I debated whether to post a light-hearted adventure in the midst of the incredibly infuriating decision of SCOTUS which has effectively jettisoned us back to 1973, but I have grandchildren who will one day run the world, and I want to help give them a broad enough worldview (as their parents are also doing) that when the time comes they will make compassionate, intelligent, wise decisions that will help create a peaceful, equal, stable world.

And so I will tell you about GAMS CAMP.

I took some time off this week from being your Senior Influencer to launch the first-ever, maybe annual, definitely exhausting Gams Camp. As an FYI, Gams is what my grandchildren call me.

I’ve been trying to put this wonky brainchild into action for a couple of years, but…COVID. So this year I powered through.

Gams Camp is two days of jam-packed fun and games.

DAY ONE: Began with a whimper. I picked up Lyla and Wren and we rushed back to my house to meet a client because semi-retired puts the emphasis on SEMI and I had no other time to meet before a Thursday deadline. They were sweet about it. It didn’t hurt that my client is an enormous police officer in full regalia who said they were beautiful.

We went to the library for the first time in two years. Yes, sadly I am the LIBRARY GRANDMOTHER. But they wanted to go. Then we had to get Lyla to the dentist. OK, so the dentist was not on my original list, but Molly scheduled it and so we went, much to Lyla’s trepidation. But she powered through.

Gam’s Camp is a lot of powering through.

A picnic lunch followed and so we packed up tuna fish sandwiches and a lot of odds and ends and went to Flag Pole Hill. My Lake Highlands friends will know the ages-old pavilion with picnic tables. The 200-dgree heat was bad enough (no, I’m not exaggerating), but not as awful as the swarm of flies that assaulted us from the moment we sat down. Clearly they had been tipped off that food was coming.

We bravely ate until we had no choice but to make a run for it.

We ran to the Dallas Children’s Aquarium. I didn’t know what to expect, but we had a ball. The fish were alternately hilarious and terrifying. Lyla, who is very tactile, touched a sting ray. Wren, the fearless one, would not, but stuck a finger into the pool where the doctor fish were nibbling dead skin from children’s fingers. I doubt there is much dead skin there and none of the mothers were offering up their crusty feet, so the little guys were probably starving. A stop in the gift shop for free popsicles led to two plush stuffies.

Gams is a sucker for a gift shop.

Hot and tired, we came back home where Lyla made their family-favorite dumpling soup and Wren crafted a perfect charcuterie. We also made an amazing 6-layer cake in rainbow colors, hollowed out and filled with sprinkles that tumbled out when it’s sliced open.

DAY TWO: After a bagel breakfast (they dictated all food choices), we set off for Ft. Worth. Since Scott died, I have driven to Ft. Worth exactly NONE times. But, with my hunky Irish Siri to guide me, we made it to the Cowgirl Museum, our first stop. With lots of hands-on activities and very sparkly costumes, it won the day.

Then on to the Stockyards. Sadly, middle-of-the-week, 200-degree Stockyards with two small kids is not that fun. (I consider this my one failure.) We got within 20 feet of a huge longhorn steer, available for a cute photo-op, but the girls circled me like sharks, not going any closer. Then we went to the shady, cool gift shop.

You can imagine what happened.

It was time for lunch and I called my friend Lee, who amazingly, wanted to join us at a burger place called Dutch’s. It was delicious and we had a wonderful time. Lyla said lunch with Lee was one of her favorite things and that Lee is “delightful.” I totally agree.

We got in the car to head to the Zoo. “Ready to go to the Zoo?” I called to the back seat. A small voice said, “I don’t want to go.” REALLY??? Could it be possible we might not have to go back out in the heat? Could I be that lucky?

“What about you, Lyla? Do you want to go to the zoo?” “Not really,” she answered. “It’s so hot.”

Feeling relief wash over me like a summer shower, I said, “Would you all be disappointed if we just go home, take a break, then we can go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner?”

Wren whimpered, “Yes.” Lyla, putting on a brave face, said, “That might be better. We can go to the zoo sometime when it’s cooler.”

I thanked my lucky stars for the 200-degree heat and drove us back to Dallas.

The Cheesecake Factory was all they hoped for. Fancy schmancy with a menu the size of that steer at the Stockyards. Wren, whose favorite meal is Taco Bell, chose a burrito, and Lyla got a Caesar salad (oh, so mature.) When we cut into the burrito, Wren looked as if she’d seen the depths of Hell. “Gams, there is not a single bean in there!” She ate my Avocado egg rolls cause. . . avocado. I ate a fraction of her enormous burrito.

Cheesecake didn’t go much better. Wren’s chocolate was fine, but Lyla’s Dulce de Leche was laced with delicious caramel. A no-go for her. I walked out with a big bag of leftovers.

They had rainbow cake when we got home.

All in all, it was the best two days ever. So much time for fun, learning, bonding, discovering, shopping and snuggling.

Turns out I am a pretty cool grandma after all.