The northern states seem to have only two seasons annually: winter and road construction. Ted and I hit a lot of road construction on our way from visiting Ted’s brother to seeing our grandson in Rockford, IL. As a result, we arrived about an hour later than we’d planned. It was fun to see Sky’s Star Wars-themed apartment. If there’s Star Wars merch, Sky (named Anakin Sky) probably has it. Ted took a picture of Sky and me. Check out the coffee table–and underneath the coffee table–and the helmet on the right. And this was just the beginning of the themed décor.

We had a nice visit with Sky and then went out for dinner together and visited some more. We arrived later than we’d expected, and stayed longer than we’d expected, so it’s all good. I love having independent adult grandchildren who stay in touch and welcome visits from Grandma and Grandpa.

After dinner with Sky, Ted and I headed for I-39 and home. At a rest stop, we saw this truck with a very long load. The big question: How does it turn corners? Surely it needs an escort vehicle.

When we arrived at home, the first thing we saw was a pretty “Welcome home” garden bouquet from Kari.

As I was putting away our “real” Wisconsin cheese, there were more welcome home items. We didn’t have to go to the grocery store first thing in the morning–we had hamburger for our hard rolls, bread and fruit for lunch, cookies for fun, and milk to go with them.

You know you did more right than wrong when you were raising your kids when they grow up to be as thoughtful as this. It was wonderful to spend time with some of our friends and family, and it was good to be home again. Long live the American road trip!