Neighborhood Parks

After two busy weeks of packing, throwing, unpacking, throwing I'm  finally settled (as much as can be expected) at my new home in Iowa. 

As we drove up to my son's home with two UHaul's, each with a car in tow and me driving another car in the middle, a sense of relief came over all three of us.  We were greeted by my daughter-in-law.   "Welcome Home" she called from the front lawn.  I'm sure we all breathed a sigh of relief.  I'm now confident she is ok with me moving in until I purchase my own home.

A couple of days of unpacking and throwing I am situated and ready to explore with my four excited grandchildren.  With a handful of days left of school, I'll have some time to settle in, work the division wide rummage sale, and prepare our itinerary. 

I'm reminded of the famous quote from the Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home".  Neighborhood Parks are the first place to explore when thinking of summer in Iowa.  Checking out the City of Des Moines . web site you will notice that the City of Des Moines is responsible for the management of 72 parks, 3,225 acres of parkland, 40 miles of trails and numerous municipal facilities. 

Exploring does not have to be expensive.  This gives us 72 places where we can begin our exploration of Des Moines.  My grandchildren are old enough that they don't necessarily want me to play with them, they would prefer to play with each other.  So with my laptop or reading material in tow, we begin our first day of relaxing by visiting one of the parks.  Check out your city's web site under parks and recreation and begin your summer adventure by mapping out and exploring your city parks.  Don't forget the sunscreen!

The Planning is Half the Fun

Five more days left at my corporate job. Planning for retirement, I was so excited when the years left to work were down to single digit. When I finished that tenth year, only nine years left to go, I couldn’t believe I’d finally made it that close. The years went by and now I’m looking at single digits for the number of days left.
While we are waiting for the traveling to begin, I’ve been doing some shopping. I’m not very good at waiting. Sterilite has come out with some cases that snap shut and have handles built in, 13 ½” X 12 1/8” X 1 7/8. The four cases I purchased are the perfect size to carry colors, a coloring book, and a diary for recording the day’s travel. When school starts in the fall, my grandchildren won’t have any trouble remembering the adventures they had over the summer.

I’ve included some stickers to decorate the outside of the cases, princesses for my granddaughters and dinosaurs and robots for my grandson. Tomorrow I’ll pick up some letter stickers so they can put their names on the outside. I picked up some little coloring books, horses for my oldest granddaughters and animal letters for my youngest granddaughter and grandson. I’ll need to add colors to that shopping list and some No. 2 pencils. I’ll take them shopping when I get to Iowa to pick out the color they want for their writing/drawing diary. My mother always said planning is half the fun of any adventure.

Grandma Mitch Travel Begins

Welcome to my initial post of Grandma Mitch Travel. My journey through Iowa begins in Colorado. People ask why I want to leave the beauty of Colorado to move to Iowa. I believe there is beauty in Iowa yet to be explored. I've given my notice to the corporate world. I've sold my home. I've ordered the moving van. I’m counting down the days.

The beauty isn’t all that is waiting for me. My sons and their families await. Iowa is filled with experiences to share with children. I’m just as excited as my grandchildren to begin exploring.

I looked on line earlier this week to find some small backpacks for my grandchildren to carry their own snacks, drinks, and a small toy. We will be having so much fun! But for now, they are finishing up the school year and I’m finishing my last days at my corporate job.