I am writing this on Monday, 7/14.
New Boooks
We spent the weekend at Julia’s. We went down Thursday because we needed an extra day. Of course, there were new books. Brian got his first Encyclopedia Brown books. Danita found a set of 4 books in a box, each with 10 mysteries. Brian got a little overwhelmed, thinking he had 4 books with 10 chapters each. Jul got everything cleared up, but it took a couple of days. Elizabeth got a book without words. It was quite clever, how it managed to tell a clear story without using any words.
New Bike
The Reeds are in their new house and house warming presents were in order. The old house had a driveway with a killer hill. Wheeled toys for the kids were not permitted for safety reasons. The new house is on level ground, making it an obvious opportunity for the kids. Elizabeth wanted a scooter. Brian wanted a bike. It’s easy enough to order a scooter on Amazon. But a bike has to fit the child. We took them out Friday to get really cool helmets, then a bike that fit Brian. Brian took to it right away. Elizabeth decided she wasn’t ready to ride the scooter, so we set it aside until she’s ready.
Peace and Meditation Bench
The new house has a way-cool screened porch. A porch needs an outdoor table and chair set. We all went out Saturday morning to pick one out. It wasn’t as simple as we thought it would be. In the afternoon, Jul and Pat went to some more places while we took the kids to the Reed Gold Mine. I’m not very interested in going into mines, so E escorted me around the mine while Danita and B went through it. Then we went on the trail which included a working stamping mill and other neat stuff, like peace and meditation benches.
New Patio Chairs
When we got back, Jul and Pat had decided on their patio set, so Pat and I went out to pick it up. Pat and I assembled the 6 chairs, 2 ottomans, and side table Saturday evening. It was getting a little late, so we waited until after church Sunday to assemble the table. I spent some time relaxing on the porch. I can say from personal experience that the chairs are quite comfortable.
Belk’s Department Store at the Museum
Sunday afternoon we took the kids and the Levine Museum of the New South. Julia hadn’t been there yet and came along. I lucked out big time. The museum was free for the day, plus they validated my parking ticket so we got free parking. The museum presented the history of the Charlotte area from the Civil War to the present day. The topics were presented in such a bland, non-controversial way that it sometimes took me several minutes to figure out what they were trying to say. The funniest moment was at an exhibit that was a sample of a typical house for a textile factory worker in 1918. It had a wood stove, an ice box, etc. They had a video display near the front porch to play some personal stories from the time. E said “This is where they could watch their TV.”
At Reed Mine Stamping Plant
The only down-side to the trip was my body, which was pretty sore by Sunday. Everything was sore, but especially my back. Was it the time in the car? A change in diet? Or just one of those things? I seem to be doing a little better. Whatever’s left tomorrow should be chased away by our Yoga class.
.
.
.
.
Fun in a Flat Back Yard
At Reed Stamping Plant