What a wonderful, relaxing weekend I've had, filled with plenty of time for family, fun and, of course, reading. Friday night was a default "date night" since we had no parenting responsibilities after we went out to dinner. Saturday we got to see our parents, the Big Guy's sister and her family and we got to meet the newest member of our family, 2-month-old Baby Z. He is adorable! Today we headed downtown with Miss H in tow with a twofold purpose.
The Big Guy and I have been enjoying the Omaha Summer Arts Festival since we first moved to Omaha 25 years ago. When the kids were younger, we kind of stopped going--it's almost impossible to really look and enjoy the works when you're worried that someone will break something, pick a fight or start whining. In the past few years, we've really enjoyed taking our almost grownup children. Today was the first time in several years that Miss H joined us and what a delight she was to have along. She has really developed an eye for art and a sense of what she likes and why she likes it. We also got to enjoy some funnel cake and great music. They even humored me and let me go into the Friends of the Library tent to check out their book sale.
Then we headed down to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, a bridge that spans the Missouri River, connected Nebraska and Iowa. From out in the center of the bridge, we were able to get bird's eye view of this flooding river which is threatening low lying areas of the city and has already caused millions of dollars in losses along it's path. Farm lands are under water, homes will be under water for a least a couple of months, and thousands are now homeless.
Those trees? They aren't supposed to be in the water. Nearby Harrah's Casino has water all the way up to the building and Omaha's airport is in danger. Festivals in Omaha have had to be moved from the landing that is normally 12 feet above the river. And that water, filled with an enormous amount of debris, some of it huge, is moving so very fast. It was hard to leave the bridge.
On the reading front, I finished Allegra Goodman's The Cookbook Collector today and will start Erica Bauermeister's Joy For Beginners which I'm really looking forward to reading. Tuesday I'm looking forward to meeting with the Omaha Bookworms to discuss The Cookbook Collector. There will be a lot to discuss and it's always good to spend time with these ladies.
What are your reading plans for the week?
No comments:
Post a Comment