After picking up the pieces at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead, we set out to Pierre, South Dakota with a check engine light. However, it wasn’t blinking, so the car dealership guy said we’d be fine. Then daddy, the engineer everyone wishes they’d married, figured out some way to fix it. As we drove into town, we noticed a lot of downed trees. One had crashed through an apartment building. Others lay on the roads. People were picking up leaves and pieces off trees all throughout the subdivisions. Seems like we weren’t the only victims in last night’s storm.
Finally we made our way to Patty Pearson’s home. She’s a second cousin of my mothers. Mom seems to have a ton of second cousins. Neither dad nor I can keep them all straight, but somehow Alex has everyone’s name, birthday, favorite color, and type of car committed to memory. Susanna just chills and hangs with anyone who’ll pay attention to her.
Everyone was on the verge of meltdown. Four am wake ups and long card drives don’t put people in the best mood, but mom shoved us full of food and we sat at Patty’s and caught up. I suppose I should define “caught up.” Mom chatted with her cousin Kesiah and with Patty for hours. Alex and Susanna had a grand old time with the grand old grandchildren. I finally found a home that has Fox Sports 1, so I sat in the most comfortable recliner on earth and watched England beat Norway. Dad took a well-deserved nap.
Turns out Kesiah was also the victim of the storm last night. Her backyard was flooded up to her back door step. She says her shed is completely toast. Last night they had to get up about 3am because the sirens were going off. A friend of Kesiah’s was living in one of those immobile trailer home, but a nicer one, and it was blown off its foundation and sat down about two feet over. These guys weren’t tornado victims, but victims of 90mph straight line winds. And now we’re sending all these storms your way, Indiana!
After resting at Patty’s, Kesiah took us to see Uncle Sam, my 92 year old great great uncle. He seemed overjoyed to see us and we caught him up with the latest news. The last time he’d seen me, I was about Susanna’s age. Uncle Sam had to go to dinner, so we said our goodbyes and were led through the scenic city of Pierre to a restaurant in Fort Pierre called the Pizza Ranch. Don’t be deceived by the name, for they do not, in fact, breed pizza and corral it before it is broke to ride. No, it is not that kind of ranch. Instead they let you pay a fee, and then you can eat all the pizza, fried chicken, salad, and soft serve you want. I was stuffed full of warm food that I didn’t have to make, and that’s the best kind of food there is.
We drove back to the Ramkota hotel to swim. Well, the little kids swam, but the U.S vs. Colombia game was on and I have my priorities straightened out. So Dad and I sat and enjoyed their 2-0 win. Then I went swimming with the cousins. We had a blast in the indoor pool that was right off our room, and the pool was 8 feet deep with no lifeguard. Of course I would never dream of diving in a deep pool without a lifeguard. *sarcasm intensifies*
Finally it was bed time and all of us slept through the night without fear of being blown into the Big Slough.