Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This morning we drove to Bismarck, ND to meet Susan's brother Jerrett and his wife Cheryl at Red Lobster for lunch. We feasted and caught up on all the family goings-on and then followed them to a baseball diamond on the south side of Mandan, ND to watch their son Aaron play. We visited there with Cheryl's parents as well as with several people from Dickinson because, as it turns out, Aaron's team was competing against a team from Dickinson! Suzanna and Abigail's school librarian was there; Susan's teaching colleague was there; our next-door neighbors were there (to watch their son). In addition to visiting, we also helped Jerrett eat his dill pickle-flavored sunflower seeds and cheered on Aaron and his team. They lost, but that was perfectly appropriate for the dreary, overcast, chilly weather; we'll give him points for, in baseball, using the very literary technique of matching the action to the setting.

Afterward we hit the Kirkwood Mall in order to shop for some clothes for Suzanna and Abigail. Their closets are bare (Hillary's is in much better shape since she just keeps inheriting whatever her sisters grow out of), so Target was just what they needed to restock their wardrobes. Then we made a trip to Sam's Club for supplies and sundry food items. (There we visited with another Dickinson neighbor!) On our way out of town, we had supper at Johnny Carino's Italian Grill. The pasta dishes were tasty, but especially good was the crusty, garlic-y bread that was served before the meal with plates of herbs and seasonings to which the server added olive oil to create a savory treat into which to dip the bread. Super yummy! For dessert we all shared a slice of cheesecake with mixed berries atop it.

After stopping to refuel the vehicle, we were on our way back to Dickinson, and the girls were asleep within minutes. Susan and I have unloaded and put away our purchases, and now we're each on a computer in the office working on different projects. It's a way to be together, I suppose, without actually breathing on one another; our dinners and suppers included enough garlic to cause Susan to remark in the vehicle, "I'm in powerful need of a breath mint." But those meals were very much worth the inconvenience of temporary halitosis.