Well, I'd be leaving on Friday for the drive to Rhode Island so I had things to do and plans to make. Otherwise it was a lot of waiting and then a lot of driving.
I had some decisions to make about veggies. To plant or not to plant, knowing I wouldn't be there to take care of them for a week. I decided to throw caution to the wind and planted potatoes and some flowers in one of the veg beds and green and wax beans along my neighbor's chain link by my driveway. I also transplanted all my tiny veg seedlings and set them up in a tray that could be easily watered and tucked them under the deck bench where they'd be shaded. Gardening done.
Thursday was a busy day. I made banana bread, did laundry and finished packing that morning and then the rest of the day was jam packed. I had a dentist appointment at 2:00, online training for the American Conversation Project (something for the library) at 3:30, went to dinner with my friend Anna, who was in town for a couple of weeks and would be leaving while I was gone at 5:00. I went straight to the library from there for book club. I set up extra cat boxes and with that was ready to leave.
I had originally thought I'd leave at 9:00 to miss Omaha traffic but that would put me in Chicago traffic at the end of the day so when I woke up early, I left at 7:30 instead. I took a break in Iowa City, which is the halfway point between Wahoo and Dottie's, to hit the MCC thrift shop Dottie and I had discovered when we met there 2 years ago. I also stopped at the yarn shop that had been closed that day and scored a skein of West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas yarn that I'd looked for locally and failed to find. Yay! Unfortunately, there was so much construction on I-80 in Illinois that I was smack in the middle of rush hour traffic outside Chicago so the trip took 11 hours instead of the usual 8.5. Dottie had made one of my favorite dinners - smothered steak - and after enjoying sitting on the porch and chatting, it was time for bed.
We ate a hearty breakfast and headed out for the long drive. We chatted all day and stopped for a late lunch in Mercer, Pennsylvania. We drove all the way through Pennsylvania (if you've ever done it, you know it feels endless) and stayed in a pretty skanky yet expensive hotel in Delaware Water Gap, which is in the Poconos, and almost to New Jersey. We'd eaten lunch so late that we just ate snacks in the room and called it supper.
Dottie suggested we get McDonald's and hit the road but since we were so close to where she used to live in Mount Arlington, New Jersey, I asked if there wasn't somewhere she'd like to eat near there. She was thrilled with the idea and we went to Budd Lake Diner and had a delicious breakfast. And then we were off to a cemetery just over the New York line where Dottie wanted to look for a grave from my mom's father's side of the family. We lucked out that the president of the cemetery was working on a Sunday because he was headed out for summer vacation the next day. He was very helpful but the grave she was looking for wasn't in the database yet (they're working backwards and are 10 years away yet) but we took some pics of other Seeley graves and then headed to Rhode Island.
We arrive at 3:30, which was too early for supper so we went to Job Lot and did some obligatory shopping. Since we had the car, I was hoping to find something big but only managed a welcome mat. I didn't think to load up the truck with my favorite Polar Diet Orange Dry soda, which is only available in New England. I got one box but missed the opportunity to buy lots. Oh well. We met Carolyn and Matt at The Crow's Nest for an early supper and I thoroughly enjoyed fried belly clams and an in person chat. We drove from there to the hotel we'd booked near the airport, checked in and went to bed early after a long couple of days of driving.
The next day would be the funeral. It was a long drive to get there and would be a long way back but it was good that we came. I was hoping it wouldn't be super sad but only time would tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment