Travel Tuesday- Dream Trip

 

I have started planning a fantasy trip to the Midwest.  It’s silly, I know, but if I were to win a trip anywhere in the world, I’d go to Russell, Iowa and Capa, South Dakota.  I think that because I don’t ask for Paris, I should get two small towns, don’t you?  I can work it in one trip, so they only need to fly me to Minneapolis (see how thoughtful I am?).

Here is my fantasy plan:

Fly into Minneapolis on a Wednesday.  See my Minnesota family and friends Wednesday night and then on Thursday drive to Chariton (it’s a 6-hour drive). Chariton is where I will stay for a few days (it’s close to Russell and where the library and courthouse are).  On Friday, I’ll visit the library and cemetery and just drive around, getting my bearings.  On Saturday, I’ll drive to Oskaloosa, What Cheer and Chillicothe, visiting the libraries and museums there.  On Sunday, I will visit Zero and, if they will have me, visit with my friends in Des Moines.  Monday I will spend in Russell walking the town and exploring.  Monday night will be the Lucas County Genealogical Society meeting, which I will attend.  Then Tuesday I will head to Minneapolis again and pick up Grampa (in my fantasy, Grampa flies out from Seattle to go with me to Capa).  I get Grampa and then we head to Midland where we have a hotel reservation.

We spend a few days in Midland while Grampa walks me through the ghost town of Capa.  We compare my working map with what he remembers this trip and make it more accurate.  I keep copious notes for the book about Capa that I will someday write.

We then head to Sheridan where Grampa can show me the work he did while in the CCCs.  Then to Lead and the other mining towns where Grandma’s family lived/lives.  We head back and I fly him home to Seattle and then come home myself.

I think it’s doable.  It’s my dream trip.  Pathetic, right?  But aside from pathetic… DOABLE!!!  It’s not really a “dream.”  It’s a to-do list for the future.

Happy 94th, Grampa!

Today is my grandpa’s 94^th birthday.  If you met him, you would be shocked by what a healthy, energetic 70 year old he is.  Then you’d find out he’s 94 and you’d fall out of your seat.

I live far away from Grampa, but I still feel extremely close to him and always have.  Growing up, he was always there for me and I was always, “Grampa’s Girl.”  He told me stories, took me places and just generally hung out with little ol’ me for much of my childhood and even into my adulthood. 

I love all the things that Grampa has done with his world and I even more so love that he shared a lot of his stories with me.  As I wrote them down for the family book, I realized that he carried on his ancestors’ American Dream.  He moved and settled and moved and settled, always having his family foremost in his thoughts and always reflected in his actions.  He worked hard his whole life (and continues do to so- he only stopped his work a couple of years ago).  I take after my grandfather in my pride in the work I do and so I think I can speak for him and say that I don’t think he would have that any other way. 

I love that I know so much about Grampa.  When we were with him before Dad’s death, my brother was asking him questions and I realized that I knew most of the answers he would give.  I’m proud that he honored me with those stories of himself and his life and I treasure them so very much.  My life has been greatly enriched by having my grandfather in mine.

I called him Bumpa when I was little and now he’s Grampa, but he will forever be my hero.

Happy birthday, Grampa!