After spending the night with Linda and Larry and having lots of fun, we were off. Three days of podcasts, driving, 2 Hampton Inns, Olive Garden, Five Guys and knitting slippers, we arrived in OKI, Brienne, Claire and Noah and our green house. It has many walls of a strange green colour but it feels great to be here. Brienne and Claire arrived soon after. Brienne is as sweet as can be and seemed to feel quite comfortable. Probably because we had many face time sessions since we were here last. We had a brief walk on the beach but the temps were 29C so we didn't stay long. Monday the child care began. She talks in two word sentences, understands lots of French and has great expression in her baby jabber. Noah and Lynne joined us for dinner--had a great visit. Noah hooked up his PS4 so we have lots of ways to watch TV and listen to music.
Spent a busy week caring for Brienne. Claire saved many meetings for this week so she was very busy, including a day trip to Greensboro for a Robotics workshop. Brienne is a sweetie. She had definite ideas of games. One is "sleepies" where she lines up her stuffed guys and puts a blanket over them so their faces are out. The blanket must be perfect. She asks for help by saying "please" when she can't get things to work the way she wants them to. We had a great game with a small beach ball. She is great at kicking and throwing. George and I go to the beach as often as possible--often at 17h30 and stay until the sun sets. Chair swimming is the best--viewed some dolphins frolicking in the waves. We also had a blizzard BOGO--YUM! It was a great week except I broke my iPad keyboard so now I must type on the screen. I don't like it.
We have been here for two weeks. Yay. Brienne is like a sponge--seems to me you can see her thinking. Reminds me of Grant when he was young when he asked me to put my ear to his head so I could hear what he was thinking. Brienne is lots like her Mama as well. Yesterday, I was saying a little rhyme to her about monkeys and alligators and she asked me to "encore' several times and then she mimicked the sounds with some words. She also sings "Wheels on the Bus"--while driving we could hear in the back seat going ShShSh and Wah, Wah, Wah, and Uppy Down. "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" is a current favourite. She loves to stand by the sink and play in the water. We brought a little stool that George made for our three when they were that age. Yesterday she coloured for about 30 minutes--always with the blue crayon. What a joy to be here and have Brienne to play with. (It also makes us tired so we enjoy her naps as well!) RingARosie is also a favourite--although we sing jump up at the end because the grandparents get tired falling down so often.
We had a great chair swim Sunday morning. Watched the pelicans and also a young woman fishing. She caught a sorta small one but she was delighted and had photos taken and then she went down to the waves to throw it back but it slipped out of her hands and then she tried to "herd" it back into the ocean. It was funny to watch. For some odd reason, I neglected to put sunscreen on my legs so my legs were red and hot and I didn't sleep so well last night.
I have been working at painting a shorebird picture for Karen. Oh, my, sometimes creative ideas seem too far from my brain. However, I had an idea this morning--and it was a good one. Spent this morning with no Brienne, painting and I am feeling quite good about the results. I have three paintings on the go which is good because it ensures that I stop because one of the hardest things for me is to know when the painting is done.
We joined Lynne for lunch and a movie last Thursday. Saw "Sully" which was good--hard to go wrong with Tom Hanks. This is Monday and we are going to see a movie at Shallote. We have been enjoying ft sessions with Sheryl and Grant. Today when Brienne arrived George wasn't in sight. She stood in the middle of the house and called Grandad, Grandad, Grandad. I told her that Grandad was in the shower. She called a few more times and he finally appeared. The next time she couldn't find him she said, "Grandad, shower?
So Matthew is on its way. We have been hearing that it will be in Oak Island by Sunday. Lynne booked two nights for us all in Raleigh to get away from it. So we readied the house and left with Claire and Noah and Brienne on Friday, October 8--the sun was shining. It was cloudy when we arrived at our hotel. The next day we thought we would take B. to the Children's Museum and I also wanted to buy some frames for my paintings. After visiting the art store, it was pouring rain and the wind had begun so we decided the best idea was to go back to the hotel. There was a football team staying at our hotel and we happened to be in the elevator at the same time as a few of them--one said he was 6' 6". He was enormous. They played in the rain and wind that day and at half time the players changed their cleats and socks and it took over a thousand towels to get dry. Sunday morning, the sun was shining and you would hardly guess that there had been a storm at all. We did take Brienne to the Children's Museum--what a wonderful play place--and she had five adults following her around. One of her favs was a stuffed dog on a leach that she pulled around. Then on Monday, our caravan of cars and people drove back to Wilmington for Lynne and Oak Island for the rest of us. Except for the mess at the beach, there wasn't many signs that Matthew had been here. The dunes are completely gone, a pier fell into the ocean and there is debris on the beach. There is also sand on the roads and about a foot of sand under a house on stilts by the beach. Matthew was pretty devastating in the path he took--some people are still without power. We were lucky and fortunate to be able to get away from it. Even though I think it might have been cool to be here, in my heart, I know I would have been frightened. I found some fabulous shells on Tuesday after the storm. They are called "whelk"--very beautiful.
Two days after returning from Raleigh, we flew to Atlanta so Claire could attend an engineering conference. We were all staying with a friend of Claire's whose parents live with her and her 3 1/2 year old. What delightful, very full, play room--Brienne had a blast checking out all the toys. Also three dogs live there and were very gentle and used to small children. Brienne loved the dogs, especially, Daisy Dog who was the smallest. The father is a rabid Trump fan and loved to talk. I found it rather distressing because T. is nothing but trouble in my opinion and I fear for the USA if he becomes President. With his attitude toward women, I can't understand why anyone would vote for him. Anyway, we played and played and I kept a vigil over Brienne and the dogs because even though they were well trained, I never completely trust dogs around small children. Atlanta has the most confusing airport that I have ever encountered. It wasn't sign-posted very clearly and there were all sorts of trains and elevators to use to get to the baggage and then to the rental place. By the by, George stood in line for an hour and a half to get to talk to a rental person and we had reserved a car. Travelling from Wilmington to Atlanta to our final destination took most of the day.
There is a book series called "Lady Bug Girl" that Brienne likes and so does Bonnie's daughter, so George and I shopped for lady bug costumes in the Hallowe'en costume section and there were two in the right size and we found leggings to match and the outfits were born. The little girls were quite delighted with their costumes.
We had dinner and visited with Lynne and her brothers before returning to Oak Island. Lynne is a great artist so I enjoyed viewing some of her latest paintings. In all the driving over the last few days, I always sat with Brienne in the back seat so when we took her to do some shopping on Tuesday, when I was putting her into her car seat in the middle of the back seat facing backwards, she said, "Granny, sit", thereby inviting me to sit beside her. When we are driving she often sings to herself. Her Mama often sings with her when they are driving somewhere.
Lynne and the great uncles came to play on the beach with Brienne and us, and also for dinner on Monday. Brienne has no fear of the water so I am happy that she has a life jacket with a handle at the top so we can grab her when it is necessary to save her from the waves.
Friday is George's birthday so the celebrations have begun. We spent the day on Wednesday in Myrtle Beach starting off with Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee. Then we did a bit of shopping and then to a wonderful show at the Carolina Opry. It was a marvelous variety show with music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Of course, we still don't remember music from the 80s because that is when all our children were born. Dinner was at the Olive Garden which is predictable and good and then a walk on the beach by our old stomping grounds. We have great memories of many special holidays at MB--one included all our children and their mates and our brand new granddaughter in 2015. Grant will tell you that MB is boring but we love it.
Brienne had her first sleep-over at our place. Her DaDa went to a Science event and her Mama went to Durham to hear Neil Degras-Tyson speak. Claire came to our place after and spent the night as well.
Brienne came over to play and help celebrate George's bd. We played in the sand and with bubbles. C& N brought Bojangles chicken and cake and we had a lovely dinner. Brienne sat on George's lap and helped blow out the candles. She has been singing "Happy Bithday Grandad, ever since.
We went to Raleigh again to care for B. while Claire presented at a STEM conference. Turned out the hotel was under major construction and the pool wasn't open and the place looked like a war zone. We had a lovely dinner with a friend of Claire's. Tuesday was a bust as we hadn't planned what to do very well. Wednesday, the shuttle took us to the park and Brienne wandered around and then enjoyed a swing ride while we chatted with other Moms with small children, George showed off his Portuguese to a couple of Moms from Brazil and then his words in Croatian to a young Mom who was born there. Claire's presentation went well and we left for Oak Island.
It is almost Hallowe'en. There was a "Spooktacular" at the Rec centre so we all went and a friend of C's and her 3 year old son also joined us. There were so many kids and costumes--didn't know there were so many kids that lived in OKI. The most popular costume for the 10 to 12 year old boys was a Trump rubber face and shirt and pants. Yike. The winner of that category was a serial killer. Imagine that! Brienne looked delightful in her Lady Bug costume.
Saturday, we took Brienne to the library in Shalotte where Claire was teaching French to a former student. Then the student spent the next hour teaching Brienne Mandarin. Brienne knows some words and was very popular at the Chinese restaurant we had lunch at as it belongs to the student's parents. Brienne also knows lots of French because Claire only speaks to her in French. Today she could count to ten except seemed to forget cinq.
We had a relaxing Sunday, me painting and George planning trips. Then we had lunch and went chair swimming. The pelican were very entertaining. Then we went to see "Inferno" and had dinner at the big M. Yay.
George and Brienne worked together to make a jack o'lantern. B. drew on the pumpkin, George cut the top off, B. was not interested in taking the junk out of the pumpkin but was interested in the eyes, etc. We took it into our walk-in closet, put out the light and put a flashlight inside. The sight frightened B. so that was the end of that. There were no children at our door for treats. It is a custom here to have "trunk and treat" which is sponsored by the church. People drive their cars into the parking lot, make a circle, open their trunks and kids file past getting treats. Claire met some friends for this event but Brienne didn't like standing in line plus, she doesn't get to eat the candy so what is the point.
November has arrived and with more fun with Brienne. She loves to blow bubbles and play in the sand. We have a ball game going in the kitchen, where we three take large spoons and hit a beach ball and small balls around. George showed Brienne a stick handling move and she copied it immediately. Before the pumpkin needed to be thrown out, we also included it in the game. Brienne has learned to say her name. As well as calling herself "baby", she now says "Brin" turn when it is her turn. She is quite diligent at ensuring that we all get a turn.
She loves the "Lady Bug Girl" series. Me too, because Lady Bug Girl can do anything.
My brother and his wife stopped to visit on their way to Florida. Noah had an open house at his school so we went to take a look at his room. Looks great. We had a nice visit, played some cards and they left on Saturday morning by 8:00. The rest of the weekend was quiet with a couple of beach visits.
And on to a celebration of my sister and her husband's 40th wedding anniversary. We left Myrtle Beach, arrived in Toronto. I felt like kissing the ground because of the results of the USA election. Got to Calgary, spent the night at the Clique Hotel-very nice and then a 3 1/2 hour drive to Medicine Hat. We listened to podcasts all the way there. What a joy to see them all. The party was excellent--most of the wedding party was there although a tad older than the time of the actual wedding. It was a busy time--especially enjoyed the times with my extended family and the children and grand children of the honoured guests. Our trip back was long--we drove Linda to Calgary leaving MH at 6:30 am. After leaving her at the airport, we went to a shopping centre that had: Chapters, Starbucks, Apple store and a movie theatre. We had coffee, bought some books and went to the movies and had popcorn for lunch. On to Best Buy, to check out keyboards for my iPad, good news, mine might be under warranty still. Then a highlight of the trip--Tony Romas. These places were all important because OKI doesn't have any of them. Our trip back was 16 hours, including driving, taking the red-eye to Toronto. We also stopped in MB for Krisby Kreme doughnuts. Arrived back to our green house. Claire and Brienne came over--what a joy to see them. We played and played. Brienne said, "What doing Grandad?"
Friends from Ottawa arrived on Sunday. They did some sight seeing while we were home with Brienne. We took Brienne to a gymnastics place that opens up to age 0 to 5 years in the mornings. Lunch was at a favourite Mexican place that makes guacamole at your table. We had a lovely afternoon in Wilmington strolling in the downtown area on the Wednesday before American Thanksgiving. We stopped for groceries and planned to buy flounder for our meal tomorrow. Unfortunately, there was no flounder just some salmon and it was too late to get a cooked turkey meal. So the butcher was very helpful and told us about a seafood place that sells all sorts of seafood and propane. He gave directions and it was nearby. Luckily, George had GPS on his phone or we may have never found it. The place was a hole-in-the-wall with board counters and not much paint on the walls. I asked one fellow if they prepared the fish and he looked at me with amazement and said, "I don't know anything." Another fellow came over to ask me to choose which flounder, I wanted. There were about six on ice. He recommended one, cleaned it, and we took it home and cooked on Thursday and our meal was complete. It, of course, included pumpkin pie and whipped cream. We viewed lots of lovely sunsets, cared for Brienne and they left on Saturday.
Every morning we unlock the door and around 9:30, Claire and Brienne appear. Brienne comes rolling in ready for everything. We play, blow bubbles, go to the beach to dig and collect shells, have lunch, watch some MiniTFO (a Canadian French channel on You Tube which is excellent!), have lunch, read books and have a nap. Sometimes all three of us do the nap thing. Around 16h00, Brienne comes out of her room and we cuddle and then she is ready for play. Her Mama or Dada come to get her and then the next day, we start all over again. Yay. We are at November 29 so our time together is getting shorter.
I will start a new blog tomorrow as it is November 30 and marks 2 years since we began this adventure into being Meanderthals.
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