Family ties

From Sterling, Colorado to Lincoln Nebraska is about a six-hour drive but it was a major shift in the focus of the trip. The landscape had already started to change before I got to Sterling. The Colorado mountains had flattened out to the Great Plains coming out of Denver. Except for stretches of economic recovery paid for road work, which I had gotten used to on previous legs of the trip, the drive was uneventful. The day was the clear, the sky cloud-puffed, and the corn fields boundless. I was traveling through an immense plein air landscape. I arrived in Lincoln mid-afternoon. I had arranged to meet my niece, her husband, and their twin daughters at the pre-school where the girls are enrolled. I had some free time so I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant I passed coming into town.

On this trip, Mexican food was my default choice in a strange town. True, the quality varies, and if you eat all the rice and beans and a basket of chips with salsa, the calorie count is through the roof. For me, half portions (or just eating half) left me satisfied and feeling like there was still some connection to real food. Plus, I really like Mexican food, and on this trip I had many first-rate meals. El Rancho Autentico turned out to be a very good choice. The chili relleno was excellent, and the TG server provided an unexpected twist to the ambience.

Erin gets her face painted

At the day care center I waited outside for my niece, people watching the flow of young parents and toddlers. When Connor and Rod arrived, we wove through the flow, up to the twins' second floor classroom. 

I hadn't seen the twins in over a year. My time with them has been limited to annual visits either at family get togethers or on short visits. From the first time I saw them, I was entranced, of course. I mean they are exceptional in every way, not to mention beautiful. Yes, all children are exceptional and beautiful, but my three grandnieces (the third appears later) come from my gene pool and are still exceptional and beautiful. I think that is nothing short of miraculous.

Kelsey learning to swim

Any way, I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw them. Kelsey saw me and retreated between her father's legs to hide. Erin, ran to me and threw herself at me. I scooped her up into my arms and she immediately began talking to me like we were best friends and had known each other forever. I was a goner. By the time we got back to the house, Kelsey had decided that I was also BFF and the rest of the short visit a breeze. 

My family is a not atypical. My parents, both of whom are deceased, had two boys. I married, divorced, and did not have children. My brother and his second wife (and high school sweetheart) live in San Antonio. He has three children: two boys and a girl. Cory has a daughter, Isabella, from his first marriage. Coby is single, and Connor has the twins Kelsey and Erin. Cory and Coby live in Kansas City, Connor and Rod live in Lincoln. None of us lives in the place where we were born. We are scattered across several States. We get together as a family rarely. So for me to be shored with unconditional love from these magnificent beings is a real gift and wonderment. Home may be where, when you go there, they have to take you in; but family offers us the opportunity to experience unconditional love. Even if it takes several tries.

After pre-school parties, swimming lessons, art projects, and just plain fooling around, I headed off once again - this time to Kansas City to see my two nephews and my grandniece, Isabella. More about that later. For more pictures of all three of my exceptional, beautiful grandnieces go to my Smugmug album.