Trixie

Evan Wright
Tammy Wright
lovely deck shot #1
lovely deck shot #2

I was up just before 7am. But honestly, I had hoped to be up by 630am leaving myself plenty of time to exercise, run, and walk Ykraps before heading off to the third, 1st Sunday of the month family breakfast. So, with time tight, I hurried through my exercise routine and then tried to rush through a walk with Ykraps. However, I was very careful with Ykraps since he was still in noticeable pain.

Back at the house I drank my first cup of coffee and then quickly donned my running shorts for my Sunday morning run. I ran a slightly abbreviated path cutting about a half mile off to help gain back some precious time. I ran by the subdivision park entrance where I thought that I saw Trixie bothering another runner and her dog. But they were off in the distance and I didn’t bother to pursue it any further. As I ran on I thought that maybe I should’ve.

I completed a dandy run by 8:23am. I poured myself another cup of coffee before heading up to get a shower. Mindy was just finishing getting ready and had Bella getting dressed. Jacob was still lying lazily in our bed. I showered and dressed in less than ten minutes. I was ready to go! I went about organizing my gear – both phones and camera so we could hit the road. Outside, I saw the dog owner trolling the neighborhood again looking for her “Holly” and our “Trixie”. I didn’t dare got out and tell her that I thought that I saw her again. I didn’t want to face any more of her misdirected scorn. I did tell Mindy, however.
As we pulled away from the house we decided to drive by the park to see if we might happen across Trixie (a.k.a. Holly). We didn’t see her. We drove on to Frisch’s Big Boy!
Bob, April, and kids were already there waiting outside. It was 9:05am when we arrived. Missing was dad. According to Bob, he wasn’t feeling well and shared that he may not show. Despite his absence, as well as others, we had a nice time sharing and eating.

We finished up around 1030am. Outside, Bobby & April invited us over to spend sometime on the deck. We accepted, but had to go home first to get the kids swim suits.
After picking up the swimsuits we cruised by the park once again keeping an eye out for Trixie. No luck! We headed to Bobby’s. The cool morning air warmed quickly in the brilliant sunshine. Soon the kids were swimming in the pool all the while the sun made its way slowly over Bob’s roof top. We sat on the deck and chatted for a couple of hours. By the time 1:30pm approached, we gathered our things and departed for home. We were planning to be at Courtney and Jeremy’s for a Labor Day cookout by 5:00pm. Mindy mentioned the possibility of picking up her mother on the way back to our house so the two of them could go shopping. I was against it only because I sorely needed a nap. And as soon as we got home I headed straight upstairs and jumped into bed. While drifting in and out of sleep I watched a couple of shows on the History Channel. The first was the history of major league baseball and the second was about the sun. Both were very informative. But most importantly, I got some much needed rest. I rested until a little after 4pm. What a slacker!

We readied and departed for Courtney & Jeremy’s around 4:40pm. Jacob discovered that Chris’ son had mistakenly made off with one of his sandals yesterday afternoon leaving Jacob with one size “1” and one size “3”. Jacob wasn’t pleased and threw a little fit. He said he was staying home. OK, we said. We got in the car to depart when all of the sudden he came running out to join us, only without shoes.

We stropped at Giant Eagle on our way to pick-up a keylime pie, some beer, and some flowers for Courtney. Mindy also asked that I look for some flip-flops for Jacoby. Secretly, I had already planned to do so. They didn’t have any. But I got everything else on our short list. I really wanted some Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale. They didn’t have any, but they did have Jack’s Pumpkin Ale. I figured that I’d give it a try. We arrived at the Jump’s around 5:10pm.

The Jump’s have a lovely restored old brick home in west Grandview. After our initial greet, I cracked a Jack’s Pumpkin Ale. Jeremy poured Mindy a glass of wine. Meanwhile the kids played cautiously. We snacked on chips and Jeremy’s homemade smoked pepper salsa. He also allowed me to sample his latest batch of homebrew – IPA, which he bottled earlier in the day.

We hung out for the next hour or so visiting and sharing stories. We were all hopeful that Bob and Mary Ann would make it over. Save for Barley’s, the six of us haven’t gotten together all summer. Around 7pm Bob finally called to tell us that they’d be over but to go ahead and eat without them. Jeremy got to cookin’. He grilled some homemade refried beans and a marinated flank steak. He also made a sauce comprised of olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and jalapeño to place over top the steak. It was all very delicious. The Imber’s arrived just as we were finishing our dinner. They ended up eating after all. When they were through, Courtney brought out the keylime pie. It was very tangy! I had a couple Rye P.A’s that Jeremy had in Barley growlers. It was very good, too. As the evening wore on, the kids became increasingly tired and asked to go home. A few minutes later we gathered our things and headed towards home. Mindy drove. We arrived home right at 10pm sharp. We were all sleepy. The kids went to their beds without prompting and fell asleep. Mindy and I weren’t too far behind. I had to be up for work, so a good night’s sleep was important.