This year’s Labor Day weekend was spent with our parents in Kansas. It’s always grand to visit our parents – we’re trying to do that as often as we can. We came away with yet another new found perspective however. Hurricanes occupy as much TV time in land-locked Kansas as it does in the coastal states. I’m glad CFB has started. Listening to Big 12 North friendly media rant and rave about a successful Week 1 for my Wildcats (and yes I had to tolerate the Jayhawks as well) is quite refreshing, perhaps even a bit rejunivenating.

Deb’s dad had an orchard full of apples this weekend. So we grabbed buckets and sacks and trekked up the hill to do some old fashion picking. Others did the picking, I photographed (Hey Emily, you should have been with me on that Photowalk). Deb’s mom, nephew Jacob, my dad, and Gus the Dog came out and joined in on the fun. When it was all said and done, we had a bushel of apples, some already sampled by birds…others home to constant diners that dwell and relish the sweet taste and fruit firmness (aka worms). Within minutes the five of them had a load and we then kind of looked at each other and said “now what”. “Now what”, at least in part, resulted in apple pealing/coring the old fashion way (with a pairing knife) and had Deb making my dad two pies that evening. Now I like pies and apple is usually down my favorites list quite a ways, however Deb’s pies were particularly good and quite tasty. So much so, Dad and I enjoyed a breakfast of champions by having a slice of homemade apple pie and a scope of vanilla bean ice cream for breakfast the next morning.

Apple picking wasn’t the only thing we did over the weekend. Dad bequeathed to me a new set of fairway woods and irons (I still owe you for that Dad) so we smacked golf balls Saturday afternoon at the local driving range. We loosened one of my I-don’t-remember-how-many crowns on wood fired pizza (Gutch’s Bar & Grill – sorry gang they don’t have a web site – is worth the trip and gains honorable mention on my eatery list…thanks Dad). A brief visit with OFB TR and OFSIL Sue was had Saturday evening; entertainment was provided by their grandkids. And my one pity complaint for the trip would be: I sneezed, snifled, and dapped my teary eyes all weekend with the onset of ragweed season in Kansas.

Deb got a welding 101 course taught to her by her dad – she’s wanting to “make” something way cool for our on-going home remodeling project(s). We also both got a short crash course lesson in reading an slooooooow producing oil well tank gauge – plumb bob on a tape measure (what a messy job that is to the unskilled).

Windshield time to Kansas is 8 hours each way. It’s always a long road whether we’re coming or going, but well worth the travel time spent. Our trip home (to Texas) this trip was met with a head wind the entire way and packing a Scottish antique from OFSIL Sue’s Northglen Antiques. Hurricane Gustav decided to blow in our face all day Monday. Thanks to my streamlined muscle truck, we made it home in record gas mileage fashion – an average of about 14 MPG.

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