Trip to Visit "Dad"!

 Thursday, Butch made it into town by 9 p.m. for an overnight stop!  I picked him up where he parks Maverick when he's under a load & brought him home.  Finn was SO excited to see him!  But in the early morning when I took him back to the truck, Finn wasn't happy.  Dad's stay had been way too short to suit him!

From here, Butch had gone north up to Cherokee, IA & delivered apple juice to Hy-Vee.  From there, to Sioux City to pick up another load going to MI.  By Friday night, he was at the Flying J in Avoca, IA.  He had enough time in his schedule to take his 34-hour reset there.  He invited Finn & I up for the day on Saturday!

Finn looking for Dad~

When I told Finn we were going to see Dad, he spent the rest of his time looking out the front storm door.  Once his collar & lead came out, he was still excited & was ready to take a ride in the car.  It was just under an hour's drive to the Flying J.  As I took the exit ramp, Finn was suddenly out of his car seat & looking out the windows!  When we turned into the truck entrance, he was making more sounds than I've ever heard come out of him!  Almost screams of excitement!  There was absolutely no doubt he remembered this place & knew we Were going to see Dad!  (I was shocked - since he'd only been here once!  The first time he & Butch met, December 12th of last year!)

A Very Happy Finn & Butch~

It was frigid cold!  About 25 degrees with a blowing wind.  I know Finn recognized Maverick!  When he saw Butch get out of the truck & come towards us, I thought he'd take the door off the car!  Obviously, I'm now second fiddle.  

We drove over to Walnut, just a short distance away & stopped in a cute little bakery for hot coffee, hot coco & a yummy muffin.  The owner was kind enough to allow Finn inside too, we were the only customers.

Antique shopping~

We spend a fun afternoon, going through the warm antique shops & one cold barn!  We found a beautiful rusted, white rod iron trivet with a fur delis pattern.  I also found a real treasure, an amber glass swan figurine!

Amber Swan~

About the time we tell ourselves we are not buying another thing for the house; we see that thing we can't resist. By late afternoon, we drove over to what's become our favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Mexicana in Avoca.

Finn & Butch~

We returned to Maverick & sat inside for quite a while talking.  It was after sunset by the time we decided I'd better head home.  When we left to visit the facilities, Finn stayed to guard the truck.

Finn in Maverick~

He was perfectly comfortable & I think he would have been happy to stay, at least until Butch started up the engine.  Sitting in a warm truck is fine - riding in a moving one - isn't!  Finn sat between Butch & I with his chin on Butch's lap, pouting.  He knew we'd be leaving Dad & he wasn't happy.

Can you find the Explorer?!

As we walked back to Maverick, I had to stop & get a photo of the Explorer!  My vehicle looked like Mini Mouse next to the semi's who'd moved in next door!  Walking across the parking areas, it just seems incredible to me all the resources it takes to keep our country supplied with goods!  One break in this chain & where would we be?  By the time I left, the lot was full to the brim with semis.

The trip home was uneventful, the best kind.  It will be a while before we see Butch again & he'll hopefully be traveling a lot of miles.  He loves the long open distances, but said the cities are always a challenging nightmare of avoiding drivers with no smarts.

Finn & I will be very happy when we see the big blue truck coming down our street again!