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We made our annual trip to South Dakota at the end of June. The trip was extra special this year because Kiran got to meet his great-grandfather and namesake. They got along quite well!
Kaya enjoyed spending time with his great-grandparents, as usual. Great-Grandpa Hesse has an amazing workshop filled with all manner of tools and gadgets that a 4-year-old boy would love. Among them was this little purple gizmo that Great-Grandpa had picked up in a Goodwill store just out of curiosity. It has a motor that spins the whole head of the gadget as well as the three prongs individually. None of us had any idea what it was, but it kept Kaya entertained for hours. He only stopped playing with it because the batteries finally wore out. We later found out (through the magic of the Internet) that it is meant for braiding hair!
We had a wonderful afternoon together, and when it was finally time to go home, it was early evening. The scenery on the ride home was beautiful in the most all-American way. It's a side of the States that I don't often see or get to fully appreciate, but it's such an important part of our country and our collective identity. In a way, the whole trip was grounding, a way to get in touch with our roots and the most fundamental parts of who we are. We enjoyed every minute of it.
