Dual-purpose Road Trip

I finally finished painting the table and chairs I’ve been working on for my Dad. So yesterday, I decided to make a delivery.

Aunt Bertha and Dad
Aunt Bertha and Dad

He moved into a new home back in mid-June. The kitchen is not quite as large as his old kitchen, so he needed a smaller table. I told him he should let me find one for him. Knowing I have a knack for finding cool, old, bargain-priced furniture, he agreed.

Now, Dad can be sort of impatient. I told him it may take a couple of weeks, to hang on to the table that the former occupants had left behind. But a week or so ago he told me he’d gotten a temporary table. Aunt Bertha, who lives five houses down from Dad, told me that she hoped he would pass the temporary table on to her when he was finished. She said she was envious, that he always finds the coolest stuff. Neither of them would elaborate on where this table had come from.

Of course, the whole time I was working on his “new” dining set, I was worried that he might not like it. I mean, I do realize some people prefer plain wood as opposed to painted furniture. So I started worrying that the temporary table would be nicer than the one I was repurposing for him.

I was quite anxious to get the new set finished and see this mysterious replacement. After I arrived at his house, I told him I had to see the temporary table before I unloaded his “new” set.

This is what I saw…

Temporary Table and Chair
Temporary Table and Chair

They’d both been yanking my chain the whole time! It’s not often that folks can pull jokes off on me, so they were both quite tickled to have succeeded with the ruse. That’s why they’re still laughing in that picture shown above.

"New" Table and Chairs
“New” Table and Chairs

The table is the perfect size. And the leaves, when raised, will make it possible to seat six people.

Dad with his new dining set.
Dad with his new dining set.

Dad likes his new kitchen set. I’ll tell you more about the table in another post. I’m anxious to show y’all the transformation. But first, I have to explain the other goal for yesterday’s road trip.

We adopted K through the National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network (NBRAN) in November 2009. She’d been living with a wonderful foster family in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It’s rare enough for adopters to keep former foster parents updated with pictures. Rarer still are actual visits. Since Lititz is less than 10 miles from Dad’s new place, I knew one day I’d take K for a visit. Yesterday just happened to present the perfect opportunity.

K is a very good car-rider. Unlike Meg who bounces all over the place, snorting, huffing, and puffing. And Belle, who is nervous in the car and pants constantly. K just curls up in her seat and rides along. She gets up every now and then to look out, but quickly settles right back down.

Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?

Before we left Dad’s house, I walked K over to meet the neighbors.

Moo!
Moo!

She wasn’t nearly as interested as I thought she would be.

K was only mildly interested in the cows.
K was only mildly interested in the cows.

I think the smells overwhelmed her. Not just the cow smells, the aromas in general. She doesn’t get to visit farmland often. In addition to the farm scents, there were road apples along the way, too, from all of the Amish buggies riding past. (None rode past while we were walking. I bet K’s reaction to that would have been interesting to see!)

Lovely Day
Lovely Day

The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday. During our visit with Dad, it was in the low to mid 70s and breezy.

I’d told Jenn I was stopping in for a visit, but I didn’t tell her I’d be bringing K. She and Matt, her husband, were happy to see K. As Matt explained, K’s pictures (I share lots) are nice, but she always looks grumpy. Or serious. Stoic is a word I’ve often used to describe her, too. You can see just how happy, loving, and sweet she is unless you see her in person.

Treats!
Treats! L-R, Maggie, Eli, Bella, Hannah, and K

Jenn and Matt have three dogs of their own (Bella, Hannah, and Maggie) plus a foster, Eli.

Jenn’s Mom, Ann, stopped over to see us, too.

They were kind enough to take K and I on a walking tour of Lititz. I’d driven through on previous visits to Jenn’s house, but had never stopped to look around.

It’s a cute town. Of course, I took a bunch of pics to share here…

Chocolate Factory
Chocolate Factory

 

Rolex Clock
Rolex Clock

 

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I think I embarrassed K.

 

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Giant Pretzel
Giant Pretzel

 

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Ann and Jenn with K
Ann and Jenn with K

 

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I just LOVE the name of that thrift shop.
Chapel at Linden Hall School
Chapel at Linden Hall School

 

Brew pub.
Brew pub.

 

Lovely Park
Lovely Park

In the heart of downtown Lititz is Lititz Springs Park. As you can see, a creek runs through the park. And the creek was full of ducks.

Mildly interested at first.
Mildly interested at first.

K was only a tad curious at first. I’m not sure if she’s ever seen ducks. I told her they were floating birds, but she didn’t seem to care.

A determined Jenn.
A determined Jenn.

Jenn was quite keen to get her into the water. And I really wanted to see her get excited about the ducks.

Our perseverance paid off.

Still just mildly intrigued.
Still just mildly intrigued.

I wish I’d had a video going when the ducks started quacking and flapping right in front of K. The look on her face was priceless.

Whoah!
Whoah!

We all had quite a laugh once she finally became interested in the ducks.

Definitely interested.
Definitely interested.

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She almost pulled Jenn into the water there.

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I’m not sure if K had more fun stalking the ducks or if we had more fun watching K. We laughed a lot!

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All in all, it was a lovely day.

Me and K
Me and K

It was really nice seeing Jenn, Matt, and Ann again. And Jenn, thanks for taking pictures of me. It’s rare to see a post with this many shots of me, since I’m almost always the one behind the lens.

We will definitely be back for another visit.

 

14 Replies to “Dual-purpose Road Trip”

  1. Lmao! I can’t believe I didn’t get a text with you on the frog! And K really does look embarrassed!

  2. The “lovely day” shot is AWESOME. Nice capture!

    I’d forgotten you cut your hair until the bouncy frog pic…looks good. 🙂

  3. Oh, and there was a little kid waiting to ride the frog, which I found hysterical. The look I was getting from the kid, that is. 🙂

  4. So much goodness contained in one post. What a great day. So glad your dad liked his table and they were able to fool you too.

    Loved the pic of you on the frog. But the one of Pap Smurf seems a little off. It ippears like he is looking at his lap wondering why something is missing, lol.

  5. Your father looks so happy!, I bet he’s proud of his table and chairs!! I love all of the pictures!!

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