A Delightful Low-Tech Trip

My last Killer Hobbies post was about finishing a first draft.  I'd given myself that deadline since just after I posted my blog I headed to Indiana to help babysit my toddler grandsons.  Their parents--my son and d-i-l--went to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate a milestone birthday of my d-i-l's, and everyone in our family in their generation went with them.  That left both sets of grandparents, a great grandma, and an adorable family dog in charge of the guys, a one-year-old and a two-year-old. 

We stayed at a house owned by the other set of grandparents in a lake area in Indiana, beautiful and remote and absolutely delightful.  But who'd have thought I would be missing technology?  I'm quite untechie, and yet I've become addicted to the few technological things I generally use. 

I was able to make phone calls and send and receive text messages on my smartphone, but there was very spotty and limited Internet access.  That meant, among other things, that I could kind of follow the FB posts of the younger generation in Cabo but rarely could I see the pictures they posted.  My email occasionally came through but I could almost never respond.  And I thank McDonald's for the wi-fi at its closest restaurant, or I wouldn't have been able to check in as soon as I wanted for my return trip on Southwest Airlines, where I needed to push a button exactly 24 hours before my flight was scheduled to depart.   

For someone who now lives in drought-stricken L.A., I found it interesting that in some ways the weather where we were was worse than the part of Hurricane Norbert that hit Cabo.  We had severe thunderstorms one night, resulting in a power outage.  Fortunately, we had power again a few hours later.  And Hurricane Norbert?  Its edges apparently hit L.A. and left a few drops of rain, according to my pet-sitter.  

Then there were the insects in Indiana--among them, bumblebees, hornets, and mosquitoes. When anything like mosquitoes or fleas are around, they find me.  I'm still scratching at the bites now that I'm home. 

Does it sound like I'm complaining?  Well, maybe about a few odds and ends--including the fact I had no time to do any writing, not even at naptime.  No editing of that finished first draft.  But, hey, I'd not have traded the time I spent there for anything.  My son's in-laws are delightful and we had great fun with them, not to mention the kids.  Since we don't live near that part of the family we don't get to see the little guys nearly often enough, so I really treasured this visit.  I love being a grandma!! 

At that age, kids grow fast and learn something new almost every moment.  How fun it was not only to see them, but to encourage them and read to them and even teach them something when we could.  And our younger grandson, who had been taking a step or two on his own now and then, actually achieved what could be called walking--eleven steps at his maximum! 

Now I'm back home, scratching and trying to catch up and being back at my dogs' bark and call.  We had a wonderful sitter taking care of them but even so they let me know they missed me.  My first night back home they woke me every couple of hours, not to go out but to make sure I was really there.

 

But I miss my grandsons, their sense of wonder about everything--including the nearly full moon and the boat rides and seeing their GG--great grandma.  And hopefully us, too. 

And now I can't wait till the next time we all get together!

 

Anything exciting or fun going on with your family?