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| All of the photos shown today were shot when we drove back roads to Monday night’s restaurant. |
Yesterday was a quieter day than those of the past almost three weeks. At about 11:00 am, Tom drove to Coon Rapids (about 40 minutes from the hotel) to pick up Sister Beth to take her to the airport to return to Milwaukee.
Taking his time visiting with two of his six sisters, he returned to the hotel by 1:00 pm. So I decided to take advantage of my free time to work on a few important projects in his absence.
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| This is what I always loved about living in the western suburbs of Minneapolis; long driveways, big lots, and massive trees and vegetation. |
I started with booking our flight to Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 1st. Then I decided to go through all of my new clothes, remove price tags, and fold the many items, most of which I neatly placed into my new suitcase.
In the process, I went through the few drawers of clothing in the small chest of drawers noting any items I may need going forward, making a shortlist on my phone. When I was finished with my clothing, I began assessing Tom’s wardrobe, realizing he needed at least four more short sleeves button-up shirts suitable for evenings on cruises.
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| Wild vegetation bordered by maturing trees often creates a country-like feel. |
I’d already purchase four shirts for him at the Macy’s sale, but that would hardly be enough when clean laundry is always an issue. So when Tom returned, I was busy shopping online at the Macy’s sale for more of the same shirts in more colors. They were on sale from around $60 to only $20 to $22 each.
With no shipping fees or sales tax, it made sense to order online. Also, I ordered a third pair of Capri jeans in yet another shade in the same brand I’d purchased only a few days ago.
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| There are many parks in heavily wooded areas. |
Finally, styles have changed, and the stores are selling high waist pants that are considerably more flattering for most women than that crazy hip-hugger, low-rise jeans with four-inch zippers. Try zipping up those jeans after a big meal! I was thrilled, to say the least, and ended up buying three pairs of Capri-length jeans to replace my heavier and bulkier jeans.
Capris may be out of style, but I don’t care much about fashion, nor will it matter in any of the countries we’re visiting in the future. Function, comfort, and durability matter to me. The high-quality jeans retail for $98 each, and I purchased them for $58 each at the current “Father’s Day” sale prices.
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| A dog-friendly park with a level path for those pleasant evening walks. |
The time flew by while Tom busied himself with his usual online interests while I continued organizing and packing. At this point, when it’s time to finish packing for Las Vegas, I can be done in 15 minutes or less.
After the accomplished day, I didn’t feel like going to a restaurant for dinner. So instead, we drove to the Jimmy John’s shop in Wayzata (via back roads when the traffic was horrendous), ordered our unwiches (no bread), and headed back to the hotel to lounge on the sofa in our suite and have our meal at the TV trays Tammy loaned us weeks ago.
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| There are many swampy and algae-filled bodies of water in Minnesota, along with its over 15,000 lakes. |
We plugged in the HDMI cord from my laptop to the TV, and for the first time since we left Sydney, Australia, on April 22nd, we watched one of our Graboid downloaded TV shows, an episode of Scandal. Mindless and easy to watch, we got lost in an easy pastime we’d hadn’t done for such a long time.
After we ate, I changed into my nightshirt, climbed into bed, and placed my laptop atop a pillow on my lap. I had to get today’s post started and hopefully completed since picking up Maisie tomorrow at 8:00 am to make it back in time for the hotel’s “fun” self-serve breakfast the kids love so much.
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| Cattails are commonly found in lakes and shallow bodies of water. |
Today, Tom is off to a St. Paul Saint’s baseball game with son TJ while Maisie and I entertain ourselves. Maisie and I will end the day at Madighan’s soccer game starting at 6:00 pm. By 8:00 pm, Tom and I will be on our way to meet at a restaurant for dinner.
It will be another action-packed day with each of us going our separate ways to maximize the time we can spend with our respective children and grandchildren. In the evenings, it’s enjoyable to recap our day’s experiences spent with family and friends.
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| Natural habitats such as this are a haven for birds and other wildlife. |
May your day be action-packed and rewarding!
Photo from one year ago today, June 14, 2016:
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| During an uncommonly heavy rainstorm in Bali, I went out to the freezer in the garage to get some ice. I saw this long black thing, referred to as an omangomang in Balinese, moving along the garage floor. I called out to Tom to come to see it. He grabbed the camera and came running. Creepy. Was that an eye looking out at us? For more details, please click here. |