Thursday, September 29, 2005
JULY AND AUGUST....1997
July slipped by the wayside without much fanfare. The weather was hot and dry so I did a few things I knew needed doing….weatherproofing the deck for one thing. It wasn’t too hard to keep up with the yard work…it was just too hot for growth. John, Barb and L.J. came in on the first Saturday of August…..they were on vacation and planned going to K.C. for a few days. They stopped in here around suppertime on Saturday…….the next morning I loaded the van and we drove on to George’s, as planned. Becky had to work so wasn’t able to go.
We made it to George’s by 3:30 and after unloading and getting settled we drove over to our favorite pizza shop to indulge once more. No matter we had pizza the night before…….we have to have pizza the first night we get to George’s. It’s just one of those traditions. The next day we drove over to Lawrence, Kansas to the KU campus to check out where the famed coach had been making basketball history for years. It was Mecca for John and L.J. When we got into the gym we saw a lot of young boys on the court who were there for Basketball Camp. Right then and there John and L.J. planned on going the next year. L.J. was tall for his age and had been raised with a basketball in his hand. It was a dream to be realized the next year.
This vacation was planned around interests of L.J.‘s who would soon be starting school again. Of course, I think John enjoys World’s of Fun as much as any kid. He makes sure they ride everything of interest and the whole day is spent at the park. I hadn’t been to an amusement park for years but it’s like riding a bicycle. Some things never change….just the paint and a few new rides. If it seemed mundane to me, L.J. had a ball. He wanted to go in six different directions at once. I’d forgotten how much walking you do in a place like that and I faded pretty quick in the heat, the crowd and the waiting to get on rides.
We discovered the water rides was a good way to cool off. A few of them had such radical drops it felt like a free-fall to the water below while your stomach was still at the launching pad. I’ve decided amusement parks are for kids and the young. My fascination with them was dead and buried after my own kids were raised but I didn’t want to spoil the obvious fun L.J. was having. I doubt he even noticed anyone else’s reaction to the rides…….he was soaked and having the time of his life. Just the way it should be. That evening I was more than happy to sit on the deck and watch George grill hamburgers to go with some baked beans I brought from home.
All good things must come to an end so the next day we packed and left early. John wanted to stop in Springfield to go through the Bass Pro Shop. Did I use the word, Mecca, once? This is Mecca number two for John and L.J. It is quite impressive and more a men’s shopping experience than for Barb and I who trailed along behind thinking how much we’d rather be at the mall. The large museum and stuffed animals, the beautiful surroundings for each display of wildlife is truly done with great taste. It’s the owner’s way of thanking the public for his large success in the sport accommodations. For most of us females, once around is enough…..but the guys hang on even looking back while they check out to see if they’ve missed anything.
After running 20-minutes the next morning, John loaded the car and they left for home. They planned to stop in Vicksburg to see Barb’s dad and then on home the next day. It would be back to the working world the next week for John and Barb.
On the 29th of August, Pete, my supervisor retired. I went to his Retirement Coffee and visited with some of the folks who came that I didn’t see too often. I jokingly told Pete he retired because he had to work after I retired…..he’d had it easy when I did it all. We had a good laugh over it….we were all good at cutting each other down. He was the second to break up the old gang of Examiner’s and the ones left had a hard time adjusting to the changing times.
Times were changing for more than the Driver’s Examiners. On the late news the 30th they said Princess Di had been seriously injured in a car wreck in France. Details were sketchy at the time. I went to bed thinking she would recover……after all, she was bigger than life….surely the car wreck couldn’t be fatal. The early news the next morning reported that she died in a Paris hospital. The whole world mourned a fallen princess……a princess of the people……..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
We made it to George’s by 3:30 and after unloading and getting settled we drove over to our favorite pizza shop to indulge once more. No matter we had pizza the night before…….we have to have pizza the first night we get to George’s. It’s just one of those traditions. The next day we drove over to Lawrence, Kansas to the KU campus to check out where the famed coach had been making basketball history for years. It was Mecca for John and L.J. When we got into the gym we saw a lot of young boys on the court who were there for Basketball Camp. Right then and there John and L.J. planned on going the next year. L.J. was tall for his age and had been raised with a basketball in his hand. It was a dream to be realized the next year.
This vacation was planned around interests of L.J.‘s who would soon be starting school again. Of course, I think John enjoys World’s of Fun as much as any kid. He makes sure they ride everything of interest and the whole day is spent at the park. I hadn’t been to an amusement park for years but it’s like riding a bicycle. Some things never change….just the paint and a few new rides. If it seemed mundane to me, L.J. had a ball. He wanted to go in six different directions at once. I’d forgotten how much walking you do in a place like that and I faded pretty quick in the heat, the crowd and the waiting to get on rides.
We discovered the water rides was a good way to cool off. A few of them had such radical drops it felt like a free-fall to the water below while your stomach was still at the launching pad. I’ve decided amusement parks are for kids and the young. My fascination with them was dead and buried after my own kids were raised but I didn’t want to spoil the obvious fun L.J. was having. I doubt he even noticed anyone else’s reaction to the rides…….he was soaked and having the time of his life. Just the way it should be. That evening I was more than happy to sit on the deck and watch George grill hamburgers to go with some baked beans I brought from home.
All good things must come to an end so the next day we packed and left early. John wanted to stop in Springfield to go through the Bass Pro Shop. Did I use the word, Mecca, once? This is Mecca number two for John and L.J. It is quite impressive and more a men’s shopping experience than for Barb and I who trailed along behind thinking how much we’d rather be at the mall. The large museum and stuffed animals, the beautiful surroundings for each display of wildlife is truly done with great taste. It’s the owner’s way of thanking the public for his large success in the sport accommodations. For most of us females, once around is enough…..but the guys hang on even looking back while they check out to see if they’ve missed anything.
After running 20-minutes the next morning, John loaded the car and they left for home. They planned to stop in Vicksburg to see Barb’s dad and then on home the next day. It would be back to the working world the next week for John and Barb.
On the 29th of August, Pete, my supervisor retired. I went to his Retirement Coffee and visited with some of the folks who came that I didn’t see too often. I jokingly told Pete he retired because he had to work after I retired…..he’d had it easy when I did it all. We had a good laugh over it….we were all good at cutting each other down. He was the second to break up the old gang of Examiner’s and the ones left had a hard time adjusting to the changing times.
Times were changing for more than the Driver’s Examiners. On the late news the 30th they said Princess Di had been seriously injured in a car wreck in France. Details were sketchy at the time. I went to bed thinking she would recover……after all, she was bigger than life….surely the car wreck couldn’t be fatal. The early news the next morning reported that she died in a Paris hospital. The whole world mourned a fallen princess……a princess of the people……..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
