Buddy retired about a year before Mr. W but decided to go back to work "part-time" until they could pay off some bills and retire "full-time" again. Buddy's parents, Aunt Bootsie (don't you love these nicknames you have for aunts and uncles?) and Uncle Norman, had also moved in with Buddy and Stella. They are both close to 90 and not in good health. Uncle Norman has Alzheimer's. Buddy's sisters had been taking care of them for several years and now it was Buddy's turn.
For any of you out there that have been in the situation where you have or are taking care of aging parents, you know how stressful it can be. You love them and respect them, but it is hard to go from the role of being their child and they are your parent to you becoming like the parent and they become like the child. It is a fine balance that you have to find and sometimes it is hard to find.
So, it was good that Buddy had a few days to get away and relax.
Buddy and Stella live in Georgetown, TX. They have 5 acres with a nice house, pool, and what he calls a "shop" in the back. It is a big metal building that his 5W fits in plus all of his tools, yard stuff, and plenty of room left over to do woodworking in. Here's a pic of their 5W. They have a toy hauler and this thing is BIG. It is 42 ft. long and when the patio opens up on the back, I think it is close to 50 ft. long.
Buddy brought his "short" surfboard and wanted to "surf" behind the boat. He said he had done this before and that it was fun.
 |
| He is up on his knees |
 |
| He's got one foot on the surfboard! Maybe he really is going to do this! |
 |
| Uh, well, maybe not. |
Buddy tried many times and the outcome was the same.......splash! We decided maybe he did it when he was MUCH younger and MUCH lighter weight! :)
Speaking of weight, we always eat very well when we are together. Stella always over estimates the amount of food needed and we could actually feed about half the campground on what she and I put together. Buddy is our designated cook, but he loves it. Having a toy hauler, he hauls his grill with him wherever he goes.
Buddy's sister, Babs, and her husband, Duane, came up for a day to join in on the fun. Duane wanted to ski so Mr. W pulled him around the cove until he got tired. They ended up staying until close to 10:00 that night because we were having so much fun talking and reminiscing that no one wanted it to end.
 |
| Babs and Duane |
 |
| Duane on a slalom ski. Go Duane go! |
The next day, Buddy and Stella decided they wanted to fish. They have 2 kayaks and went out that morning in their kayaks to try their luck. Well, they didn't have much luck. So, that late afternoon/evening, we all went out in the boat and decided to troll to see if the white bass were biting. Mr. W loves to fish for white or black bass. He is not a catfisherman. He loves to eat them but he doesn't love to catch/clean them. Bass are a different story. He could catch and/or clean them all day long. So, when you are in his boat fishing with him, you are going to be fishing for bass. No one caught anything, but it was nice just trying.
 |
| The sunset as we were coming back to shore. |
After dinner that night, we sat out by the water and looked at the full moon over the water. Stella decided that she would fish from the bank. She ended up catching a small catfish that was too little to keep, but at least she caught something!
 |
| Stella sitting at the shore fishing. There is also my friend Bimbo. One of the smartest, best dogs in the world. They named her Bimbo because she is a "blonde" lab. I think I should be insulted!?! |
The time passed all too fast and they had to leave. They didn't want to and we would have loved for them to stay, but their responsibilities were calling. It seems like they can only get time off in August/September, so our time together is one time a year. I'm not sure if they look forward to it as much as we do. I hope they do. So, until next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment