Treasured Camp Cordray Visitors: Abe, Courtney, and Clark visit us in Memphis!

Our fourth, fifth, and sixth visitors at Camp Cordray, Mississippi River era, have come and gone in a flurry. My daughter Courtney, husband Clark, and grandboy Abraham recently spent six glorious days immersed in our current life along the river.

Dan had to work 12-hour days to help with the annual plant shut-down, but we found ways to include him in the fun. On Saturday, we enjoyed a 90-minute Mississippi sightseeing tour on the Memphis Riverboats paddle boat, Island Queen. A friendly guide provided historical narrative of life along the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee. The cruise was relaxing, with the added bonus of both hot and food snacks and drinks available for purchase.

This was Abe’s first time on a boat. He was all about exploring the three levels of this river-worthy vessel. I let his folks fulfill his need to change venues now and then and sat on my behind and relished the experience. Granddad Cordray stayed busy chatting up the tour guide (and DJ) and requesting tunes. The guide told us about the deep and muddy roots of music hereabouts, and more detail of the stories we had read about the sinking of the Sultana, a commercial side-wheel steam boat which exploded and sank on the Mississippi River in 1865, killing 1,167 people and earning the title of the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history, and the heroic life-saving efforts of a local hero, Tom Lee. We look forward to coming again for the Dinner and Music Cruise or the Sunday Brunch someday soon.

We did some swimming in the pool at our apartment complex. Dan and I love a little evening or weekend dip in the pool, so Sunday was a great day for family swim day. We love this perk of our life in Memphis!

Oh, what a treasure that Abraham is at age 5! He knows all of the states and their capitals and is fascinated by maps. He is a bibliophile, an explorer, a fledgling autodidact (did you look that up?) and an artist like his Grandmomma. Yaaaay! And did we dabble in the paints!

Way-back memories of Courtney’s younger art-dabbling days (and my own) added to the joy of seeing my first grandchild by blood in the throes of his creative processes. How cool is that? The huge stack of art Abe left behind, with the suggestion that I share his techniques and creations with my art students. I loved that suggestion.

Abe’s Dad Clark and Courtney are big readers so it was no surprise that they have encouraged Abe’s bookish interests. When Courtney was a preschooler, we checked out a dozen books every week at the weekly story time at the library because that was as many as they allowed. That was just fine, since we had shelves full at home to fall back on.

Grandmomma spent some time ahead of their visit making an Abe’s Lizard Land upcycled floorcloth. Created from a huge canvas sliced from an even bigger canvas in broken frame that I found near the trash compactor at our apartment complex, I love how it turned out. Here it as it hung from the bathroom door, drying. Expand the pic to see the finer details.

As Abe moves much quicker than any lizard, every picture I took of him playing with it was a blur. There are rocks to hop on, a beach for swimming, and another for mud-pie making. Sand Dollar Island sports its own swimming pool, and beach towels and a parking lot near the Blue Lagoon offer wee plastic lizards a place to rest and relax. A buried treasure map, a koi fish large enough to ride as a boat, and mysterious Full Moon Island surely hold stories and secrets for Abe to unearth. We rolled it up in a mailing tube and sent it home with him.

Sir Abraham can write well and is witty and comical, part wise-acre with a need to lead, but mostly he is one swift Energizer Bunny. He wants to know, to go see, to do that, and all the rest of it, right now. This boy is earnest, intense, and also tender-hearted and loving, twisting his mama's hair or his own when he feels anxious. His words are stuffed full of question marks, trailing off at the end with a charming bit of Forrest Gump Southern drawl that must be inherited from Southern roots as he hails from the great state of Illinois. Abraham IS a question mark, with a Tigger bounce and a skimpy attention span, unless he is really into something and then he is ALL in.

This Fed-Ex shipping simulation at the Memphis Children's Museum held his interest. I do believe he could have stayed there all day, or maybe all week long.

Kitchen and grocery shopping areas such as these are regular Abe-faves. More Grandmomma favorites, just like our buddy Abe.

We spent some time at Tom Lee Park, where the zip line was definitely his thing since it was in the high 90's so the sliding boards were butt-toasters. This place was an Abe-fave, too. We really did have a well-rounded Memphis sampler visit.

We checked out Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and went all the way to the top on the highest freestanding elevator in the country to check out the elevated view. There is so much to see and do there! Follow the link for more information. Dan and I have been to the pyramid quite a few times but have yet to share a meal or toast up there. We will, for sure.

Abe loved the three wheelers and side-by-sides in the pyramid, since you could climb on up and have a sit. He also loved the ancient catfish in the lagoons and wanted to jump in and investigate. I don't blame him. They are cool.

The fire truck was another favorite at the Children’s Museum of Memphis. Granddad was tickled about that, since he is a retired firefighter, EMT.

Our pups were of great interest to Abe, who had heard how sweet they were to him when he was a toddler boy. He was ready for more snuggling. They obliged initially but were eventually put off by his verve and became a bit growly and crabby. Libby hid under the dust ruffle around our bed, initiating a pile of Abe-made lost dog posters that still hang around our apartment. Still, she was belly-up for a little scritchy-scratch, even in her growlier moments. Layla was more patient than Libby, and I know they both loved Abe and having company, especially a little one. They were just showing their age. Our dogs are suckers for kids.

My post is approaching book length, so I will end here and share how grateful we are to have spent some time with Courtney, Clark, and Abe. I miss my girl. I am so happy to watch her and Clark steer our grandboy towards his best life, and to learn more about each of them. We hope to camp together somewhere in Illinois, and of course, they are welcome to come here or anywhere Camp Cordray happens to be happening.

I planned to post this before Dan and I left on a little short-notice long weekend leapity-leap to Poplar Bluff and the Lake Wappapello areas of Missouri, but didn’t get ‘er done. Stay tuned for the next post, which will tell that story.

In the meantime, and as Dan always says, get out, be safe, and go adventure!

My best to you and yours,

Brenda Cordray

The Desert Rose