Old Friends

 I've written so much in the past about how I feel about the Lonoke High School Class of 1971 that I don't know what else to say. 

  These lines from the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton song will suffice for our 51 year class reunion.

You can't make old friends.

Can't make old friends

It was me and you, since way back when

But you can't make old friends.

EVERYONE

THE SPOUSES

Dwight Southerland, Jeanette Stroud, Deborah Brown, Jimmie Johnson, Jan Pack, Sheree Wallace, Sam Curry, Marci Pack, Bubba Gentry, Barbara Fitzhugh, Danny Chivers, Debbie Smith, Ray Rankin, Terry Masching

THE BOYS

Lloyd Shepherd, Jimmy DePriest, Steve Brown, Ross Moore, Roy Rice, John Sims, Kelly Castleberry, Kirk Fort, Richard Fletcher, Tom Smith, Amos Pack, Ronnie Wallace, Jim Fitzhugh, Jerry Watson, Terry Stroud, David Luneau, Ed Willman, Gary Elmore, Richard High, Mike Pack

THE GIRLS

Deltis Glover, Marilyn Montgomery Lewis, Vicki McCann Ingle, Shelia Childress Johnson, Barbara Barnes Monroe, Pam Cordell Landis, Linda Pool Gentry, Barbara Jones Chivers, Laura Beth Williams Rankin, Carolyn O'Bannon, Cindy West, Jeanne Cole Harlan, Karen Lewis Masching, Caryn Ellis Southerland, Laurie Clement Curry

When St Peter opens the gate

And you come walking in

I'll be there waiting for you 

Cause you can't make old friends. 

Strange Critters

Have you ever seen an albino squirrel?  I hadn't until we came across this one

on the National Mall.

They are rare and are considered to be a sign of good luck.  "The chances of coming across a white squirrel are incredibly slim so it's a very positive omen and one that you should accept with open arms."  

I'll take all the luck I can get!

Then in Lonoke, on one of my 'guided tours of the city', I noticed these weird ducks by the rice dryer.

Turns out they are 'black bellied whistling ducks'.  Native to Central America, they usually only migrate as far north as Louisiana but for the last two years they have been spotted in central Arkansas.  My cousins, Janie and Pat, have them in their yard.  And yes they do whistle!

In all my years in Arkansas, I have never seen armadillo in town - until this trip.  

Four of them in a yard across from my friend Pam's house.  A pack of armadillo....or if you want to sound like an animal expert, a 'roll' of armadillo.  

One of my cousins calls them 'possum on the half shell'.  Someone else suggested that the group name should be a 'battalion' since they are a like a group of armored vehicles.  

Experiences like this always remind me of one of my favorite lines from the very first Ghostbuster movie. They are describing the chaos in New York City with the coming of Gozer the Gozerian. 

"Dogs and cats living together.  Mass hysteria. Alright I get the point."

Children's Museum and Protests

Mary and I decided to make another trip down into DC to take Jackson to the National Children's Museum.   We were already in the city before we noticed that there was a massive 'Pro-choice' rally happening that day.  Our route to the museum was supposed to take us across Pennsylvania Av. but the marchers were walking from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court along that street.  Every street that we tried to use to take us across was blocked by the police.  

Most disgusting sign I saw said, "Abortion - It's a Beautiful Thing".  

Seriously, even if you are pro-choice, is an abortion beautiful?

Anyway, Mary and I love an adventure and she is a confident driver so we explored a new area behind the Supreme Court building in our attempts to get to the other side of Pennsylvania.  If I get suddenly rich and want to move to DC, I plan to live in that neighborhood in one of those beautiful old houses on a tree lined street.   So picturesque!

Funny thing, I had to go to the bathroom so we made a quick stop at a neighborhood grocery store but the clerk refused to let me use the facilities.  I told her that I would buy something but no go, literally!!!! I was getting desperate so we made an unplanned stop at Union Station, I raced in and followed the signs to the toilets in the basement only to find that they were closed.  Now seriously worried about embarrassing myself, I searched for an alternative, found one up stairs and made it!  Happy day!

All the traffic hassle were worth it watching Jackson enjoy the hands on children's museum.

Sponge Bob

A wonderful building area 

But best of all

Thomas the Tank Engine

The boy was mesmerized! 

We had to practically drag him out when the museum closed and, unfortunately, it is a temporary exhibit which was due to leave the next week.  Jackson could have played there all night!

A great day in spite of traffic, protestors and closing times!

Washington DC Temple

 When I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972, there were no temples east of the Mississippi River.  In 1974 a temple was dedicated in Washington DC., the first in the eastern part of the US and the 16th temple overall.  Today there are 172 operating temples, 49 under construction, and 61 announced.

Prior to the dedication, each temple is open to the public but afterwards only church members in good standing may go inside. 

On March 3, 2018, the Washington D.C. temple was closed for extensive renovation.  The building received considerable upgrades to its mechanical system and the finishes and furnishings were refreshed.  There were also changes made to the landscaping and a small addition to the exterior to enclose a new elevator system and stairs.  

The renovation was completed in 2020 but because of the pandemic the Open House and Dedication were delayed until 2022. 

Mary, Mark, Jackson and I were able to take a tour of the temple.  It is beautiful inside and out. You aren't allowed to take photos inside but if you are curious, photos of the interior and more information can be found here Washington DC Temple

I love my son-in-law but can you see where Jackson gets his aversion to photos??

Jackson did love the metro ride down to the temple and back.

Our children sing a song that starts with these words, "I love to see the temple".  Expresses my sentiments exactly.

'Each temple is a beacon of light and hope.  The temple, the House of the Lord, stands as a symbol of our faith in life after death as as a stepping stone to eternal life for us and our families.  The temple is a sacred and essential part of God's plan for our happiness, now and forever.'

Russel M. Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Paleontologists for an Hour

I found the perfect activity for Jackson to do after our Natural History Museum visit.  We 'dug' for our own dinosaur bones.

For a boy who loves tools and dinosaurs it was heaven! He was good and thorough brushing off the dirt. Truthfully, Grandma loved it too!

Here are our 'finds'.

 

A Visit to Washington DC

I love visiting Mary and her family.  I know that I would love visiting them wherever they lived but being close to Washington DC makes every trip feel a bit like a vacation.

The very first day after I arrived, we took 'dinosaur loving' Jackson down to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. He knew the name of every single one of the dinosaurs.  Smart boy!  He knows way more than I do about them!

While he enjoyed the museum, he does NOT enjoy having his picture made.  He definitely doesn't get this from his mom.

Occasionally he cooperates and even asks me to take a picture.  We were fascinated by the skeletons of various animals.  

Jackson liked the tall, tall giraffe!

After the museum we walked up the Mall towards the capitol.  Our nation's capitol is beautiful, as are the grounds.

And Jackson wanted a photo by the flowers!  Win win!!

Mary indulged my curiosity and we walked up by the Supreme Court to see the new fence and protestors.  I think it was too early in the day for a big Pro-Choice rally but there were a few people around. George said that he didn't want to see me on CNN or FOX having a fight with anyone! Don't worry, I was good and quiet!

On our walk back to the car, we passed the I-395, 3rd Street Tunnel where Mary and I spent 6 hours with our inauguration tickets in hand in 2009 waiting to be a part of history for the Barak Obama inauguration.  This tunnel is known as the 'Purple Tunnel of Doom' since thousands of people holding tickets for the 'purple' section were misdirected and totally missed the inauguration. I wrote about the experience in one of my first blog posts.  2009 Inauguration. 

It is so fun to explore a big city with a little person and find fun things like picnic tables with swings instead of benches.

 

Fairy Gardens

 When I saw a Facebook post describing a 'Fairy Garden' class, I knew that I had to participate with my fairy-loving granddaughter.  I am happy to report that it was a great afternoon at a small 'community garden' in Nampa called 'Undercover Community Garden'.

Always satisfying to get your hands dirty!

Isabella's favorite part was painting.

I think our fairy garden turned out pretty cute!

I love spending time with this cutie!

Unfortunately, the garden turned over in my car on the way home.  The rest of the way, at every turn Isabella reminded me 'slow and steady Grandma'.  Luckily we were able to rebuild it all quite easily. 

On Sunday, Isabella gave me what way be my favorite compliment ever.

We had invited other friends over for dinner so she and I had not had our usual one-on-one Grandma - Isabella time.  When the others left, she wondered what we were going to do now.  I asked her, "If you could do anything in the world right now, what would you do?' Her answer warmed my heart, "I'd play with you Grandma."

I can't even tell you how happy that made me!