Making the most of another weekend
For those who don't know, I spend my weekends (along with my mom) with my 89-year old grandfather. He lives about 3 hours away from us, so the travel alone is a bit wearing. Grandpa has been on his own since his second wife died 10 years ago; he cooked for himself, kept up his home, drove anywhere he wanted to go, even hitching up his 22' camper trailer to his van and taking short 3 or 4 day excursions within reasonable distance.
Last December Grandpa fell ill. After 2 weeks at the local hospital and 2 more weeks in the Omaha hospital, he was discharged. Mom and I switched off staying with him for a week at a time as he wanted to be in his own home. Two months later, he was ready to be on his own - within reason. (No driving, etc.) Which brings us to where we are now; keeping up on things he can't do and taking him out to shop and what-not.
Honestly, it's been good for all of us in a way, but again it's wearing. Luckily the weather has been f-i-n-e the past couple of weekends and we've really been able to enjoy ourselves.
Last weekend we were back at the cemeteries to retrieve the grave decorations from Memorial Day. One of the places where we have kin interred is Riverton, IA. It's a very old, economically depressed poor, farming community and there are loads of old things to photograph. On this trip, we happened by the lot where the old schoolhouse stood; the school is gone now, but the playground is still there. The grass is neatly mowed, and the equipment, although OMG dangerous by today's standards, appears to be sturdy and still enjoyed by the local children. It caught my attention because this is the kind of thing I played on in elementary school - and, as they say, they don't make 'em like this anymore:
As Riverton is only a few miles from Shenandoah, I fully expect to get more pictures of the tiny town this summer!
Last December Grandpa fell ill. After 2 weeks at the local hospital and 2 more weeks in the Omaha hospital, he was discharged. Mom and I switched off staying with him for a week at a time as he wanted to be in his own home. Two months later, he was ready to be on his own - within reason. (No driving, etc.) Which brings us to where we are now; keeping up on things he can't do and taking him out to shop and what-not.
Honestly, it's been good for all of us in a way, but again it's wearing. Luckily the weather has been f-i-n-e the past couple of weekends and we've really been able to enjoy ourselves.
Last weekend we were back at the cemeteries to retrieve the grave decorations from Memorial Day. One of the places where we have kin interred is Riverton, IA. It's a very old, economically depressed poor, farming community and there are loads of old things to photograph. On this trip, we happened by the lot where the old schoolhouse stood; the school is gone now, but the playground is still there. The grass is neatly mowed, and the equipment, although OMG dangerous by today's standards, appears to be sturdy and still enjoyed by the local children. It caught my attention because this is the kind of thing I played on in elementary school - and, as they say, they don't make 'em like this anymore:
As Riverton is only a few miles from Shenandoah, I fully expect to get more pictures of the tiny town this summer!