Reunions and farewells
August 6, 2013

Again we greet with joy and bid farewell with sorrow.  I wish our families were not spread so far and wide.  First we had a brief visit with Sue, then Kelleys, Darren and Mom & Dad, now daughter Sara and her little family.  The weekend with them was perfection, but always overlaid with the knowing that it would shortly be over, and the time before meeting again long.

As we approached their town, Sara provided a nice distraction by asking to get texted updates of our progress.  When I had nothing to report, I just told her I saw a highway sign or some such to maintain the fun connection.  A relatively short drive with a couple of stops delivered us to Merriam, a neighboring burb from the kids’ home.  Sara & Ray are in Lenexa.   The region has a dearth of RV parks; we stayed in the same one we used previously - a place to park and little else in the way of amenities, not an issue because we spend our time with them. 

I had always thought that if I became a grandparent, I would be the involved one, the hands-on mentor who would really know her grandchildren and be a positive influence in their lives.  Fantasy was dashed by distance; I try to be as involved as technology allows, but it is not as I would like.

Sadness aside, the time together was priceless: everyday activities allowed us to get reacquainted with the four-year-old “baby” who insists rightly that she is not a baby and to talk first-hand about what is going on in Sara’s and Ray’s life.

We had great fun checking out an interesting nature center where Trinity’s interest was piqued by things both botanical and biological.  The place has resident red-tailed hawk, barred owl (which we had never seen before and no, it didn’t get onto our bird list being a captive and all), barn owl and great horned owl, in addition to box turtles, softshell turtle, various snakes, frogs and fish and a grand birdwatching area.

While riding in the back seat with me, Trinity became fascinated with my binoculars and bird book.  She quickly learned how to use the glasses, even taking care to replace lens covers, and familiarized herself with bird species in such short order after questioning me that I was flabbergasted. 

The next day, she opened the book to the flycatcher and woodpecker sections and identified them herself.  This proud grandma declares her to be extremely intelligent, personable, sweet, kind, independent, strong, funny and beautiful - and those eyes and eyelashes would melt the stoniest heart. 

She practically ran the entire distance of our hot humid hike without tiring, and is adamant that she be actively involved in household chores as well as other activities and does it without any pestiness - she actually works.

 

She got to show off her skills on her Christmas bike, even jumping right back on after a traumatic crash.  That event gave me the chance to observe her drama queen skills as she limped and gimped for a while afterward . . . whenever she remembered to do so.

We had not seen Ray’s parents since the baby’s birth which we all attended, so it was nice that Ray arranged for us all to have Sunday dinner and the afternoon together.  Mildred and Sylvester are fortunate in that they reside near enough to spend lots of time with the kids.  Despite all efforts, one simply does not get to know grandchildren in any depth without closer contact, although Sara certainly makes very appreciated heroic efforts to keep us and Trinity updated about each other and in contact.

This area’s history fascinates, but we were there to be with our dear ones, so we pretty much never delved into it.  There are a number of what used to be small country towns a distance from each other, now indistinguishable in the metropolitan Kansas City sprawl.  Even so, it seems they each retain their own identity and have lovely old historic neighborhoods.

Far too soon, our weekend was over, and we three were on the road again, refreshed with new memories of those we love.