When Patrick texted me, I knew what we were going to do for Memorial Day. Shane and I drove up the mountain to Staunton. We wanted to see his new pad.
Any new place is a source of wonder. The only difference between Shane and I is his be-wonderment lasts longer. He ran up the backstairs, but the fish in the kitchen held his attention much longer than yours truly's.
I talked to Patrick and scoped out the whole place before he found the cat ledge (that the cat refuses to use -- typical cat).
It was a nice pad. I'm biased, because I like that Patrick is a shorter drive away. It'll make visits almost 20 minutes easier. Round trip, the savings double.
Shane would have been happy for Patrick to stream tornado videos all day, but we had other plans.
Shelby and Patrick took us to Gypsy Hill Park. It was a much larger and nicer park than I expected for the city's size.
Random Mike ADHD Moment: Did you notice that Patrick and Shane were in sync?
Shane was mesmerized by the water falls.
There were a couple of times I thought he was going to fall/jump in.
The water was shallow enough it would only have been annoying.
Shane would have been happy to fart around near the waterfalls all day, but there was more to see.
The koi were huge.
The puddles were puddle-y!
And the rock climbing wall was rock climbing-y!
It took effort to herd Shane to the playground. He knew what to do when we got there, of course.
I made sure to steer us away from the puddles on the way back. Shane didn't land in any on the way, but I wouldn't have been surprised if the temptation presented itself again. We played in the park until lunchtime.
Downtown Staunton was empty. I'd like to come back on a day when everything is not closed.
We finished our visit with lunch at Chili's. It wasn't a unique experience, but we all let fat and happy.
The one downside of the trip: Shane didn't nap on the way home. Maybe it was the elevation change. Or maybe it was the shorter trip. That stinker didn't sleep. The trip must have been somewhat restful, because he wasn't cranky come bedtime, though.
Happy Memorial Day one and all.
Thanks for posting about this trip to see Patrick and Shelby. Patrick called us last night and told us about the new place and your visit. Dad and I are so glad you and your youngest brother are so close. It's good for Shane to have more family closer by.
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