from Porch Roof Shoveled

I was back by noon and ready for lunch. Evie heated up the last of the lentil soup and made me tuna fish sandwiches. I watched my series, did some reading, and tried to take a nap, but I kept worrying about my Kia. The dealer was supposed to call with an update on the air flap problem. When they didn’t, I drove over to make sure they knew I was unhappy.

When I arrived, they told me they still couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but that I could drive the car without harming the engine—though I’d get slightly lower mileage. I wish they had simply called to tell me that, because I would have brought Evie along. Instead, I had to drive home, bring Evie back in the Outback so she could take it home, and then return with the Kia. What a fiasco.

On the way home, I stopped at Wegmans to pick up prescriptions and ordered a pizza from the Ashville Country Store. I didn’t get back until 4:30 and was very happy to pour a glass of wine. We were both exhausted and grateful for an easy dinner—pizza and salad. We watched three episodes of our show, after which Evie went up to bed. I stayed up and watched a couple of episodes of Prime Suspect.

That Morning Sky

6:55

7:03

7:24

7:24

I am sitting at Full Strength Coffee in Westfield, and it's 8:52. I dropped Evie off for a couple of tests at the Westfield Hospital. It's warming up out there, 32º, and may get close to 40º as the day wanes. The sun has popped out occasionally, filling the coffee shop with its light. 

Westfield's Full Strength Coffee Shop

Tuesday was a boring day for me without a car. Evie left for school at 9:30, and there I sat, in my living room with my computer and Kindle, wondering what to do with the rest of the day. I like to get out and do something. After reading some and surfing the Net for positive news, I put on my hiking boots and crampons and decided to walk the campground. I had to walk through a foot and a half of snow to get to the campground, and their plowed roads. I was the only one out, except for a guy shoveling snow off the porch of a trailer. It was pleasant enough but windy on my way back to the house. I was out for 40 minutes, and it was just right, enough exercise to fill my day. 

Chautauqua Campground

Chautauqua Lake

I wasn't home until 12:45 and quickly made my lunch. I chopped up three hard-boiled eggs, added mayo, and had an egg salad sandwich to go with another bowl of lentil soup. I finished up another season of Prime Suspect just as Evie walked in from school. The rest of the afternoon was usual, with Evie watching her show, me reading, napping, then waiting for wine time. 

4:47 PM

Evie had her Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00, so wine time didn't start until 5:45.  Around 6:30, Evie fried up some perch we had frozen and made French fries in the oven and a salad. Dinner was ok, the French fries mediocre, alas, but the salad and ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert was great. We watched three more episodes of our series before Evie went to bed. I watched the finals of the NBA cup but was bored after 15 minutes and started another season of Prime Suspect before going to bed. 

.Here Comes The Sun

8:01

7:49

7:06

The sun is out, bright and cheery over the southern sky, whitening the lake with its rays. What a difference from the past couple of weeks. I have been up since 6:30, Evie 7:00 on a chilly 18º morning. Evie's off to school at 9:30, and I will be home alone, without a car.  

7:49

Monday was another day of shoveling, although the snow was not as bad as Sunday. I was up at 6:30 and Evie slept in until 8:00. We had our coffee and wrote the blog as usual, waiting for Smerconish to come on Potus radio at 9:00. We were taking the Kia in to the dealer around 10:00, to get the 'air flaps' fixed so I went out and shoveled the driveway and pulled the Outback out of the garage. We took both cars to the dealer, and I dropped off the Kia. We then drove home in the Outback, stopping at Tops to pick up some groceries for dinner. 

7:49

7:55

So for the next couple of days, we will be a one-car family. When we returned home, I had lunch, lentil soup, and a toasted cheese sandwich topped with jelly. I watched my show, then read some, tried to nap, and shoveled the drive once more before wine time at 5:00. Dinner was great, breaded pork chops and baked potatoes topped with butter and sour cream. We watched a couple more episodes of our series, and both of us have about had it and will start looking for something new to watch. Once Evie went up to bed, I watched a few minutes of football, then finished the evening with another episode of Prime Suspect. I finally finished my Patterson novel and started my fifth Thursday Murder Club novel, The Impossible Fortune, fluff but delightful. 

7:55