Seeing is Believing

I am back home again with my guys. And exhausted. Sometimes emotional "workouts" drain as much energy as physical ones! I was just glad to stay awake and have a safe trip home.

For those who might not believe the snowstorm 10 days before May Day, I figured I better upload some photos from my 3-day sojourn...

 This is the Friday morning view out Dad and Mom's west door. You can see plenty of snow on the bushes and the field beyond.

 Oh yes, and my CRV is there, too! Could have used a shovel to clear that!

You can see how wet and heavy it was, weighing down branches and, in other places, power lines. We didn't lose any branches there but saw plenty of broken tree limbs when we were out driving on Friday.

 Snow banks from the quick plowing job. See the robins on the ground checking it out.

Here are some cardinals (well, fake ones) doing the same thing on Mom's garden weather vane.

On Friday, Dad got a special visit from Pastor Dave, who happened to be giving a bible study at the nursing home that day -- and also happened to know the words to an old hymn, "Showers of Blessings."

Here Dad listens to him sing a song that my dad sang when he was a young kid on the way from school. He said his mom would hear him sing and know he was almost home. So it's a special song and, sadly, one he would like sung at his funeral.

 Here is the view outside Dad's room window. Not like that is any less depressing!

My sister Rayna is smiling here but she has nothing good to say about the snow... other than it can stay in Minnesota and Wisconsin when she heads back to Texas Monday morning.

Remember when I told you I brought up a variety of "lounge pants" for my dad. While he did refuse the Vikings ones, look which ones he was sporting today!

 I guess if he was a Tony Stewart fan, we could say he was "Smoke"-ing in those!

This afternoon, the 8 R's gathered at my sister Romey's nearby and had some discussions about planning. You know, the kind of planning you hate to HAVE to talk about, but better while we are all together. Of course, it was a good opportunity to try to get a picture of all of us "kids," too!

On the way home, I saw this while going through Frederic. There were lots of flags in the area still flying at half-staff for the Boston incident. This also was unique because of the much too-white background in this April 20 photo of Coon Lake.

You seriously never know what a storm in the Northwoods will bring. My question is, did the extra-terrestrials ARRIVE with the storm? Or did the storm delay their departure?

I can't blame anyone for wanting to leave this mess! Though I have to admit, it IS pretty. (Now that the roads are clear.)

One final image to wrap up my trip.

I thought it pretty appropriate to drive by Pray Avenue. Seems I've been traveling that road a lot lately. But it always gets me where I need to go.