Precious And Too Few

      Continued from 8/31/2016:
     I left Los Angeles this past Thursday - Tom left last Monday -  after two weeks of babysitting for our granddaughters,

...ages 3 and 5.

     And though  I feel  a mix of envy of and happiness for people whose grandchildren live close enough by that they can be a frequent presence in the lives of their children's children, I always remind myself, my husband, and all our friends whose children and grandchildren live far away,  that having our loved ones in distant places gives us someplace to travel to,  the special occasions of our visits to look forward to, and the happy memories of the precious, if too few, moments we've shared:

....like the memory of cutting melon in the shape of a half moon and then pretending we were eating the moon,

...of painting the patio furniture with a bucket of water.

...of making a tent,

...or a fort.

...of mornings at Adventureplex,  a magical children's venue divided into wonderful play spaces,

...including a supermarket,

...a house,

...a farm,

...and an especially ingenious and popular item, a sandbox full of soft shapes,

...a toddler room,

...and a climbing structure,

...other mornings at the park,

...or the local splash pad.

...eating lunch at our favorite place, Johnny Rockets,

...where we were such regulars that the owner always came out to greet us,

...though we did try a little variety now and then.

    There were our shopping trips to Ralph's,

...and Costco,

...and everybody's favorite, Target.

...and so many small, lovely moments.

     And I was never so tired hiking up the steep, rocky mountains of Spain,

...as I was every night after a day of caring for  my grandbabies.

     But it was all good.