Last
Sunday when I went in to pick up Autumn (a last minute surprise visit
as the twins spent a month in Poland and Israel this summer and
needed to work the rest of the summer at their jobs as helpers at the
summer camp program at a local gymnastic gym which ended a week ago
yesterday so Autumn called and wanted to spend the last week of
summer with us), I stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up a few things,
among them this box of peaches. As you can see, we've already eaten
half of them.
We
didn't do a whole lot, mostly because it rained every day and I had
to work on these diagrams and she had summer homework to finish.
Even so we did have some fun.
The
twins turned 18 this summer so I asked Autumn if they had registered
to vote yet and she said no so the first thing we did was download
the forms and fill them out. Autumn mailed hers and is taking Jade's
home so she can sign it and mail it off.
And
because they are still practicing how to drive, Autumn chauffeured me
around all week.
She
did have one project she wanted to do which was to fancy up her blue
jean jacket with colorful cloth and ribbons and trim.
We
went to the movies and saw Bad Moms which was funny and sweet. Kind
of a date movie for going to with your girlfriend moms.
We
made an attempt to go to the beach. I had checked the weather report
for Matagorda and it showed partly cloudy but no rain even though it
was raining here. I didn't think that was unusual because often in
the summer when it is raining inland, it is sunny at the beach. So
we headed out and quickly drove out of the rain and then about
halfway there we drove into the rain again which was coming down so
hard I could not see 20 feet in front of me and I even pulled over
for a few minutes. But then we drove out of it again to a sunny sky
until we got to the beach where we parked at the little pavilion with
the picnic tables and walked down the path through the dunes to the
beach. This is what we saw...
...another
storm raining like mad over the Gulf and moving inland. We hadn't
been there 5 minutes when it started to sprinkle and then the wind
picked up and the rain started pelting us. We were soaked to the
skin before we could get back to the car and, not planning on going
swimming, just walking along the beach, we had not brought any towels
with us. note to self...ALWAYS take a towel when you go to the
beach.
We
had taken Minnie with us for her first visit to the beach which she
seemed to be enjoying in the 5 minutes before it started raining
though she wasn't too sure about the surf. Minnie doesn't like the
rain much even when she is inside and dry so when the rain came in I scooped her up and
carried her as we dashed back to the car and by the time we got there she was just
a quivering lump of wet flesh. She rode home in my lap.
And
of course, we did the little shops in town and Glen Flora where our
favorite resale shop is where everything over a dollar is half price.
PS...I
know it looks like Autumn wore the same clothes all week but what
really happened is that I failed to take pictures as stuff happened
so we staged all these.
Oh god. To think that I could hang out with Owen when he is eighteen is beyond a dream. Thank you for these grandmother posts which help to define and redefine what a grandmother is and can be.
ReplyDeleteAnd hell yes- the weather at the beach is never what we think it's going to be. What amazing pictures!
I feel so lucky that they still want to hang out here with us. but they grew up right next door and our house was their house so in a way it's like being at home for them.
DeleteI would not have noticed Autumn's apparel if you hadn't mentioned it. Summer sure is winding down.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like one stormy sky above that beach. Glad to hear you guys had a good time in spite of the weather.
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks like a serious storm! Dogs are funny about surf. My dad's dachshund was scared to death of Gulf waves.
ReplyDeleteThose peaches look great. In my experience, buying a good peach is a hard thing to do. But yours may be better down there, since you're closer to peach-growing country.
How lucky you are to have all that time with your 18 year old granddaughter. Usually, at that time in their lives they are very busy with their friends and activities. No matter the storms, it looked like you had a good time with each other.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun time for all. That weather can really change fast.
ReplyDeleteYou area lucky Gramma! I long to spend that kind of time with mine, but they all have so many activities. Seems I am last on their list!
ReplyDeleteA stormy day at the beach can be fun, too.
ReplyDeleteSeems like you had a great week, even doing very little. Granddaughters like your Autumn are a pleasure to host.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, you need to see a doctor about your dysphagia. I have a swallowing problem, something to do with my oesophagus not working properly occasionally. You can learn to avoid certain actions. Still, sometimes I have real scary moments too.
grandkids are such a hoot...a group of mine just moved to Lake Jackson...an hour or so closer to our house...
ReplyDeleteSounds like the perfect week to me. We take our chances when we buy peaches here ~ usually buy one or two to try and go back for more if they are good. Autumn is a lovely young woman. Yeah for registering to vote!
ReplyDelete