A walk with Grandpippy

So Grandpippy filled his portable oxygen tank while L. was in the other room with Grandma. The noise is scary so it is safer to be with Grandma. However, once the oxygen tank is filled L. climbs onto the wheelchair's footrests and asked Grandpippy to go down the ramp in the garage. So began another one of our walks.

We rode together to the end of the street where there were large trucks, and big machines digging a basement for a new house. As we got closer, L. asked Grandpippy to stop so he could climb up and sit on Grandpippy's lap. Grandpippy's lap is much safer then standing on the footrest. Once L. was settled we slowly rode on the sidewalk past the large trucks. There the two of us were looking at the large trucks and the huge machine on the truck. When Grandpippy asked L. if he wanted to get down and go closer to the large truck, L. told Grandpippy that he wanted his Grandma. Grandpippy said we would ride to the other side of the street farther away from all the large trucks and huge machines.

So we slowly rode across the street and up onto the other sidewalk. After sitting there for a short while L. asked if we could go down the sidewalk. Riding along down the sidewalk gave L. an opportunity to tell Grandpippy all about the large trucks and ask Grandpippy what they were doing and if they could come on the sidewalk with us. After he was assured that "No they would stay parked", L. had Grandpippy stop and turn the wheelchair around so that he could check. After checking we continued on our trip.

There were lots of other things to talk about. L. asked about the pools we saw and some of the back yards. Grandpippy showed L. the yards he liked the best in the neighborhood. Of course then Grandpippy had to try and explain why he likes those yards and not the yards we were passing at that time.

A while later we saw a big red and white boat sitting in a driveway. Of course we both had to examine this boat. Grandpippy learned that it is much safer to examine a boat from the safety of Grandpippy's lap and not the sidewalk. However we spent a long time looking at the boat. First we looked at one side of the boat and then the opposite side. After asking Grandpippy more questions then he had the oxygen and energy to answer we continued our walk.

Soon we were going past the house with the pretty white dog. The dog was behind a fence so we couldn't see the dog. We could only hear the dog barking at us. This gave L. something to talk about the rest of the way home.

Of course there were other walks with Grandpippy. Walks in the back yard, walks in the store, and walks to get the mail. However, this was the longest walk L. and Grandpippy took during the week L. stayed with Grandma and Grandpippy