Cooper and Grace
What a wonderful time we had! John was on call for work, so on the spur of the moment, we quickly loaded the Pilot and raced for the rez. It wasn't quite the car adventure I had prepared myself for. The boys were fabulous and we only had to stop twice, which is about what it used to be when it was just John and I. It was quite fun to surprise both Mom and Dad in the parking lot of Miner's, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Miner burger that I splurged on.
Back on the farm, Thomas quickly covered himself in various types of dirt, all of which coated the bathtub that night, and the boys and Grace had a lot of fun exploring and teaching life on the farm, including meeting the new kittens, "playing" with bull snakes, riding bikes down the driveway, watching Drew jump his racing bike, climbing fences and getting really, really dirty. There was many a squeal (of terror?) when the dogs took delight in chasing Tommy, Bronco rides, back of the truck adventures, and even a ride on the old (ancient!) tractor that needs multiple steps just to HOPE it starts! (Kudos to Dad and Billy for the work that it took just for a ride!)
On Tuesday, we trekked back into town to see the old town where I grew up. You hear it all the time, but I was amazed at how very small it all looked. The road that I grew up riding my bike down, the little house I was raised in, the creek that I played in....it all looked so small. Each and every part brought back memories flooding in. The migrant camp that I remember as a child, where families loaded in for the season of picking, is now a housing project. It's much, much nicer than the dilapidated tents and open firepit cooking that it was back in the day. I remember Dad talking about how the migrants would bathe in the river that we would pass by. It makes sense that they would. They could not have done otherwise living in tents like they did. A mobile home now sits on what used to be the old grocery store. The tavern still stands, but the nasty cabins that lined it have been torn down. It was pretty amazing to see again.
Mom says that I haven't been to Joyce's house since high school. I would have swore that their house was a mansion. To us as kids it was. It was so fun to be back, to hang out on the porch, to wander around their plots of berries, tomatoes, pumpkins and grapes. The kids had a lot of fun on the trampoline in the orchard, and we actually got to have a nice chat with Jim and Joyce as well. It's not easy chatting and catching up when you have five kids to watch, but we managed. Aunt Virginia came up to see us as well, and I was so thankful for the time they all took to welcome us in and fill us up with treats!
All in all, it was a short but sweet trip out, a break from our normal routines here at home.
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