vacation, a wedding, and Finn!
counting down to our trip to SoDak
I started my vacation the Tuesday after Labor Day ... well it actually started at 5:01 the Friday before! got in a little R&R before I flew out to SoDak on Friday 9-11. it was odd flying on that date, the 25th anniversary, and all the pilots made a small statement and asked for a moment of silence. the second flight was a little late, but luckily I booked my first hotel room in Rap City so I had a short drive before falling into bed. one bonus this trip - - the rental car I requested, a compact, was not available so they upgraded me for free to a minivan! wooo hooo! that will come in handy.
the next day, Saturday, I stopped at the grocery for some supplies and then headed to Joyce's to make the last updates to her wedding dress ... and to see Finn! for her dress, which she got for a reasonable price on Amazon, but it needed more stability in the strapless top, so I made an extra sturdy inner bodice with heavy duty interfacing and strong cotton lining. it made a big difference. there was one more fix I needed to make on the dress - - adding a coat or skirt hook to the panel under the back lacing so it wouldn't slip during the wearing.
Finn only took a few minutes to get over being shy, and we had a wonderful time playing together. he has gotten so big, so heavy! I'm definitely glad my plastic surgery incisions were healed, but I could still feel the pull on the tender skin.
Joyce gave me the name of her town Quilt Shop, so I dropped in and met Bev, and bought a little quilt panel too. she didn't have any hooks, but told me to try the Michaels and Hobby Lobby in Rap City. I ended up going to both, and finally found what I needed at HL.
on Sunday I changed hotels, moving to the Inn I stayed at on my first trip. I could only get one night here, but it was worth it! before I checked in however, I went in to Hill City where I had seen signs for their annual Quilt Show! lucky me! Joyce had said she had wanted to attend in previous years but it had never worked out. I decided to attend for her. it was wonderful to wander among beautiful quilts and other hand crafts, and talk with the artists too. I met one quilter, Susan, who was also a pilot with the air force. she and I got to talking about Janet and her historic service so many decades ago. Susan asked me to give Janet her thanks for her leadership that benefited so many other women. I would definitely do that!
before checking in, I went into Custer to the grocery and got dinner and breakfast supplies, then went back to the Inn. I recorded a video message for my oldest friend Bill who is running for his second term on his Township's council. he asked me personally if I would, and I told him I'd be honored. he said I was going to be his secret weapon! awwww!
after all the walking I did at the quilt show, I pulled on my bathing suit and went for a dip in the hot tub and the swimming pool! so DEEE-LUXE! well worth changing lodging. then I cooked the TV dinner and drank the single serve margarita wine cooler, and fell asleep. much needed rest before a couple of long days.
I had forgotten to take presents to Joyce on Saturday, and they were coming thru Custer on their way to a doctor appointment and then on to the wedding venue, so we met up at our favorite breakfast cafe - - next door to the Inn - - and I gave them the books for Finn, an Intel bunny suit men shirt for him, and a D23 R2D2 toy for mom and dad.
then it was time for me to head to the airport to pick up Janet. she didn't have any plans and we couldn't check in until 3:00 so we went to Mount Rushmore, since she had never been there before. we had a great time driving around, then walking around the shorter main trail so she could get the best pics on a great weather day. after Mt Rushmore we drove by Crazy Horse so she could see that enormous monument too. to get us closer to our eventual destination - - picking up Craig at 5pm - - we went back up to Rap City by way of the CCC museum where we took a quick pic of the antique GMC truck on display there. then we went on to the two pieces of the Berlin Wall in the delightful city park next to a mall. we met a man from one of the Carolinas, and had a nice chat with him about history, and stuff.
Craig's flight was delayed, but we didn't have any issues as we waited at the arrivals curb until they finally got to the gate and released the passengers. it was too late to meet up with the kids, so we had dinner at the restaurant next to our hotel, and then got all checked in and crashed. tomorrow would be BIZZZZY!!
Janet got up early and had breakfast at the restaurant next door. I had coffee and scrambled eggs at the hotel buffet, and then she and I chatted for a while in the lobby. Joyce called and asked if I could do some more craft stuff - - getting supplies and then working on them at the venue - - so I had to dash out and go to Walgreens and the dollar store before I had the markers and yarn I needed. I also gassed up the van so we had a full tank. gas usage was the only drawback to having the minivan. I could live with that!
we got gussied up - - I even had to tie Craig's tie - - and then got to the venue. my first task was sewing the skirt hook into Joyce's dress. I met the officiant Danielle, and two of the photographers. Janet - - Aunt Booboo - - got to meet Finn and he was alright with being held by her <3 right away. I then dashed over to the reception room and worked on my craft projects. I had to calligraphy the words Honeymoon Fund on their wooden box. then I had to tie 45 thank you tags onto 45 fiber optic light wands. luckily Londa showed up and started helping, since Joyce asked me to come back to her dressing room and help her into the dress. Danielle was there to help with the laces.
I made the mistake of not resetting my dress watch to Mountain Time, so I was always an hour behind thinking we had plenty of time! I was the last person to walk from the reception building to my seat in the front row near Janet, and then Joyce made her entrance to meet her dad at the aisle between the chairs. it was a beautiful and slightly windy afternoon, just perfect! Danielle led a beautiful service and this kids each had wonderful vows for each other. Finn was perfectly behaved the whole time.
the reception was lovely, the food was delicious, and with my two drink coins I had one glass of cabernet, and one mocktail called a blushing bride - - grenadine and soda water with a splash of cream. there was a fun photobooth. there was a DJ playing all their favorite music. at one point there was a "mob" of people singing Sweet Caroline - - a very special song for Joyce - - so I joined the group, and the DJ even let me sing a quick snip of the chorus into his microphone. we were pretty wiped out by about 8:30, so we hugged Joyce goodnight.
Craig's flight left at 11 and Janet's at 2, but she was happy to have a buffalo burger at the airport restaurant while she waited. after I dropped them off, I checked with Joyce and got the address for the in-laws place in Deadwood, and met the kids up there. we went to play with Finn at the little city park. Tim convinced me I could make the trip to Devil's Tower in the time before I would be able to check in at the Custer hotel. challenge accepted! it was a nice drive, and certainly was a bucket list destination so I'm glad I went. I had a BBQ burger at the little cafe next to the KOA before entering the park. the wait at the light holding traffic back was not too long, and as I left the park, the ranger encouraged me to get a lifetime Park pass. it didn't take much to twist my arm. the drive to Custer took me through Newcastle but the kids were probably not home yet so I didn't stop. I checked in and then walked the two blocks to my favorite restaurant in town. I had my usual bison steak and cabernet, and walked back to crash early.
at the quilt show, one of the people I met there said they heard that the Dolly people had purchased the local train attraction, which worried me that it may not be there the next time we travel to SoDak. so I made a reservation to make the round trip ride from Hill City to Keystone and back. since the weather report called for rain, I brought my rain gear "just in case." I stopped for blueberry muffins at the Cafe, and got a Chai Latte at the train station eatery, and waited for my reservation time.
on the train I met a trio from France, two gentilhommes and une femme. she confessed her English was not good and I confessed my French was from ecole, high school. we still enjoyed exchanging basic conversations - - I even helped her understand when the conductor asked if she was cold - - I offered "chaud? froid? parfait?" she exclaimed Parfait! near the end of our first leg, she turned to me, and said in English that I was beautiful and wanted to give me something for my kindness. she placed a small Eiffel Tower keychain in my hand, and I tearfully offered my sincere merci beaucoup. we were not seated near each other on the way back, but I must say it was such a memorable experience on what may be a last opportunity on this train! how wonderful that we met in this tiny town so far from our big city international homes.
there was a heavy rain in Keystone, and it tapered off along the ride back to Hill City, so only a drizzle was falling when I went to a late lunch at Nana's Kitchen. you bet I was going to eat at a cafe with that name! I tried their half pound foot long all beef hot dog, and their deviled egg potato salad. it was enough to keep me full through dinner!
back at the hotel, I attended a zoom meeting with one of my admin group leaders, who has a Wine With activity once a quarter. I had another margarita wine cooler, and enjoyed the conversations with my fellow admins for about 90 minutes.
the next day, Friday, I packed up and checked out. I had time before my late afternoon flight, so I planned my meandering return to Rapid City by way of the Dinosaur Park on Skyline. one of the info boards had a quote from Jim Warne's mom! I sent him a message that it was wonderful to see her message to future generations in this family park!
after wandering through the park and then eating lunch at the visitor center, I drove downtown and found several more of the presidential statues that are situated around the main streets. there were two beautiful indigenous people statues too, right next to the Pendleton store. I stopped there are got a couple small but beautiful souvenirs. because of all the dirt and dust we traveled through, I filled the tank and got a car wash for the minivan. then I drove on to the airport and turned it in. I had time so I got a bloody mary at the airport bar.
my flight delayed more than an hour, and was moved between gates, due to the full ground stop in Denver that delayed a bunch of air travel! luckily, my second flight was delayed too, so the only issue I had was the mix-up by the wheelchair team who eventually picked me up. walking up the jetway, I was mildly dizzy so was moving slowly, and at least three people bumped me causing me to ping-pong to both sides of the jetway! only one person asked if I needed help - - a true gentleman. the others were not ladies or gentlemen. it was 12:30 when we finally landed, and after 1am when we finally got home. HOME!
the next trip I make will hopefully be next August when Janet will have her graduation - - she will finally walk with one of her classes, and I want to be there! I did let her know what Susan had said, about being grateful for her service and her legacy. at some point I also - - again - - expressed my gratitude for her inviting me on her trip to Spain and France. I may never have had that opportunity had she not done that!
the next day I posted a few pictures from the trip on FB, and Andrea commented. we exchanged a couple posts, and then decided talking live would be better! we caught up for over an hour - - it was wonderful sharing what we're doing these days.
the following week was back to work. on Tuesday I took the train from Roseville to Santa Clara - - had an hour delay due to mechanical issues. Janet met me at the train station and took me to the restaurant where I was meeting up with my old boss and the paralegals. it had been six months since she had been let go, and we all were so happy to see her again. I caught a ride back to the office for an hour, then a rideshare to the station. that train was only 15 minutes late, but it still made for a very long day. luckily I can work on the train.
there were two celebrations of life on the last two Saturdays. I didn't have the fortitude to make it to either of them. Becky's was first, and I didn't see any live-feed options offered. Marilyn's was second, and I was able to attend the live-feed for that one. I hadn't realized that one of Marilyn's favorite musicals was also one of mine. several of the attendees gathered at the end to sing a song from The Scarlet Pimpernel, in Marilyn's honor.
it was Craig's turn to get a colonoscopy, so we traded roles and he went in for his at 7:45 Friday morning. I was able to get some work done while in the waiting room. all went fine, as expected.
it has been a couple months since I attended one of the culinary webinars, but on the final Sunday of the month we heard a great presentation from a cider maker from Michigan who filled us in on the history of cider making! so fascinating to learn about cider and perry (pear cider) and pommeliers (sommeliers for cider). we all seemed to have a bev in hand, so I poured a little brandy into a glass of organic cider (not hard) just to get into the spirit of the presentation!
