Back to DC

It's hot and humid, so we know we're back in points southern.

We closed up shop in Pittsfield, at least for Mary, for the summer last Thursday.  Hard to leave, especially since we have so many fine memories of a glorious summer.  

Joe had arrived a day later than expected when his flight from Michigan was cancelled stranding him in Washington.  As luck would have it, he ran into two of his "Jordan/St Andrews" buddies so it wasn't a total loss.  We picked him up a day later and he spent time packing and loading up the car with his stuff to start his final leg to his year in the Boston area.  

We went for a morning long hike up Mt Greylock with Johnny before he left, also benefiting from Joe's one-day delay as we otherwise would have been hiking in the rain.  It was a nice, little bit arduous hike (for me anyway) with sore muscles and a monster blister to help me remember a nice outing.  Johnny was free due to a) he couldn't golf because he broke a rib and b) Marilyn was on a Grandma trip with Kara and three granddaughters to Hershey Pennsylvania.

We stopped on the way down for an overnight with Grandma in Hightstown, who seems pretty good.  We met Brenna her new helper who comes each day.  It was a good idea to not try to drive straight through as Mary still has back issues.  She went to her doctor here as soon as we arrived and got on new medicine.  We'll see how that works.

She's not the only one struggling as Andrew told us Lur had a rough week with her back, compounded by a nasal problem.  She was having a procedure to clear out sinuses on Friday.  Staying in Illinois, Joe and Tamara stopped by Bill and Jen's house on his drive across country.  All seems well, and we hear Miles is a quiet, peaceful baby, especially when visitors are around.

Our plan to sign a lease on an apartment as soon as we could worked out.  Our new place is close to our old house, so we won't have to change grocery stores or gym!  We saw Margaret and D a couple of times, delivering a few items to her, including a tv.  Pretty amazing how bulky and heavy the old tvs were.  Anyway, they still work!  Margaret has an apartment to herself for a few weeks, until her new roommate moves in in September.

The other big news here, has been a decision for me to wait one more year before starting my history program at UMass.  That means I won't be driving so much between Massachusetts and Maryland this coming year.  I'll still go back and forth, but not every week.

So, we are continuing the tradition of staying with friends, first Gerry and Dennis and then Ellen and Larry.  Thank you very much for bailing us out!

All from down here.  Hope you are thriving.