Our Visit With Noodle

It has to be called "progress". It is never easy to have family move so far away.......this kind of "progress" always rips another hole in your heart. It is something I have had to deal with my entire life. I really hate it when people that I love leave.........but I also really do understand why those people leave. It is not as if I am being left behind..........I like to think of it as I am the one holding down the fort..........I will maintain that part of their lives that is called "home".



It wasn't easy to accept that my "Noodle Girl" would end up moving away to Leander, Texas. Yet another hole in my heart............but I am okay with it for now. I do worry though........I cannot be there to help........or make sure they are safe. This trip......this visit......is helping me deal with it all. As I stated, I understand all of the reasons they left Baltimore. It was actually a no-brainer, but I was not familiar with their chosen new home. The fear of the things that you know about is bad enough, but it is the fear of the unknown that eats you up. Seeing things for myself is very therapeutic. It makes everything taste better. As a Dad, you kinda like to believe that you have some sort of control over your kids...........but they grow up............and it is at this point that whatever job you did raising your kids, will be revealed. Okay.........enough of that.................let's get to the visit already.........




For those of you out of the loop........this is my grand-daughter "Princess Fartknocker". She is my eldest daughter's second child. Her eldest child "The Mayor Of Simpleton" was not with us on this trip. We brought Fartknocker with us for two reasons..........1......"Signtopia" is the one who looks after her during the week while her parental units work.........and 2...........this trip would give her an opportunity to visit with her other grandparents who just so happen to live not very far from Leander. In the picture, Princess Fartknocker is in bliss........and she is in bliss because she is with her cousin "Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1"..................

................and, as you can see............Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 is a happy baby.

We spent alot of time just spending time with my Noodle Girl. Noodle Girl is , of course, my youngest daughter. Here we are enjoying a game on my laptop............of course I had my laptop with me. This laptop has been on two cruises, went to New Orleans, went with me to Jamaica, Cancun (twice), the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands,..........wherever I go.

My son-in-law, "Number Cruncher" took me for a drive to show me the road signs that they discovered...........and, of course, I had my trusty camera with me.

How often do you find this?

Look close.............I guess they actually ran out of names................hah......it's one of those roads where you can actually tell someone "I don't know the name of that road".

Right next to their home is a community pool and playground. I took Fartknocker there so she could burn off some energy.

This is the Noodle Girl's new home.

On the left........the community pool..........and the wavy sidewalk between the fences.

The yard is fenced and is a pretty decent size......plenty of room for the Expansion Pack to play.

It is also plenty of room for my two granddogs "Dory" and "Sammy" to run around. At some point, there will be a patio......but.....hey........they are just getting started.

Four year old hacker. Maybe she will have her own blog one day and write about her memories of me................well.............maybe.

Inside the house is very roomy.............of course they have alot more stuff to get yet.........but they have time for that.

I fixed two dinners while here.............lasagna on one night........and country fried steak on another night...........by request. I was happy to fix it.

I was also happy to go to this place.............Duke's. What can I say?...............Barbeque!............and the pinto beans!............let's just say the beans were what you want to eat about two hours before getting on a plane...........hehehe.

Noodle Girl and Number Cruncher...................yeah I like seeing this kind of stuff............makes me feel good.

When at a barbeque restaurant, there are certain things you have to do with the children.............stand them up on the table!...........hehehe.

Actually, Number Cruncher is very good with the baby. He is going to be a great dad............seeing this also makes me very happy.

My wifey-poo, Supernurse, was very happy to spend some time with the baby. Seeing her dote over the baby as she did........well.........you know how I feel about that, too.

This alone, was worth the trip.

Pictures speak louder than words...................and it's a good thing he isn't old enough for the pinto beans.......hehehe.

I have to mention this place. It is a store called HEB plus! Think Sam's Club meets Wal-Mart meets Costco meets BJ's meets Albertson's. I love this store. I just cannot understand why we don't have these in Baltimore.

Oh well...........stay tuned, I have to tell you about the rodeo next.