A Foggy Christmas Morning In Kansas City

Merry Christmas From Marlena

It’s 7:35, and I’ve been up for an hour. Evie just walked in and made her coffee, so for the moment, we’re the only two awake on a gray, foggy 49° morning. We may see some sun if the fog burns off, but clouds are expected to move in this afternoon. We will be spending Christmas Day with Nick, Audraya, and the boys. 

8:23

Christmas Eve was quiet and uneventful, mostly because the boys spent the day with Audraya’s parents. Rats! That left just the five of us, with nothing in particular to do—sort of. Like today, I was up at 6:00 and was eventually joined by Mary and Tom around 8:00, Evie at 8:30, and Marlena at 10:00, the lucky gal. After coffee, the blog, and breakfast, Tommy got busy making Mary’s famous meatballs and tomato sauce for our Christmas Day dinner. We love that sauce and those meatballs and always look forward to them when we visit. The meatballs were fried, and the sauce was finished by noon.

Walk Along A Creek

Tommy And Marlena

Around midday, Tom, Marlena, and I went for a walk in the woods directly behind their house. They’re fortunate to have numerous nearby trails, some of which connect to the Katy Trail. We were out for about forty-five minutes and ran into a couple of families also enjoying a walk on such a warm day. It felt good to get some exercise. While we were gone, Mary not only baked a carrot cake but also squeezed in a workout in their gym.

New Bridge

Christmas Eve Hiking

We returned around 1:00, and Tom suggested we use his sauna. I put on my bathing suit, headed downstairs, and sat in the sauna for twenty-five minutes, listening to oldies-but-goodies on Tom’s phone. We both worked up a good sweat, so I took a shower to cool off. After that, I was ready for lunch—easy and tasty. I heated up a leftover hot dog and bun in the microwave and ate it with chips. I tried to nap but couldn’t quite fall asleep, so I spent most of the hour reading instead.

At Smoke In Lee's Summit

Around 3:00, we decided to drive into downtown Lee’s Summit. We walked around a bit before finding a table at a local bar and restaurant called Smoke. It was busy for Christmas Eve and stopped serving food at 4:00, so we quickly ordered beers and an appetizer. We also played around with a new app called Grok, which lets you edit any photo in a creative way.  It’s hilarious, and Evie and Marlena had a great time creating funny photos of us sitting at the bar. We left around 4:15, and the place was still crowded.

Baba With His Granddaughter

Back at the house, we relaxed on Tom’s screened-in porch overlooking the pool and woods. It was warm enough to sit out with a fleece, and Tom had a fire going, which made it especially pleasant. Around 6:30, Tom and I got busy in the kitchen—prepping the filets, boiling potatoes, and cleaning the asparagus. We ate around 7:00. Dinner was excellent: nicely grilled filets by Tom, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

Gals Relaxing While The Guys Make Dinner

After dinner, we sat in the living room, enjoyed a piece of carrot cake, and watched the third episode of the Taylor Swift documentary. What an amazing performer. We were all tired by then and went to bed just after 9:00. We are definitely getting old! 

An example of what I created this morning using the app Grok:

What Do You Think?

A Busy Day With 'Da Boys'

Great Granny And Rhys Yesterday Morning

Trail Leading From Tom's House

Tom's New Home

Fog Outside The Front Door

What a difference 24 hours makes. Yesterday at this time, Rhys was fired up after watching tractor videos while I sipped my coffee. Now it’s 7:45, the house is silent, and I’m drinking coffee while reading the depressing news in The New York Times. The gang is sleeping in as a dense fog alert blankets Lee’s Summit, warning drivers to stay off the roads. I can hardly see beyond the tree line myself. It’s unseasonably warm—53° already—and expected to reach the mid-60s later today.

Rhys Loving Water

A Well-Washed Great Grandson

Yesterday was a busy one, much of it centered on Rhys, who had slept over Monday night and is always delighted to do so. Mary was up early with him, followed by me at 6:00, then Tom and Evie. We enjoyed a leisurely morning of coffee, bagels, and Rhys. Mary and Evie kept him happily occupied, with Evie introducing him to one of our kids’ old favorites, Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town. After feeding himself yogurt, Rhys took a bath in the kitchen sink, cheerfully pouring water over his head.

Around 11:00, three of us—Marlena, Evie, and I—headed out to shop, stopping first at Target and then at Total Wine. I saved nearly ten dollars on box wine and seven on bottled wine compared to Chautauqua. We were home by noon, and Rhys soon went down for a nap.

Lunch was toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, after which I eagerly followed Rhys’s lead and took a nap myself. I was worn out, probably from the long drive on Sunday and Monday. I must have slept a good hour and a half because when I came upstairs, the house was quiet. Evie was on the couch, Tom and Marlena were resting, and Mary had taken Rhys to the doctor for a few vaccinations.

The Happy Parents

Aundraya, Rhys, And Billie

The Family

Around 4:00, we drove through busy Kansas City to Roeland Park, a Kansas suburb where Nick and Audraya moved a year ago. It’s a lovely neighborhood, and they have a spacious house with a great yard, outdoor patio, and screened-in porch. We got the full tour—bedrooms, living rooms, and basement—while enjoying libations and time with the boys. Both were awake when we arrived, though Tommy managed a short nap before dinner.

Grillin And Chillin

Tom And Rhys

Mary And Tommy J

Audraya, Marlena, And Mary

Nick grilled burgers and hot dogs outside, courtesy of Omaha Steak and hot dogs, gifts to Tom from a vendor. Everything was delicious, and everyone enjoyed the meal—even Rhys, who sampled hot dog bits for the first time. We stayed until 7:30, when both boys were asleep, then said our goodbyes and drove home through Shawnee Mission, where neighborhoods were festooned with remarkable Christmas lights. Many streets were crowded with cars out to admire them.

Tommy J

Tommy With Grandma Mary

A Happy Boy

We were home by 8:30, just in time for Evie’s bedtime. Tom and I watched the Dallas–Denver NBA game; only the two of us made it to the end—a Dallas victory. By then, we were more than ready for bed.

Christmas Lights On A Shawnee Mission Estate

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.