Mom & Dad and a guest blog

Mom and Dad drove out in the Sebring, doing about 250 miles each day, stopping in Tehachapi, Laughlin and Winslow for the nights. They arrived Friday afternoon at 5, which is how they regularly time that. It sounded as though they enjoyed their trip and talked about doing something similar again. The daily mileage was comfortable, but they did say that the last day was the hardest, as the time on the road caught up with them.

Rylee and I were in the back yard when they arrived. I gave them a few minutes before suggesting that Dad might want to join Jackson and me, and Rylee, too, for Jack's soccer practice. We'd be a little late, and we could skip it altogether, but it might be fun and Jackson was in a good groove and the team was rapidly getting better. So we went to the nearby church park, where the practice was being held. Jackson joined his team. Rylee played with a friend, and Dad and I walked across the park to take in the view and then found a place to sit and talk. Meanwhile, Cyndi showed Mom the B&B upstairs, with its rejuvenated balcony.

I made Mom & Cyndi some Margaritas before we left and made some more for all when we got back. Cyndi had dinner prepared: chicken enchiladas, tacitos for the boys, beans, avocado, salsa and chips. We sat around and talked. Mom brought some sugar cookies from home and we ate those, too.

I mentioned that Ry's early game the next morning meant getting to the fields at 6:30 am, before the sun was up. The response was a doubtful one, as the fatigue of the trip (and maybe the Margaritas, too) was catching up, so Ry and I got up, ate some breakfast and went by ourselves. Cyndi was up but stayed behind to be with Mom & Dad. It was a great game. Ry's team won again, and it was fun to join the parents in the stands on an early, brisk morning.

Ry and I got home to find everyone in the kitchen, drinking coffee. We made scrambled eggs with cheese and ham, toasted some bagels, poured some orange juice, and cut up a ripe, sweet pineapple. Then it was time to think about lunch...just kidding. Mom & Dad had brought seven dozen apples from home, and we spent some time researching an apple peeling and coring hand machine. More on that....

Jackson had a soccer game scheduled for 3 and we loaded the camp chairs and took off only to arrive and find out that the day's games had been cancelled because someone had driven on the field and done doughnuts on the grass.  Here's about where the guest blogger picks up the story, bits of which I stole from an email:

"Cyndi's sister Ellie joined us last night for dinner. Paul grilled steaks that he got from Costco and they were delicious.  He uses a secret basting sauce that is...a secret...but I will tell you it contains left-over mixed cocktail makings that had to be finished off before it lost its "freshness".  Paul and Cyndi will enjoy the apples we brought from our back yard.  We packed more than 7 dozen in the car trunk.  We had talked that afternoon about our apple peeler and looked it up on-line and Paul made some calls.  On our trip to Costco we stopped at a very new upscale shopping area and were able to find the peeler (last one), set it up when we got back home and Cyndi made Apple Crisp and Apple Sauce. Mother was involved in overseeing the recipe and the result was perfect.

"Today we all went to Church!  The church is unique. A semi-circular design with a good choral group and an interesting pastor.

"After Mass Paul drove out into the country to a Hyatt Tamaya Resort Inn where we all had a nice lunch in a beautiful dinning room. Then we went home for a short lay down and maybe a nap.  Now we are just 'hanging out'.  60 Minutes comes on soon."

Those were the highlights. Somewhere in that time we caught up with what the family is up to...all the children...Ariel and the grandchildren. There was a little talk of the elections and the stock market. Dad got a chance to talk with his sister Dorothy just as I was starting the charcoal and opening up some wine. Cyndi talked about her business and Lisa's salads (Cyndi made one of her signature salads to go with the steak dinner Saturday night). We showed Dad the treehouse David helped us build. The boys showed them the Wii game console, and Dad took a couple swings of the "bat." We talked about Maui and how we want to visit David and Sandra in Alaska. Ry showed Dad his Lego buildings and ships. Pete and Dorie and Brendon were at church, and we talked a bit and Mom came away with quite a different story to tell about Brendon I'm sure. Mom learned how to get into and out of the truck, as we did end up doing a few short drives. Before everyone was up on Sunday, while the balloons were launching, Ry and I picked up some things at the store and we made sausage and French toast for breakfast, with leftover pineapple and, of course, more apple sauce and apple crisp. The boys love the apple sauce, Cyndi loves her new peeler, and I'm sure will make another batch of the crisp for her parents from the many apples we still have.

Oh, I'm sure there was more, but that's a pretty good idea of their visit. Monday was a holiday for many, but the boys still had school and said their goodbyes and hugged Mom & Dad. Mom & Dad left at 9 am, as they planned, and today they are somewhere in northern Arizona.