The mystery of the blue paint on the side of the van got addressed today. I still can’t figure out how I got a splatter pattern of bright blue paint on the van without noticing. Well, I did notice it 10 days ago. I naively thought it would just come out with a washing. Wayne corrected me and quickly directed to our local body shop.
After VBS (weightlifting in the early morning, biking to vbs, and taking an hour long walk with Claire and Lucy), I went on an unexpected adventure. I was letting the girls play at the church playground to their hearts content. This ha been the cause of a tantrum and protestations earlier in the week when we had to leave right away. I placed an innocent call to the detailer to make an appt for next week. What about now he asks? Hmmmmmm. I guess I could make it work. There are pesky details about lunch and naps and where we’ll hang out, but I flow.
We grab some Red Mill. I call ahead so I just have to jump out of the car. I’m not in a great parking space. I
place the milk shake in the cupholder and it flips out spilling half on the ground. The girls are like sharks with blood in the water. The smell of mint and fries is too much. They start clambering for the food despite my dilemma. I stop that onslaught and look for papertowels. Oops, we never replaced them after using some for firemaking in cold Ranier. Wipes…also not replaced. This is where I notice my water is missing. So all I have are Terry cloth towels and tissues and a rug full of mint ice cream.
I do the best I can and move on. We find the auto detailer in a industrial corner of Magnolia. There is no office to sit in. Our van is going to be inaccessible. I don’t have water. There are no bathrooms. I grab the stroller, taggies, and a blanket.
We sit in a corner of weeds with brambles eating our lunch. The kids think this is the best thing ever. Thank goodness for adaptable kids. I save half the lemonade and we start our trek to the Magnolia side of the Locks. The area is heavily industrial. Motors of machinery makes it hard to hear cars well. We stumble on blackberries for desert. Kids are happy. We find a log to balance on in the shade.
We finally make it to the Lochs. The girls roll down the steel grassy hill with joy. We watch salmon in the ladders. We head to the bathrooms. Sara’s door gets stuck. I help her open it without warning her to step back. I hear a cry rising up. Blood coming out of her mouth. We put pressure on it and return to the stroller. I look at it closely. I call the dentist to check. No need for a visit. Just sadness. The blood clears, mostly from a split lip.
We head back in the pounding sun, with no hats or sunscreen to the industrial part. It’s slow going. Finally we make it back. The paint was removed and the van is washed. Dom offers us all ice cold water bottles. Manna from heaven. There’s even a dog, Moki, the girls play with.
We head home for well deserved naps.