A Day In Full

Rhys With Mom And Dad

Family Photo

Rhys With Pops And Nani

It's a sunny morning here in Lees Summit and a toasty 50º,  a later high of 67º. I am the only one up as usual since Rhys is home with his parents. Since it's Sunday, it's going to be another day of football, with the Kansas City Chiefs playing at noon, followed by a dinner of barbecued ribs, smoked much of the morning and afternoon in Tom's smoker. 

Rhys

With Marlena And Nick

Yesterday morning was a bit of a bore. I was up way too early, writing the blog, and waiting for everyone to get up. Once everyone was up, we planned our day, an afternoon with Rhys of course. Tom and Mary worked out at the gym while we enjoyed talking with our granddaughter, Marlena, home from college. Once Tom and Mary returned, we had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch, showered, got gussied up, and drove first to Flora Farms, so Evie could buy some gummies, then for some unknown reason, stopped at a Van and bought a Bonsai plant. 

Our Bonsai

Finally, we were off to a famous coffee shop in Kansas City called Messenger. It's more than a coffee shop because it's housed in a three-story brick building and serves coffee and has a bakery, making all kinds of goodies. We ordered coffee, cookies, and croissants, and took the elevator up to the second floor with more seating. Before leaving, we went up to the rooftop, which also has outdoor seating for a view of downtown Kansas City. 

Top Of Messenger Coffee Shop

Coffee At Messenger

We then drove to Union Station, KC's former train station, now festooned with Christmas lights, various light features, like carriages and arches, and huge model trail exhibits, the most extensive sets we have ever seen. Of course, we met Rhys and his parents there and took numerous photos of him and the rest of us in the various exhibits. He loved the light as well as the train sets. 

Mom And Rhys

Union Station

Christmas Trees

Train Sets

We were there for about forty-five minutes along with the throngs of families before driving off to the Boulevard Brewery, a huge complex of buildings. We parked near their beer garden, quite busy for a Saturday afternoon but were able to find a table. Ir's a neat venue, obviously very popular as are its various beers. We were there for maybe an hour, enjoying a beer or two before we decided to have dinner.

Rhys Enjoying A Brew With Baba

Boulevard Brewery

Sibs And Rhys

Aundraya And In Laws

Proud Grandparents

Nick And Me 

 We drove about ten minutes to a Mexican place called Le Patron and fortunately, they had seating for seven of us. It lacked ambiance because we were on the second floor but the pitchers of margaritas went down easily and the food was decent, not great. We took turns walking Rhys and let him try refried beans and guacamole, which he seemed to like. We bid adieu to Nick and family around 7:30 and were home by 8:00, tired but happy from our busy afternoon and early evening. We stayed up until 9:15 when all of us went to bed, happy with our day, looking forward to Sunday. 

Another Rhys Day

Rhys And His Nani

I was up at 6:15 and it's 7:20 now as the sun has come out on a beautiful blue sky morning. It looks like great weather over the next three days, with highs in the 60s today and tomorrow.

Costco Shopping

Yesterday was a full day, mostly because we had Rhys all morning and a good part of the afternoon. Obviously, he dominates our day, and we take turns playing with him. We sat around until 11:00, enjoying a coffee, bacon and eggs, and Rhys. By 11:00, however, Evie had convinced Tom we should make a Costco run so off we went, about a 25-minute drive. The shoppers at Costco are insane, aisles packed, shopping carts jammed in aisles, as everyone is out for a deal, us included. We spent over two hundred bucks and I won't mention what we bought, just that Evie is happy. Rhys was a good boy, sitting up in the cart, watching the mayhem of Thanksgiving shopping. 

Roeland Park Home

Nick And Audraya's Living Room

Mary And Billie

We were home by 1:00 and even though Rhys fell asleep in his car seat, he still took a brief nap. Lunch was leftover pasta and meatballs and we sat around watching some TV or in my case taking a nap, We were going over to Rhys's parents for dinner so by 3:00 we were on our way to their home in Roeland Park, Kansas, about a half-hour drive. 

Kitchen Family

A Happy Boy

Nick and Audraya bought their home close to two years ago and have it fixed up beautifully, a perfect starter home as Nick said. We sat around the living room, playing pass the baby until Nick's friend since fourth grade, Chris, and his wife Sophie arrived. Chris, Nick, and Peyton spent a week at our house on the lake in 2016, after graduating from high school. They live a few blocks away so it's nice for both couples.

Nick And Audraya's Family And Friends

After they left, we ordered Thai food, and Nick and I drove into town to pick it up at Thai Orchid. All six of us were hungry so we devoured the delicious Thai food, the Thai curry over rice our favorite. We left for home around 7:30 because Marlena, our granddaughter had just arrived home from Arkansas where she's a senior. It was great to see her, happy and doing well, as she prepares for graduate school next year. We sat around talking with her about her courses, and her college experience until 9:30 when all the adults went to bed, tired from our busy day but looking forward to the next three days. 

A Day With Our Great Grandson Rhys

Rhys And Nani

Rhys And Great Grandma Evie

It's 7:00 and we are in Lee's Summit, a suburb of Kansas City, my son Tom's home. It's just after 7:00 and I have been up since 6:00. Rhys spent the night with us for the first time and he was a good boy, sleeping the night and getting up about 15 minutes ago. We get to keep him until this afternoon when we drive to his parent's house, Nick and Audraya's, for dinner. As I finish this, I have to laugh because I have no photos of Rhys with his parents, only with his grandparents!

Our Bright Eyed Boy

Reading With Nani

We left Effingham yesterday morning at 8:00 and had an uneventful six-hour drive across Illinois and Missouri, fortunately driving around St. Louis, taking a detour because of an accident. It was a long drive, probably because we were anxious to get to Tom's and to see Rhys. We arrived around 1:30, wondering if Rhys and his parents would be there. As we drove in, all five were waiting for us in their front yard. It was our first time to see Rhys and family since July. We spent the rest of the afternoon holding and playing with Rhys, the center of attention for the six of us. He's a happy boy, always smiling, rarely crying which makes him all the more adorable. He seem fascinated with my beard but when I hold him, he's a bit shy. With Evie, of course, he's comfortable and she loves playing with him. 

First Taste Of Pasta

Booking It

With Great Grandma

Our one request for dinner was to have Mary's pasta and meatball dinner. When we arrived, we could smell the tomato sauce and meatballs simmering in a big pot. We ate around 6:00 and Rhys had spaghetti noodles for the first time. The rest of us watched him eat as we devoured noodles, tomatoes sauce a numerous meatballs. Yum. Nick and Audraya were a bit anxious to leave Rhys for the first time with his grandparents. It worked out well, however, as Rhys slept the entire night, from 8:00 to 7:00, a good boy. 

Morning With Baba

Once they left, we sat around admiring Rhys until he went to bed, then watched some of the Brown game with Pittsburgh. Evie and I went to bed around 9:30 but Tom stayed up and watched the Browns defeat the Steelers in the last minute. 

A Night In Effingham, IL

Wednesday Afternoon Sky

It's 6:35 and I am sitting in the Effingham Hampton Inn, enjoying a coffee and cranberry juice. Evie is up as well I took her two cups of coffee to start her day. We have a five hour drive today to our son's house in Lees Summit, a suburb of Kansas City. It looks like decent weather, just wind. 

Yesterday was a long drive to Effingham from Cleveland, perhaps because of the weather and construction along the way. Our first three or four hours, from Euclid to Columbus was in heavy fog, so we had little if any view of the countryside. Once we got out of Columbus it rained until we got to Indiana when, miraculously the sun came out and the clouds were spectacular, the rest of our drive. We hit two construction areas and we had to leave the Interstate near Richmond to avoid it, not sure if we saved any time but lots of others followed suit. We took three stops. one for breakfast in Ohio, a lunch at Mickey D's in Indiana, and gas in Illinois.

Illinois Afternoon

The Flatlands Of Indiana

We arrived at our Hampton Inn at 3:00, their time, 4:00 EST. It felt so good to get out of the car, relax in a bed and not have to do anything until the next morning. In other words, both of us were tired. We binge-watched House of Cards, stopping for me to walk over to Chipotle for our mediocre dinner. We ended up going to bed at 9:00, exhausted but happy to be only five hours from seeing our great grandson, Rhys, o, yea, and the rest of the family!

Kansas City Here We Come

Ohio Family

Trolling For Bass

Cleveland This Morning

7:03

It's a little different waking up to the vastness of Lake Erie, especially compared to Chautauqua Lake. It's 6:30 and I am the only one up and it's just starting to get light, a dark gray. I can see a few lights from bass fishermen, about a half mile offshore, up early to catch their quota. From what I understand, there is a week-long walleye tournament going on with a large, cash prize, bringing fishermen from all over the US. I just looked out the window and a boat just passed slowly by, about ten yards from the beach.

Yesterday began with a decent paddle, no eagles. Once I returned, we both got busy preparing for our trip to Kansas City, and then Dallas. We have done this several times before but it always takes us all morning and part of the afternoon to get packed, clean up the house, pack the car, and get off by 2:00, or the time of departure. 

We left at 2:00 and had rain most of the two-hour drive to Euclid, a good start to our road trip. Luckily, we were stopping for the night at my sister's before a seven-hour drive tomorrow to Effingham, IL, our second stop before Kansas City. We always enjoy spending the night with Linda and Rich, especially since they invite their kids to come for cocktail hour. So seven of us sat around, passing around photos of grand and great grandchildren, enjoying a libation and appetizers. It was a pleasant way to spend the late afternoon with family., catching up on everyone's lives.  It was a gray lake afternoon, with a crazy neighbor out on a sunfish until sunset and then the bass fishing boats arrived, lights on in the dark, about 25 yards offshore, hoping to win big money.

Sunfish In November

View From Backyard

Cleveland Skyline At 5:00 PM

Sunset

While we were enjoying ourselves, the pot roast was simmering in the oven along with potatoes and carrots, filling the kitchen with a delicious aroma. The gang left around 6:30 and the four of us were hungry so Rich pulled the pot roast out, and I brought it to the table. It was a perfect meal for a November afternoon, with hints of winter. The pot roast and gravy was fall-apart delicious as were the veggies. Along with Linda's salad, we were happy. For dessert, Linda made a cinnamon apple galette topped with ice cream. Yum. We then cleaned up the kitchen and watched the end of the Cavs game, a loss but exciting. We went up to bed earlier than usual, 9:30, and Linda and Rich stayed up watching some TV. What a good day once we arrived in Euclid. 

A Brief But Striking Sunrise

 

7:06

7:17

7:52

It's 7:40 as I start this and the sun has just disappeared behind a huge cloud bank and I doubt if I will see it soon. The lake is calm, the temperature a chilly 43º, a perfect morning for a paddle. It's just after 9:00 and I had a good paddle, for 40 minutes and, alas, no eagle sightings this morning

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Yesterday was a busy day as we continued to get things ready for our trip West. Our last big trip was a year ago so we have forgotten the routine. The day started at 7:00, with Evie up early because of her kindergarten class. She decided to attend on Monday, rather than Tuesday, so we have more time to organize and we will be leaving today around 2:00 for my sister's house in Euclid where we will spend the night. Evie was off at 9:30 and I left around 10:15 for my Melt yoga class. I am hoping this class helps my back but so far, it's not clear. After class, I dropped clothes off at Salvation Army, then stopped at both Aldis and Wegmans to pick up a few things we needed for our trip.

I was home by 12:30 and heated up the artichoke soup and made myself a cheese sandwich, soup and cheese sandwich, the classic lunch. I watched another episode of The Lincoln Lawyer, then read some of my book, before taking a nap. Evie didn't get home until 2:30 and was exhausted from her day. I don't blame her. Fortunately, most of her organizing is done so she could relax most of the afternoon. I went outside and raked and mulched the leaves that gather around the garage,  Then, I cleared the garage, putting my bike and  two lawn mowers in my neighbor's garage. They are kind enough to allow us to store a few things in their garage for the winter. Finally, I parked the Subaru in our garage and will leave it until December when we return. 

We were able to enjoy a glass of wine late afternoon, relax, and forget about politics. Dinner was easy because Evie picked up a pizza at Little Ceasar's in Lakewood, highly recommended by her hairdresser, Jaret. We binge-watched three episodes of House Of Cards. Now that Kevin Spacey is President, he continues to break tradition, laws, lie, and cheat, to get his way, a scary harbinger of a Trump four years. I ended the night with some football and basketball.