Olden anniversary

Last week would have been my grandparents 69th wedding anniversary, were my late grandmother still alive. She passed on back in 2002, so it's been a minute. We talked to my grandfather today, and well, some days his cognitive decline is more apparent than others. I'm not sure he realized it.

He's not been well. It started about two years ago when he wrecked his car, but had no knowledge of it. Later we found him collapsed on the floor. From there, he hasn't been able to live independently. He's been in two full time care facilities, and he needs to be moved to a new one. Not for any reason than the level of care he needs is beyond what the current place is allowed to give.

I'm trying to be optimistic, but it's hard to think that the sharp minded man he once was isn't coming back.

The unregistered mistake

I got a new car a few months ago to replace the one that rotted out from under me.

I hate making car payments.

Let me skip to the part where I'm complaining. My insurance agent fat fingered something, because even though they insisted my car was fully insured with zero gaps, the DMV sent me a nasty letter saying I needed to explain the 29 day lapse in insurance. And if I couldn't explain it, the vehicle registration would be suspended for the same amount of time.

I had to log into the DMV and submit my own proof, but the insurance agent had to do the same. It never happened. I got a further two letters in the mail while I was on vacation, so of course I didn't see them until I got back. Suddenly my cars registration was suspended.

There are too many plate scanners, even attached to cop cars, to risk 30 days in jail and my car being impounded. So there I was unable to drive my own car, that never had any issues, because someone at my insurance agent was, frankly, lazy and/or malicious.

It took some rather aggressive communication with my insurance agents office before the issue was settled. You can always tell they're afraid of me when they send their final email at 5:01 and hit the door running.

The issue is settled, but not after much inconvenience on my part. Meanwhile, they're being replaced. I never changed agents when we left Buffalo, always doing things online anyway. But the absolute slack on their part would never have happened if I could have angrily walked into their office and not left until the issue was settled. Honestly, they were using the distance to their advantage.

Another first day

The first day of school is always weird to me. I remember when I would go back the first thing that hit me was the smell. K-12 educational facilities always had this weird smell I could never fully identify. Like it was some odd combination of low budget detergent, questionable hygiene, and freshly unwrapped backpacks that haven't finished outgassing yet.

We barely had time to breathe after returning from our trip before the kids were shuffled off into the fray. At least they had a few days. I was back to work before the van was even cleaned out.

The big followup

Sam is fine. Whatever hurt his shoulder didn't break or dislocate anything. I'm still compiling pics from the various phones that were brought, and in the moment it didn't occur to me to get a pic of the overturned ATV.

The van has an appointment to get the windshield replaced (I failed to mention the rock that went sailing from a large vehicle that left a pockmark on it. Good thing I have 100% glass coverage) and the oil changed (Turns out putting over 5000 miles on it in 2 weeks makes it scream at you). The van has also been deeply detailed. I went back to it the next day and the smell bothered me. It was a combination of body odor and food residue. oof

Monday morning I got on my bike and rode around the lake. I missed it.

Tuesday I got back into work after two weeks and, oddly, I missed it. Then I'm told by one of my favorites that she put in her notice and only has a week left.

Well crap.

Getting back to the gym was nice, although my normal workout felt like I was trying to set personal records, at least at first. By the end of the week it felt normal.

The kids started school on Thursday. I used to take off the first day of school, but I hadn't arranged it yet and still felt backed up at work. It's been a quiet week.

I had previously booked a visit with my chiropractor and a massage for this week. I was all sorts of bound up. Apparently my right calf had ridiculous amounts of tension worked into it. I blame 5,000 miles of driving. I'm too old to just ignore my issues, Besides, the price of the visits was far less than just the souvenir sweaters we bought.

I originally conceived this trip based on the one my wife and I took back in 2007 that started with her family reunion, then dipped into Yellowstone for half a day, then Devils Tower, Rushmore, and Wall Drug on the way back. I felt like I only saw a scratch on the surface of what it could have been, and wanted to get a real dig in at some point. But life got busy, then kids came along. Now with our youngest being 10 (and still counting as a fourth grader until Sep 1 at least, so she got us into the national parks for free) we could manage *and* they would remember it. It was my wife that seemed more excited by it, as she took the initiative in planning. And then since it took us right through Minnesota and Wisconsin, her family saw it as a chance to all get together.

Seriously, the ones that live in Arizona flew out for the occasion. This was the first time her entire family has gotten together since Christmas 2018.  

But this past week has been quiet, and I've enjoyed it immensely.  

The BIG TRIP PART THREE

I could go on at length, but here we go:

Sat 16: Uranus Fudge Factory. Camped at Shades State Park Indiana
Sun 17: Casey Illinois (Worlds largest... stuff) and St Louis Arch. Stayed at Holiday Inn Express Oak Grove
Mon 18: Liberty Jail, Far West temple site, Hawn's Mill, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Winter Quarters. Stayed at Cobblestone Hotel & Stuites, Cozad NE.
Tues 19: Chimney Rock,  Scotts Bluff. Stayed at the C'mon Inn, Casper WY.
Wed 20: Independence Rock, entered Grand Teton National Park. Stayed in pop up tent.
Thurs 21: Hiked trails, left Tetons. Entered Yellowstone National Park. Camped right by the bathrooms.
Fri 22: Elk right next to the bathrooms first thing in the morning. Saw Old Faithful and lots more.
Sat 23: Went back to Stone Bridge to get family pics like in 2007. Nell lost a bracelet. Left Yellowstone National Park. Stayed at Holiday Inn Express Buffalo WY.
Sun 24: Devils Tower National Monument. Mount Rushmore National Monument. Wall Drug. Badlands National Park late night ranger program (Saw more stars in my life). The kids were climbing on the rock formations. Some other kid broke his nose during the presentation. Camped at Badlands Hotel & Campground. (Glorified parking lot, couldn't drive stakes into the ground)
Mon 25: Drove around the badlands. Saw more bison than I've ever seen. Visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead, my glasses lost a screw at her gravesite. Visited Mitchell SD Corn Palace. Stayed at April's house.
Tues 26: Doubled back to the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota. Stayed at LE Camp Phillips.
Wed 27: Camp Phillips all day long. Archery, Boating. Bonfire. Fixed my glasses.
Thurs 28: Mennonite store, then the caves at the end of the day.
Fri 29: Opening day at the orchard. Sam wrecks an ATV.
Sat 30: We drive straight through to home. 

Sam has a Dr visit already set up to address the pain in his shoulder from wrecking the ATV, but he seems otherwise unhurt.

I need four days of sleep and to be left alone for a week. 

The BIG TRIP PART TWO

So we opted to go camping a few nights (We're camping in the national parks when we stay there, so we already have all the gear) and it's doing a wonder in keeping expenses down. (A $40 campsite vs a $200 hotel room, it works), but the first night it was just HOT. Felt like a sauna.We didn't realize this in the van because we had the AC on, but once we got there and opened it up we realized how humid it was.

Nobody slept in the sleeping bags, we were all on top of them.

Sunday 

Casey Illinois is a small town with the worlds largest rocking chair. And pencil. And barber pole, golf tee, and mailbox, among others. You could fit a lot of people inside that mailbox - and it's a functioning mailbox, too. 

The Gateway Arch in St Louis was fun the first time, but the first time was 10 years ago. Only my oldest went up, and they were doing lots of landscaping so it was dirt fields. This time we all went up, and I literally got a picture of my van parked nearby at the stadium.

Monday

Saw all the church history sites in MO. The buildings were all closed, but the ones that were just open areas were still very nice. Drove a lot. I mean a lot. Getting tired of driving.

But there is still more driving. It's my 19th wedding anniversary and we spent the day driving.

THE BIG TRIP

Today begins THE BIG ROAD TRIP that we'll be on for two weeks. With all four of my kids and their various personalities crammed in the minivan with no escape.

 Wish me luck.