Fast Forward

Big news for the Goldsmiths - Nell is a big sis! 

The 2023 pace has been a bit hectic - until last week when the brakes (crutches) were applied for my spouse. I married a defective model 😏. Paul came with a bum knee. I didn't know about it until he blew his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) out during our engagement, requiring surgery. He limped down the aisle to matrimony a couple of months later - forty years ago. Since then we've found out that the 1982 surgery didn't really work. He's had no ligament. 👀

Paul, being...well Paul, just figured out how to cope with a faulty knee with less than full extension. He lifts weights and is active. But that crap knee has taken a toll. This year, with coaching from others who have survived knee replacement, Paul decided to take that step. Of course, he planned around various hunting seasons. All went well, and he's on the road to recovery. I wish sister Betsy was here like she was for his first surgery. She is really a nurse! Thank goodness for modern medicine and tools like the chiller machine to ice his knee. 

I'm excited for Paul to have the knee he deserves - one that doesn't hurt and that fully extends. I'm certain that my career in trash/recycling was a good choice for me. Not nursing. 

Here's a rundown of what happened before the knee replacement:

Crystal Bridges Museum

-We got in a "last trip" with the old knee - through Bentonville, Arkansas (where Walmart was born). It's an easy drive from here and is worth the trip. Crystal Bridges Museum, a Walton sister project, alone is worth the stop. We also visited the Walmart Museum and the Museum of Native American History. The city has lots of hiking/bike trails and plenty of restaurants. We met our nephew, Matt, and his darling family for supper. They're new to town as they just relocated from Texas for Matt's accounting job for Walmart. 

This really happened - so sad

-Our next destination was Dallas, TX - a place we've flown through plenty of times, but never really visited. In between Bentonville and Dallas, we stopped in Tulsa to see the Black Wall Street Museum. It was very moving and well done. 

-The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum was our target in Dallas. It's the third Presidential Museum we've been to. (Hoover, LBJ) We stayed near the Southern Methodist University Campus where the Museum is located. The library was interesting, and we took time to walk around the SMU campus. Nice - but it's no Iowa State. 💛💖😉Our nephew Tom lives north of Dallas and was nice enough to drive to our hotel with his son for a meal. Nice to catch up! 

-Stop 3 was our friend Paula's place in Austin, TX. I've known her since we were in pre-school. The 2 Ps and I were able to head to downtown Austin to walk along the river and go to Paul's fave - Terry Black Barbecue. The brisket melts in your mouth! 

Paula, Paul, and I had a fab time - the temp nearly hit 70 degrees

-The Texas Gulf Coast was our final destination. Port Aransas is a place Paula (who has lived in Austin for 30ish years) has traveled to several times. She booked a nice high-rise condo with a great view of the beach. We toured the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi, walked on the beach, and even sat by the pool and spa. We may do this again next year so the three of us can do more exploring!  

-After beach time, Paul and I hot-footed it home to Iowa in 2 days. Our timing was fortunate for us as the very next week Austin was hit with a terrible ice storm. Paula lost power for 2+ days. Yikes! The Texas Gulf trip was just what we needed - a brief respite from January in Iowa. Paula is an excellent hostess - she spoils us! We're trying to talk her into coming to Iowa for the Iowa State Fair one of these years! 

Deb - 2nd on left with husband Larry, plus other revelers! 

-After one night at home in our own bed, we traveled to Creston for a big event. Our dear friend Deb retired from her job as a recruiter at Southwestern Community College. Her family threw her a party at A&G downtown. We got to see many Creston peeps, and it was a fun evening. Yahoo! I am excited about future adventures with Deb. We stayed the night at our buddy Jeff's house. It's going on three years since we lost his wife, our friend Bobbie. RIP my friend. 

Reece David was 8 lb 11 oz - with fine blond hair

The best part of January was the birth of Kara and Jud's son Reece David Goldsmith. Our grandson. 💕He arrived a day after his daddy's January 30th bday. Our granddaughter Nell, at age 2 1/2, is a happy (just wait!) big sister. Everyone is doing well. We plan to meet the little guy next week, after Paul gets used to that new knee. Fingers crossed health and weather cooperate. 

I kinda had my fingers crossed that baby boy Goldsmith would await February 2 to make an appearance as that day was my Aunt Marty's 90th birthday. Martha Bullock Lamm is my namesake - Leslie Martha Bullock Goldsmith. But it wasn't meant to be. Reece has his own day. 

Link to video: Marty is 90

On February 3rd we flew to Denver to attend Marty's Family Birthday Bash, hosted by her children, our cousins Richard, David, and Amy, along with spouses and kids. Marty's younger sister, my Aunt Jeanie, and Uncle Bruce Rader were there - visiting from southern Arizona. We sure missed Uncle Bill Lamm, Marty's wonderful spouse. I'm so glad we visited Denver often after daughter Amy moved there - we were able to spend time with that kind man. And we learned to love Duffey rolls! 

My sisters wouldn't have missed this shindig! Susi and Jim came back from their winter paradise in Mexico for the event. Cindy, sher on Colby and his bride-to-be Kathleen attended the event. Susi's daughter Leslie flew in from LA. Her sis Jordan and spouse Jill live in Denver. We picked Betsy and Wayne up at the Denver Airport and four of us stayed near the party location along with Cindo. 

We had several fam events. Friday night Jordan booked us at a hopping sushi place! Paul and I expanded our food horizons with types of sushi. Amy (and Corey) weren't able to attend from their temp home in Brooklyn. Jud and Kara were a little busy with a new baby. We missed them. 

On Saturday morning we met at Washington Park for a family walk. A group of some 20 strong put in 2+ miles. I very much enjoy getting to know our newly adult great-nieces and nephews and their partners. They make their parents (and Grammy Marty) proud. 

Saturday night the family gathered for the big Marty party. It was marvelous, being together with so many loved ones for this milestone. Marty shared some words of wisdom with all of us youngsters. Then we fam members "roasted" Marty with love. I especially loved hearing from her grandchildren Kate, Matt, Lauren, and John. One of a kind, my auntie. 💕

Going Walkabout - what I did on my vacation

When I decided to retire smack in the middle of Iowa winter, I knew that date wasn't ideal for basking in my home state during my new found idle time. So Paul and I began plotting our escape (mostly Paul). He planned while I finished up my last few weeks of work. As we put together our itinerary, we tried to emulate our daughter-in-law Kara, trip planner supreme to figure out where we'd go, hotels (or friends to visit), what, and even food ideas!

We were going Walkabout (from the dictionary: a journey on foot undertaken by an Australian Aboriginal in order to live in the traditional manner.
Sure we drove, and we are not Australian Aboriginals - but you get the idea. When you drive places, you get a better idea of how people live in the places you visit.

Our trip was planned for places south - from January 16 to around January 29. After travel scares (highway 360, unplanned overnights), in early adulthood, Paul always keeps a close eye on is the weather. We are not those who plunge into icy snowy conditions unprepared. In fact, we don't plunge at all! We are Scout travelers who utilize today's technology to plan ahead. Now retired, we have the luxury of flexibility - yippy!

Our windshield crack - it grew during our trip! 

We left a day early to beat the snow, rain, ice that hit Iowa on Thursday. We noted the stuff never left Des Moines while we were gone. Good move! Just south of Kansas City, some jerk who had the nerve to drive in front of us kicked up a tiny missile that cracked our windshield. Ugh!

The first stop was Wichita. We decided later that we could have made it to Oklahoma City, but now we've seen Wichita. That night we checked out a local place - Bite Me Barbecue, downtown. The place got an A for atmosphere, but the food was not fabulous. But hey, the beer was cold!

Downtown art - OKC

On to Oklahoma City (OKC) on Thursday the 16th - a mere 2.5 hours south. I started booking all our motels on Hotels.com. Once I got everything set up on the mobile app, it was pretty simple. Plus after 10 stays, you get a free stay. We're up to 7 after that trip! We didn't book most until the day we arrived for the night before - most billed the card upon booking. I did notice that we didn't get the primo room assignments - welcome to the room by the elevator/ice maker.

Oklahoma City National Monument

We really enjoyed OKC  - despite some soggy weather, staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Brick Town 2 nights. After we arrived we walked to the Oklahoma City National Monument, which honors all affected by the bombing of the federal building on April 19, 1995. It is so informative and well-done - showing with such pride how well the people of this city stepped up to meet the terrible crisis head-on. Just like 9/11, the country rushed in to help and to hold those who needed holding in their arms. There are videos, interactive displays, information about victims and perpetrators and evidence on how they built the case against them. It was cold and a bit rainy so we didn't get to spend as much time out in the actual site of the former federal building - it was beautiful.

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

On day two we visited the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in the morning - just around the corner from our motel. It was free (donation) and we spent over an hour there. We now realize we need to get to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame soon.

That afternoon we took an Uber to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It was very cool and is in the process of adding an outdoor interactive area that is sure to draw a younger crowd. If you are a fan of movie westerns, native American art, western art, settlers, Native Americans history, and more - this is for you. We spent several hours there and could have spent more, but our brains were bursting and we were hungry. It was interesting talking with Uber drivers about the economy and their stories of what the area was like. The hotel had a nice bar/restaurant. We sat at the bar one night and had a nice conversation with a woman from Stillwater. It's interesting to hear what life is like in Oklahoma.

That night we took in an OKC Thunder pro basketball game - two ISU basketball players are on that team though one is injured. Deonte Burton didn't score but played. It was fun, though pro hoops will never replace college ball in my viewpoint. The Bricktown area has a riverwalk - filled with cool eateries. Due to the rainy weather, we didn't get to investigate the riverwalk area, but it looks like fun!

Then we were off to Austin, Texas on Saturday. It's amazing how from the Texas border on, it seems to be a continuous city. We had no idea that Waco is on the road to Fort Worth. We drove smack through the Baylor campus and pictured the MacLane Stadium (where Baylor plays) featuring shiplap.

There are no toll roads in Iowa. Kansas does - and they make sense to me, you get a ticket when you enter and pay at the end. Hmmm. Not in Texas! We followed Google around/through Austin and ended up on a fancy road where fancy cameras took our car's picture. I suppose we'll get a bill from the Great Republic soon so I'm looking forward to that. Not. It did take us very nicely to our friend Paula Bacon's house.

Did I mention the weather? By then, it was over 60 degrees and sunny. The sun followed us the rest of our trip until just north of Wichita on the day we returned. In the meantime, Iowa was getting hit with white stuff over and over.

Austin is a wonderful place. That blog is up next!

God Bless Texas

Austin - Willy, Paul, and me

Paul and I headed south to Texas last weekend to visit our friend Paula and catch a football game. They play a lot of that in Texas. We'd talked about attending the ISU vs. Texas Longhorns game in Austin the past few years - and finally pulled the trigger this year. (a gun analogy seems appropriate - right?)

We landed around noon on Friday - just in time for some barbecue. Paula Bacon picked us up at the airport. She is a longtime friend from my hometown of Atlantic, Iowa. We've been pals since we met at Mrs. Luin's nursery school over 55 years ago. Through the years Paula and I didn't always keep touch. When reconnected at a class reunion and have been fast friends ever since.

Paula has lived in Austin, Texas for over twenty years - a real Texas gal! Not only that, her sister Jo and family live there too. A year ago, their mother Jean moved from her home in Arkansas to Austin to be closer to her family. Austin has quite an Atlantic connection. Recently our Class of 1976 glue guy, Roger Underwood, was in the area and put together a dinner that included Paula, Ted Simpson, Dave Stuetelberg, Steve Boots and Jan Kramer who all live in the area. Atlantic south?

Paula took us to Terry Black's Barbecue first thing. Meat anyone? The brisket was delicious! It gave us enough energy to go for a five-mile walking tour of the downtown Austin area. It was a gorgeous day for a walk - people were everywhere with dogs, bikes, strollers and just walking like us. We crossed the river to visit a new Central Library - which Paula, like me, is into. It's very cool. Libraries. like gourmet grocery stores are my happy places.

Crossing the river

We walked through the historic Driskill Hotel - beautifully refurbished. The artwork in the bar is worth the visit. It's fun to see the stores and restaurants downtown. I liked this frozen yogurt store. In the shadow of the Texas Capitol building, we stopped at a hotel bar with a deck for a refreshment. Later, we headed to the Blind Pig rooftop where ISU had set up their Friday night festivities. Did I mention Iowa State fans travel well to away games? We had high hopes for this game - B12 implications. It was fun to see all the Cardinal and Gold clad folks representing. There are a lot of Iowans in Texas - and they aren't all from Atlantic!

View from the library

Blind Pig

We didn't stay to party the night away with the Clone fans as we wanted to get a feel for the local music scene that Austin is known for. Paula favors the Saxon Pub. The band that plays the early (6 PM) set has some musicians that have been in famous bands. Now they play here, every Friday night. There is really no dance floor, but people still find a way to dance. We had a sweet table on a riser - with a great view. What a fun day!

Saxon Pub

Paula made us a big breakfast Saturday. We watched Gameday as we're all football fans. Paula and I text each other frequently throughout the season as she's a Longhorn fan and keeps an eye on my Clones too. She and I had a great visit with her mother who lives close by. We talked all things Atlantic.

with Steve

Then it was time to go. Paula had snagged ISU Alumni Association tailgate party and game tickets from our classmate Steve Boots who serves on their board. We parked in a nearby ramp and walked to the nearby neighborhood area gated off for Cyclone faithful. Guess what? More barbecue - and beer. We snagged our classmate Steve for a photo - even though he was busy running the event. The weather was nice - good times! We walked down by the stadium - Bevo Blvd. It's crazy, like the state fair wrapped up with football. They sell beer. Hmmm. Not sure if ISU will get on that bandwagon. We ran into the Downing family as we watched the ISU team, including frosh Trevor Downing, enter the stadium. Then we watched the Horns - it was senior night. There is a lot of tradition.

Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium is something to behold. It's big! (like everything in TX, Right?). We had good seats, on the end zone in the first deck. We were surrounded by fans from both teams. Texas led start to finish, so they were very nice. I'm sorry to say ISU didn't show up this game. We looked intimidated and never got anything going on offense or defense. I've been to games in Boulder, Norman and long ago, Lincoln. This was the coolest gameday experience away from home. Thanks Austin! (and Paula). Several people talked to us after the game as we talked to our car - with upbeat messages about the direction of ISU's program. Nothing like losing to the home team to encourage goodwill messages, but it was nice.

The traffic cleared out pretty efficiently (better than Ames). We decided we were hungry and had a late night meal at Kerbey Lane Cafe. We got to Paula's late - midnight? She dropped us off at the airport the next morning for a 9:30 a.m. flight - back to the frozen tundra. There were a lot of Cyclone fans at the airport. We gave each other that "chin up old chap" look. We're Cyclone fans - we're here for the duration! We had basketball in Hawaii to look forward to. (Sneak peek - that went okay, looking forward to getting our full team back).

I'd like to go to more B12 venues. I wonder if I have classmates living there? haha