Fun With Grandparents

     While the kids were at school, my parents, Teddy, and I got to play. First, I took them to Burr Oak for a small hike. We went in the morning, so it was still nice. I suggested we do our walk first, and then, when it would be hotter, head into the visitor center. They were amenable to my plan, so we proceeded straight through the visitor center to the trail outside. 

    I really liked these delicate flowers.

     Papa played us a tune with Teddy's help on the zylophone.

    The wind made the trees sing; it was of particular interest to Mom; she had never heard trees sound like that before. They kind of crackle a bit. I hadn't noticed the difference before. Perhaps I have been here too long. Teddy introduced Papa to Smokey the Bear. 

    Later, back at home, Papa asked if I had a baked good to snack on. I had made breakfast brownies the day before, but they were all eaten. I had some butter softening on the counter for a few days, as I had promised the kids that I would make cookies, but hadn't done it yet, so I proceeded to make some.  I also had some leftover ice cream cups that they made good use of. 

I think he liked them.

    One of the places Dad wanted to visit was Adam-ondi-Ahman. Since Far West is on the way, we planned to visit both. We packed a lunch and headed out after changing our clothes from Church. 

The boys decided to renew their acorn collections; they scoured the ground for worthy applicants.

Obligatory spiny tree picture.

    We made good use of the picnic tables. There is a little general store nearby that sells ice cream, but since it was Sunday, we brought our own.

    We saw a few frogs, several butterflies, and stink bugs. After a bathroom break, we headed down a dusty dirt and rock road, kicking up such a layer of dust that soon Dad's car was obscured. It was a modern-day pillar of smoke leading my parents on. Luckily, we soon met pavement again, allowing the dust to subside. Eventually, we made it to our next destination. Mom was remembering our trip to the mounds in Illinois and confusing them with Adam-ondi-Ahman because the last time we did these, we headed from one to the other and had a lovely talk with a lady at the mounds about Adam-ondi-Ahman. 

Mom kept looking for the mounds; luckily, we figured out the confusion. 

     It was quite warm by this time, so we drove up to the other viewpoint and then headed home, where Dad serenaded us. Listening to Dad play is my happy place.

 On Monday, we took a tour of Daniel's work. We were allowed to go into the control center, and then Daniel jumped into the car to give us a drive-through tour. It was fun.

    We returned home, and Dad helped me make some lemon scones. My parents went to Ireland in May, and Dad became quite fond of scones. He was not fond of zesting. After finishing the scones, he scoured the internet for a better solution. He didn't find a viable one. His scones, however, were delicious! We had a lovely afternoon tea.

    The next day, we went to President Truman's library. I had never been to a presidential library before, and I had no idea what to expect. I was blown away. They had thought of everything. Teddy and I had a scavenger hunt to do, and there were plenty of interactive things to keep his attention. 

This is the eternal flame. President Truman and his wife are buried in the courtyard.

    This tiny crane was made from a victim of our bombing of Japan. She made hundreds of these tiny cranes, her's is on the dias, it's so delicate yet such a showing of resilience. 

    You could spend a week here; there is so much to see and do. We were getting tired and hungry, so we left to find a late lunch. We stopped at Cracker Barrel. We had stopped there the day before, looking for Hydrox cookies; they sell them, but were out. This time we stayed to eat. I also found some fun Christmas ornaments for my nieces and nephews.

    Look at the lady in the window, she was absolutely tickled to watch Teddy play.   The next day, we went in search of elk and bison. The elk were out, but the bison were hiding. 

I then took my parents to help me find a gun at Frontier Justice. As I am turning 45 this year, I felt it was high time I had one. A pretty one, not to use so much as to keep, if that makes sense. I own several swords, daggers, and even a trisectional staff. I don't use them, I just think they are pretty. I realize this is ridiculous, but what can I say? I like shiny things. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything that struck my fancy, but the lady was very knowledgeable and nice. But I will need to do some more research. Both of my parents are competent shots and know their way around a gun. I appreciated their insight.

    For dinner, we made sushi. The crab I had had gone bad, so I ran to the corner store for more and missed getting a picture of them rolling, but I did get a picture before we consumed them.

It was a lovely visit, and I am looking forward to their next visit!