I scream, you scream, we all scream …

I got to witness something very special last week. I will tell you about that in second,d but first I just want to remind you that it is summer. It happened when we were not looking, while we were in quarantine and trying to stay healthy. The summer showed up, and it’s here in full effect.

So what goes best with summer? Ice Cream!

It started with a sweet little light melody coming from the distance. It got louder and louder as it got closer and closer. Now, growing up here in the Coulee, I have never heard the sound I was now hearing coming from somewhere in the neighborhood. This was a sound I had only heard on television and once in the suburbs of Seattle. But never in the Coulee. But sure enough, as if coming from a dream, an ice cream truck turned the corner and slowly drove up the street. It was at that moment that the streets erupted.

It was also the moment that Karrie and I realized that a unique opportunity to create a special memory was upon us. We grabbed our granddaughter and a few bucks and headed to the street. Up the road a little way, a horde of teens and younger swarmed the little white truck as we waited patiently down the road. The anticipation was more than a grandpa could bear. The little girl waiting patiently in my arms had her eyes focused up road. She did not even understand what was about to happen or that this was not even a normal event to happen on our streets.

The last child moved away from the ice cream truck, and the driver put his foot on the gas; the truck crept towards us with deliciousness on ice. Still the little girl held in my arms kept her eyes focused on the truck as her grandparents awaited with eager anticipation until the truck stopped in front of us and the driver greeted us with a smile.

The pictures on the side of the truck now had granddaughter’s focus and maybe she was starting to realize that this truck and that sound, along with these pictures, all played into something sweet that was playing out right in front of us all. It would all blend together and make a special memory to be etched in her mind and in the minds of her grandparents.

As the truck pulled away, the little girl had ice cream in her possession. So did grandpa. They listened to the sweet melody as the truck rounded the corner at the end of the block. The grandparents and the little girl returned to their yard and sat down together to enjoy the sweet treat next to a kiddie pool. The moment was oh, so sweet. Carved in the annals of or memories for eternity.

So, thank you to Mr. Hudson and his little ice cream truck. You are delivering some pretty sweet moments to the streets of Coulee Country one stop at a time. I hope you are blessed just as much as you blessed us.