*
The next morning I wandered downstairs to find the house empty and a note on the kitchen counter explaining that my grandparents had to take a friend to Pendleton and would be gone until late that night. I was on my own for breakfast and dinner, lunch would be out at the state park with the other side of my family.
“Not a bad thing,” I thought. “Maybe some time to cool down was a good idea.” Thinking about recent interactions with Grandma.
I got dressed for the park in a tank top, swim trunks and sandals then grabbed an old pair of creek-shoes from the laundry room. Creek shoes were just old worn out tennis shoes you wore in the creek with no socks. Getting soaked and drying out made them stiff and good for nothing else, but protected your feet when wading and swimming in the creek. I had left a pair here a summer or two ago when visiting with my family.