Happenings, Part 3 -> Putting On A Bed & Departures

Thursday, June 18:
Jessica was the first to 'leave the nest' in 2008.  And she was the first to leave again this June.  But on our last night together we went to Brad's house and played a game of Catan.  It's much more challenging with a group of five as compared to a group of three.   

starting to set up the game

Jessica begins her strategy

Friday, June 19:
Jessica flew home tonight.  She took the red eye flight.  We managed to get a snapshot together before she went past the point of no return, AKA security.  Since I was the primary photographer the past few weeks, this is our only photo together.

thanks Ron for thinking of this photo-op :-)

Tuesday, June 23:
Boys and their toys...

A little brief history is needed first in order to make this story understandable...

When Alex was a junior in high school (12 years ago!) he was gifted with a 1964 Chevrolet truck from a friend whose mother wanted it out of her driveway.  It had to be towed to our driveway!  Over the months and years that followed Ron would teach Alex the ins and outs of restoring a classic.  It's still a work in progress after all these years, although the motor is done and it seems to runs well.

The bed of the truck was the next step in the process.  Years ago the boys had slapped together a wooden bed that would eventually need to be replaced.  Eventually came when Alex was visiting.  A few weeks before his arrival Ron and I took off the old bed.  It's a heavy SOB!!  Ron spent a couple of weeks constructing a new bed out of a heavy duty plywood.  This new bed will get Line-X'd after the truck is painted.

Today is the day the boys (with a little girl power too) put the assembled bed back onto the truck frame.  It went much easier with three people than it did with just two!

since the driveway is sloped, Ron decided it best to park the truck sideways

the hoist made a huge difference!

a hammer was the perfect tool to get those stubborn bolts through the holes

it was absolutely priceless to hear and see them working together again :-)

As soon as the nuts and bolts were all tightened down, Alex took it for a spin.

in the driver's seat again

Saturday, June 27:
Our time with Alex had come to an end.  He was ready to take the long drive back to Oklahoma.  Rocky is safely in the care of Charles once again until Alex can collect him.  Japan has an animal quarantine policy and Rocky must stay under 'house arrest' for a six month duration before being allowed into the country.  That's another story indeed.

thanks again Ron for taking this one :-)

So now it's back to everyday life for Ron and me.  We really wish they lived closer but it just makes it that much more exciting to know that one day we can visit them in our RV.  Of course, if we want to see Alex while he's in Japan we'll need more than our RV...