The Summer of Mr. T

Last fall our oldest son and family moved to the west side of Washington State… taking two of our grandsons with them. Our oldest grandson Mr. T was leaving us, after nearly 11 years of having him nearby, holding the infant, babysitting the toddler, walking him to preschool, hearing stories about his activities and attending his school events. His little brother McBobber was going to be gone before we had the opportunity to make these memories. But it was for the good of their family and no one knows better than we do, how important (and how difficult) it is to make these decisions. Besides… we knew in just a few months, I would be done with my college adventure and we could take advantage of opportunities to visit them more often in their new home.

So fast forward to summer. We also moved, putting us only six hours from their doorstep instead of ten. Our family was going to gather in Northern Idaho at our new home for the 4th of July. What better opportunity to convince his folks to let us keep Mr. T here for a couple weeks. Even better, a couple weeks turned into the month of July AND a trip to see extended family in Wisconsin/Illinois.

We celebrated the 4th of July together. Krieg, Karissa and Princess Lu came from Boise; Matt, Brit, Mr. T and McBobber came from Bremerton; Erin, Chris, Cheeks and Bash drove up from Moscow and the local Shaws – Michael, Andi, Miss G, A and E-man all joined us for BBQ’d ribs and sides – and lots and lots of birthday cake. I thought we would celebrate all of our July birthdays so I made a yummy cake, my husband surprised me with a sheet cake for my birthday and Erin brought a cake.

Yaya and her “Littles”

Krieg, me, Erin, Matt & Mike

We watched the fireworks from the Plummer Shaw’s home on the hill.  Waiting for dusk afforded everyone a chance to play and ride the 4-wheelers.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset once again.

On the 5th we gritted our teeth to check out the Riverfront Park in Spokane in the heat.  We discovered the carousel, the walking paths, the Clocktower and the sculptures.

As families returned home, Mr. T stayed on – and the summer of Mr. T began. I was determined to use this as our chance to explore our new home.

We drove over to Heyburn State Park – a mere 4 miles from our front door, where we found a couple of trails to walk, as well as a nature trail leading out into the nature preserve.

Since we live in a small town with one restaurant and one fast food, when you are craving something else, you venture out. Not far from Heyburn is St. Maries. Our close proximity from the park led us to a small pizza restaurant.

Mr. T has always been a huge help around the house for us and this visit was no different. He helped us plant some shrubs and perennials; and other projects around the yard.  In return, we cooled off one afternoon to watch the movie “The Incredibles 2”.

On the edge of town is a Veterans Memorial and the start of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene. It’s a former Union Pacific Railroad which runs from Mullan, a small town near the border of Idaho/Montana to Plummer (we are very near the Washington/Idaho border). It’s a 73 mile trail through mountainous terrain, along the edge of Lake Coeur d’Alene, over the Chatcolet Bridge to Heyburn State Park and then across the Palouse prairie. When I read more I learned it takes up again in Washington, in the Spokane area.

Discovering the trail was so close, we purchased a Mr. T sized bicycle and helmet to make this part of our activities.

Mr. T, Papa and I headed out on this beautiful trail. Papa had some struggles left over from his hand surgery which forced him to cut the ride short, but Mr. T and I discovered we liked the ride to the lake and did it more than once. I should confess, it’s a 4% grade downhill from Plummer to the lake… and I basically coasted. It’s a gorgeous ride and what better way to cool down than the breeze in your face (close your mouth though) and the reward of a refreshing plunge in the lake on the end while we waited for Papa to come pick us up. Another confession… I never made the return trip UPHILL, but that’s on my “to do” list for the summer of 2019.

On one trip we decided we would go across the bridge and see where that led us. We rode along the lake front, up and over the bridge. Mr. T pointed out the osprey soaring out over the water. We followed it’s path to a huge nest right above us on the bridge.

Mr. T enjoyed a few days up on the hill with his cousins, exploring their property and riding the 4-wheelers. We celebrated Plummer Days by participating in the Fun Run and watching the parade with the cousins.

Four weeks is a long time for an 11 year old to be away from home. Mid visit his mom was returning from a trip to Boise so we drove to the Tri-cities area to meet up so he could go home for a few days. Mr. T spent a couple of days with family and close friends at home.  He also needed to repack for a trip to Wisconsin. I was planning to go back for a visit and asked permission from his folks to take him with me.

Together we flew from Spokane to Midway. Not his first flight but the first one he’ll recall. We took the bus to Janesville, Wisconsin, arriving late and met by my folks, his great-grandparents, Denie and Granpas. We stayed with them for a few days before my sister drove up and took us with her to Culver, Indiana where we stayed for a long weekend.

Since I was back the week too early to attend our 40th class reunion.  I was able to get together with some friends for a “Pre-reunion Reunion”.  Honestly it was probably way more enjoyable than a bigger group.  Tate also met my friend Shelly, who happens to be Mom to his Dad’s best friend Phil, when we lived in Evansville.  She couldn’t believe how much he looked like his daddy.

Mr. T discovered Fireflies

or as we call them…

Lightening Bugs

My nieces and their friends treated Mr. T extremely well. We ran in the Bass Lake 5K, and went kayaking. We spent several hours out on the boat, Mr. T on the tube with the big kids. He loved the interaction with the older bunch.

Back in Chicago Auntie Di found a troll exhibit we hiked to explore with cousin Nicole and her charges.

Our summer of Mr. T was coming to an end with our flight back to the Inland Northwest. We once again had to say good-bye. Fortunately we have more memories to hold near and dear to our hearts. Our time with Mr. T never ceases to put a smile on our faces.