My Bologna's Long Ride Home

Poor My Bologna was exhausted from all his Mississippi adventures and slept most of the ride home despite Dexter playing with his vehicles on top of him. Dexter did think of My Bologna when we drove through a Steak-N-Shake for chocolate milkshakes - when Daddy ordered two regular chocolate shakes and a kid's chocolate shake, Dexter shouted out, "And a dog milk shake too!"

Graceland

 We stopped at Graceland on our way home. Dexter had been before but we hadn't gotten a picture.When we asked My Bologna to "sit", down went Dexter, too! Dexter loved to pretend-read the messages on the wall. My Bologna was more interested in emptying his bladder.

Tree Frog

Dexter had become a true nature-boy by the time Ben and I returned to Mississippi.  To Mommy's horror, he was playing with tree frogs.

Steve and Salmon Pot Pie

Before leaving for Seattle, I googled my old boss and friend, Steve, and sent an email saying I'd be out that way.  As luck would have it, Steve still lives in Seattle and was happy to hear from me so Ben and I got together for dinner at a seafood restaurant with him and his wife, Paula.  It was cool to catch up with someone who had known me at near about the craziest period in my life about 20 years ago.

  Ben was obsessed with his salmon pot pie.

Seattle Sites

 In addition to visiting the Space Needle and hanging out with Hank Beach and his lovely wife, Leigh, I also took Ben on a tour of Jiffy's Seattle back in the day.  We went to Ozzie's, the bar where I used to wait tables and the 5 Spot where I used to consider my living room because I lived in a tiny studio above the bar.  Ozzie's was practically unrecognizable to me while the 5 Spot hadn't changed a bit! Ben and I also caught an awesome sunset on the Sound.

Beating the Memphis Heat

Ben and I saw a little bird hanging out in the cool air of the Memphis airport.

BBQ at Marlowe's

 On the way to the airport, we all had an early dinner at Marlowe's on Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Bird Feeding

Dexter enjoyed feeding the birds each morning using Drake's tennis ball thrower to scoop birdseed into the birdfeeders resulting in more birdseed in his hair than in the feeders.

Begging

My Bologna quickly learned by watching Drake that following Gunker around would usually result in a mouthful of yummy food...especially if Gunker was in the kitchen!

Discovering S'mores

 Gunker introduced Dexter to the beauty of s'mores. Mommy and Daddy discovered the importance of cleaning up melted marshmallow before it hardens on Dexter's face.

My Hero

Ben saved the day when he jumped onto land and pulled the boat back to Grandma and Gunker's dock. And he looked good doing it, too.

Three Hour Tour

 What was planned to be a half hour ride in Sweetwater to the other side of the lake turned into a two and a half hour excursion when the engine quit working at the far end of the lake.  Dexy paid very close attention when Gunker checked the motor.

 Dexter suggested, "Maybe we can fix it with some tools," and proceeded to use a screwdriver on the railing. He also said, "Let me see if the problem is at the front of the boat. No, the problem is not at the front of the boat."

 Luckily, we had a lovely breeze that pushed us back towards Grandma and Gunker's side of the lake but Gunker and Daddy had to use a pole and a fishing net to steer us away from the banks along the way. 

Fooled by Fake Fishing

 Both Dexter and My Bologna had no idea that the fishing rod Dexter was using was a kid's toy unable to catch any fish.  Dexter had a ball casting the line and reeling it back in and My Bologna excitedly watched the line come in from the water.

Three Boats

 Within the first 36 hours of being in Mississippi, Dexter rode in a paddleboat powered by Mommy and Daddy's legs, drove "Sweetwater", the pontoon boat, and kayaked with Daddy.

Street Sweeping in Boomland

I was surprised by how much Dexter's "street sweeping" in Boomland looked like ballet moves in photos.

On the Road

 Dexy and My Bologna did a great job on a very long car ride to Mississippi. Dexter mastered eating in the car and making the most of the rest stop.

20 Hours in the Car and 10 Hours in the Air

We managed to blend work and play while traveling this past week:

- Ben, Dexter, My Bologna, and I hit the long road to Mississippi after Ben's church gig last Sunday.

 - We all spent a day and a half with Grandma and Gunker during which time Dexter rode in three different types of boats.

- Ben and I visited with Ben's longstanding childhood friend, Kristi, and her husband, Trent, in Memphis where we enjoyed a leisurely dinner and easy conversation.

- Ben and I flew to Seattle where I conducted a successful 2-day site visit and spent evenings visiting Seattle friends and sites (poor Ben had to survive on vending machine burritos during the days when I was working since we were staying at a dump in a Seattle suburb).

- Dexter and My Bologna had a wonderful time with Grandma and Gunker.  We got a great report on Dexter's behavior and he was excited to tell us all about Chuck-E-Cheese, the Children's Museum, and the Memphis Zoo. We also got a great report on My Bologna who adapted well to the great outdoors and got along well with Drake.

- Ben and I flew back to Mississippi, enjoyed some good BBQ and a restful night's sleep then we drove back to Chicago in time for Ben to make his church gig this Sunday!

Powdered Sugar Donut

 Our neighbor, Karen, had recommended the fresh donuts at a nearby farmer's market. I had been trying to come up with ways for Dexter and me to have some early morning time out of the house together in order to give Ben some well-deserved sleep-in time on Saturday mornings so this seemed like a good idea.

 Yesterday morning, Dexter and I got dressed, picked up some coffee/water, filled the car with gas, and schlepped off to check out the farmers market and find these donuts.

 The farmer's market was great.  It was lively at 7am but not packed. Dexter and I eventually found the famous donuts (just had to look for the long line) and bought a few to bring home.

We all enjoyed them but I think Dexter enjoyed them the most.

"Where are the termites?!"

Dexter recently got a video from the library called, "The Big Renovation".  As might be expected, it is a video of a complete home renovation.  As might not be expected, it goes into in-depth segments about different aspects of a home renovation project such as "how to create and interpret blueprints", "how ceramic tiles are made", and "the lumber processing process".  During the demolition phase of the renovation, when the workers were discovering and replacing damaged wood, the in-depth segment was all about termites.  More than anyone needs to know about termites.  Up close and personal videos of termites.  Dexter is consistently captivated during this segment.  Mommy leaves the room.

The other day Daddy reported back that during their morning walk, they passed a house being renovated and Dexter stood on the front lawn yelling, "Where are the termites?!"

Food Face Plate

A couple of days ago, my sister sent Dexter a food face plate and he couldn't wait to use it.  He loved making hair out of carrots, a beard out of cold cuts, ears out of potato chips, and a mustard mustache and eyeglasses. He ate every bite and insisted we make another face then ate every bite again.  Tonight, he made hair, earrings, "hypnotizing eyes", and a goatee out of broccoli and, you guessed it, ate every bite.

Man with a Plan

 Dexter, Daddy, and My Bologna were hanging out in the backyard preparing the grill for some salmon when Dexter got an idea, went to the garage, got out his cow watering can, asked for water, and began watering "his" plants (I let him pick out some plants and help plant them in a pot the other day).

Heading Home from the Big City Adventure

Big City Adventure: Public Transportation

Dexter learned the public transportation waiting game at the L stop.

Big City Adventure: Fellow City Wanderers

 Dexter saw a walking hot dog and people riding Segways - exciting!!

Big City Adventure: Buckingham Fountain

 Dexter was excited to see another fountain until he realized he couldn't splash around in it.

Big City Adventure: Blues Fest Picnic

 We all walked to Grant Park to experience the sights. sounds, and smells of Blues Fest.







Daddy went to get hot dogs for us while Dexter and I headed off to find a shady spot. Dexter refused to sit on the grass screaming, "We have to sit on chairs!!"  Eventually a Dexter-approved spot opened up at a picnic table.  Dexter and the nice lady had a lovely chat about recycling.

Dexter insisted he needed a fork to eat his hot dog.  I explained that we were having a picnic without utensils and that if he didn't want to eat his hot dogs without a fork, we could give it to the birds.  He quickly changed his Emily Post tune and gobbled up his hot dog mumbling through the food in his mouth, "The birds won't eat my hot dog now."

We also caught a few blues bands but Dexter was getting a little antsy so we didn't linger long.