An interstate adventure

One of the perks of our new location is proximity to grandparents. After all the visits Grandmother and Grandfather made to us, we figured it was time to return the favor. So, Mom loaded up the Muffins one day after Amanda got home from school and off we went. Grandmother and Grandfather met us on our way and together we headed back to their home.

There were scattered thunderstorms as we drove, and some of them had been quite busy, leaving fires like the one we passed. Not that we WANTED there to be a fire, but it really was quite a sight for Muffins who have grown up in an area where everything was usually far too damp to burn.

When we got to Grandmother and Grandfather's house, Jared noticed these trees and said, "Mommy, look! Beach trees!" Yet another thing the Muffins only remembered seeing on film before.

One of the Muffins' favorite things at Grandmother and Grandfather's house was the water dispenser. So much more exciting than our taps back home.

Here's Lydia checking out Mom's old room. That's where the Muffins spent the night while Mom camped out on a futon she helped assemble years ago.

Luckily for the Muffins, they woke up nice and early, just in time to beat the daytime heat. One of the first orders of business was to play on the dirt hill in the back yard, the one thing Amanda remembered from her last visit to Grandmother and Grandfather three years ago. Here's Grandmother setting up a slide.

Even Lydia tried out the slide, in a slightly more dignified fashion than her older siblings.

Back inside the house, Jared wanted to know how Grandfather's record player worked. Yes, folks, that's a real wind-up phonograph, there, with absolutely no cord, completely crank powered.

Amanda was fascinated with Mom's old rock collection. The phonograph was playing while she and Jared checked them out. Therefore, it is a picture of a rock concert. (Couldn't resist that one.)

Notice how the green field makes the whole area look lush . . . maybe Mom could sell it to a post card company. So, you ask, why were the Muffins there . . .

Why, to see (and feed) the horses, of course! The lived not far from Grandmother and Grandfather on land owned by some friends.

For lunch, Grandmother and Grandfather took us to a Chinese restaurant (and a very yummy one at that). Hard to believe it used to be a pizza and sub shop back when Mom was growing up.

We got ready to head home about 24hrs after we'd set off in the first place. A bit of an exhausting trip . . .

. . . but definitely a fun adventure.