Long Time No See!

Guess who has been in Dickinson this week! Dad and Beverly and their dog, Bandy! Back from their wintertime road trip, they're now on their way back home and decided to spend some time in Dickinson first. They have been staying in their motorhome at Camp on the Heart on the south side of town and driving their car to our house to spend evenings with us, and Susan has done a fabulous job of keeping us all well fed each night. (Sample meal: I grilled seasoned Omaha Steaks, packets of sliced fingerling potatoes, and fresh asparagus outside off the veranda while indoors Susan prepared tossed salad, sautéed mushrooms and onions for the steak, and baked a homemade apple pie to serve with Schwan's vanilla ice cream for dessert.)

It has been a long time since we've seen them (six months or so), and it's been fun to watch them and their granddaughters reconnect. In fact, after returning from a brief daytrip to Williston Thursday for Dad's doctor appointment, Dad and Beverly picked up the girls and brought them to the motorhome for a slumber party! The girls got into their pajamas, grabbed their blankies and stuffed animals and sleeping bags, and bid Mommy and Daddy adieu for the night! The next day they reported having had a night full of candy, popcorn, soda, movies, and fun!


We've enjoyed getting reacquainted with Bandy, too, and she's been enjoying a houseful of people willing to give her attention non-stop, take her for walks and runs numerous times daily, sneak her scraps under the table, and introduce her to the neighbor's puppy, Buddy. Here's little Buddy first (in the arms of Abigail in the blue coat) and then Buddy and Bandy playing:

As I predicted, plans were made to meet at the Dakota Diner following church this morning. We had a great meal and exchanged huggy-and-kissy goodbyes before Dad, Beverly, and Bandy hit the road for home a couple hours north. Now that they'll be back in the area, we're looking forward to spending more time with them again; in fact, the girls have already invited them back in a couple weeks for Grandparents Day at the elementary school! Welcome home, Dad and Beverly!