A Mint Day!

 This morning, Kevin used his inimitable ingenuity.

A US Mint and Engraving Service is close to Greg's house.  I have always wanted to take their tour, but there has always been something else to do.  Kevin and I went on the tour.  There is stringent security in order to enter, including not allowing a camera or any electronic device.   It is a very complicated process which does not transfer into easy understanding of the steps involved in creating our money.  I found it somewhat boring, yet Kevin was very good and attentive.  Maybe the problem was our guide?  She had her stiff speech without variation.  She did not allow for questions, though I raised my hand to ask one.  She did not know the answer nor did she even look down on the floor (our tour was on a glassed in hallway above the process) to see what I was talking about.  We had to buy something Grandma-approved at the gift shop.  He wanted a golf ball, but I insisted it would only get him into trouble.  Grandma chose a 4 inch in diameter rubber, soccer ball with photo patches of money and "Bureau of Engraving and Printing Washington D.C. Fort Worth."  There are only two  Mints which make "notes."  Less than perfect notes are shredded.  The tour guide stated the shredded bills are sold in the gift shop to the tourists.  We bought a pen filled with shredded money!  :) 

Kevin enjoying a movie on his iPhone while eating an ice cream treat.

For me, it was a glorious climate day!  97 degrees!  The pool was so much more comfortable today!  It was not icy cold to get in, and you did not freeze when you got out.  We took the ball and played catch for an hour before we had to leave.  Kevin is so good about obeying!  I have other grandchildren who, when they were younger, refused to leave the pool when told it was time to go, therefore, they were never taken to the pool.

My realtor took us to see three more houses this afternoon -- ones which Greg had found on Zillow.  They all were winners!  The first may be my favorite now -- even more than the new construction.  It is in a better neighborhood, has an attractive patio and landscaping, nice room arrangement, and, due to being the model home a few years ago, has many upgrades such as granite, California shutters, professional window treatments, and cute frogs painted on a bedroom's walls.  It had many artsy things in it which Kevin liked, so he liked the house too.

 The next house is nice, but had dead waterbugs everywhere.  Kevin did NOT like that!

The house is empty, freshly painted, and has 3 things I would like which most houses we have seen do not:  gas fireplace, plumbed for a laundry tub, and a jetted spa tub.  As we left, we discovered a negative:  a train went by within sight no more than 5 houses away.  The third house is gorgeous with fabulous windows, but is a foreclosure which means it has been trashed -- holes in the walls and ceilings, filthy carpeting, drawers missing, etc.  With fix-up, a fabulous house!

With our late afternoon showings, there is no time to cook dinner at home, so we went out again.  First we drove by my new favorite house, saw the community pool, and went to the developing shopping center for dinner at Kevin's favorite -- Chick-Fil-A.  Kevin and Greg complained about the heat and love the icy AC while I bask in the heat and wear Kevin's gankie in the restaurant!  Doggie wrapped in gankie seems to go everywhere with us, for which I am grateful!