Summer's on its way!

It's beginning to look a lot like summer.  Or at least a little. The grass is green, and in need of a mow. Daffodils and forsythia and warm weather and long days and work in the gardens. That means aching backs. But it's worth it. I am pretty sure that you all reading this are wondering, forsythia?  They came and went a long time ago.

It also seems like a long time ago, but since the last letter, we played host to two grandchildren along with Margaret and Andrew, who did a reverse spring break and came north. It was all Simon and Thomas though, with each day a new surprise, a new outing. Playgrounds, swimming at the Y, picking up pine cones, driving the tractor, playing in the stream, taking a walk by the dam and the stinky fish, reading Beauty and THE Beast, playing baseball and soccer, making volcanoes, we packed it in. They even charmed their ways to trips to Shaker Village, the Lego store, Panera, the Hot Dog Ranch and an ice cream place. They have so much energy and me not so much.

Margaret took the week off, but Andrew somehow squeezed in a week of work at his new job. They did get a little break as well as they went to a movie (Civil War) and trivia night at a restaurant in the next town. They came in second.

It's been pretty quiet since they left, and we've had to fill the void somehow.  Mostly with garden work, I think.

We talked to Andrew and Lur, and they had just come back from Kohler, Wisconsin where they saw Claire, of course, but also a concert at her school featuring Bela Fleck, the banjo player. Sounds great. Andrew is plugging away at his physical therapy. They passed up the opportunity to buy Billy's pontoon boat that we saw for sale on Facebook, followed by a very fast "sold" update. They're really moving.

Down in DC, sickness continues to dominate Joe and Leonor and friends. Joe got a second round of strep which saw him out of commission and on antibiotics for a few days. He was joined by Luisa also on antibiotics for an ear infection and then by Thomas for pink eye, or something. Unfortunately, their trips to the doctor did not coincide so I think they qualify for frequent flyer points for doctors visits. This will soon end, we hope, as we remember bouts of sickness as we changed and had to get accustomed to new environs.

Annie and Sankar returned to his hometown of Thanjavur so he could vote for the first time. They had to postpone their planned trip north as Annie's back went out and then Sankhar had a foot issue. We are hearing, from them, and seeing on the news, about the heat waves through the whole region. Annie said the other day it was 90 degrees at night, but felt like, according to her weather app, 108. Thank goodness for air conditioning. They will revisit their travel plans once the aches and pains recede.

And we had birthdays! Peter reached another milestone, and so did Elliott, at different ends of the spectrum. Pretty sure their days were special, and especially wonderful.  

And we hope yours are as well, whether it's your birthday or not. Love from up here. 

Eclipse-d

Did somebody say eclipse? Have we already forgotten about it? Seems like everyone saw it except us.  We were driving in Florida and didn't know what time it was supposed to be. Was it just cloudy or a partially blocked sun?

But we do have photos of eclipse viewings in Wisconsin, New York and Washington DC. In New Jersey they had an eclipse and an earthquake!  And an after shock.  And a blizzard. Hard to top that.

We were also in Florida for the snowstorm here, that turned out to be mostly rain and ice, so we're glad we missed it. We stayed with friends, in hotels, fancy and not so fancy, but the latter turned out to be more our style.  Coming back, we drove four eight-hour days in one week. That's lots of driving, but that's what you do on a road trip. We had a good book to listen to, Manhunt, the search for Abraham Lincoln's killer.

There were some firsts – first time in the Outer Banks, first time in Charleston, first time in the Everglades, first time on the Florida Keys. Wait there's more. We played pickleball with John and Marilyn for the first time. Fun.  And we have seen the future. It's called Buc-ees. Picture a gas station with 137 pumps and a convenience store bigger than Walmart. Coming to your location soon.

Recommendations? Key West was wonderful, with the exception of one loud and wild street. Mary was planning on moving there for a month at least. The Everglades was special; we really do parks well. Not sure we'd go back to the Outer Banks or Charleston, but at least we can check them off our nonexistent list.

John and Marilyn were great hosts. They are emerging from some health issues, but the key word is emerging; those health issues are past tense. Good meals, card games, walks and swims, and hours of conversation.

We also stopped in Hobe Sound and had a couple of hours of chat with cousins Sarah and Hope and her partner Bob. We reminisced about Greenwich, but also traded stories of house purchases and renovations. Everyone is well.

One more stop. Asheville, North Carolina to visit a college roommate.  Again, walking, talking, eating and card games.

We finally arrived back in DC for a night with Joe and family, and they treated us to rain-check Easter meal that we missed. Joe was still getting over jet lag from a week in China with his new best friend Janet. We arranged for Thomas to spend his vacation week with us in Pittsfield, so the next day we headed home, shortly after Margaret and Andrew also took off for Pittsfield. When we stopped at a rest stop on Rt 87 in New York, I heard someone call out "Dad!" And surprise! There were Margaret, Andrew and Simon. What are the chances of that?

On our way, we checked into Facebook when we could, and there was a mystery. Jen posted something about needing moving boxes. I wondered. Then I checked. Indeed, their trip out to Colorado was more than just a vacation, it was a house hunt. They put an offer down and are preparing to relocate to Denver. That's huge.

Our first day back was rainy and cold, but today, just like Camp Grenada, the sun came out and we played outside.

We spoke with Annie and Sankar who were on their first hour of a 24-hour train ride, back to Sankar's hometown of Thanjavur, in time for him to vote in India for the first time. We thought 24 hours was long, but they told us they were contemplating a 60-hour train ride next, up to the foothills of the Himalayas!  Hard to top that one too.

Conclusions from our trip? We were reminded about how big this country is, how different it is, and how there's room for everyone. There's hope.

I love ending a letter on hope. Love from up here.

 

 

 

 

April Fool’s Day

Some of what follows may actually be true.

Let's start with birthdays, of course. Simon turned five. Or was it four. He says five but his balloon says four. And I'm not sure there is such a thing as birth-days. I think they are all birthweeks. But he had so much fun.

We decided to come down for Easter but it would have been better to go for Simon's birthday a week earlier. A few minutes after leaving Pittsfield, Joe called to say he was just leaving urgent care with a diagnosis of strep throat. We momentarily thought of turning back but the car was packed and we forged ahead.

Not sure I've ever had strep but I know now I never want to get it. Sounds miserable. Margaret and Andrew graciously hosted us last minute. The next day Leonor went to urgent care as she was worried and feeling a little off. We offered to watch the boys while she was gone so we put on masks and headed over. Not wanting to spread illness back at Margaret's we left DC and abandoned our extensive Easter plans. We found a hotel on the Outer Banks and had a quiet Easter. We also found a Catholic Church that was packed. Overflowing.

Margaret and Andrew headed to Pennsylvania for Easter with Andrew's parents. Joe was feeling better so they had a proper Easter there.

Sounds like illness affected David and Paula's Easter plans as they had reduced numbers for David's famous grilled lamb.

We saw Peter and Janet (and Aunt Johanna) made their way for Easter with Kiernan. And Sean and Erin.

I think it was a quieter Easter in Illinois as Bill and Jen took the family west to Colorado for spring break.

Did anyone go to The Harvest? I should add that we drove by The Harvest when we were in Pomfret, and it is no more. Under new management with a new name. I hate change.

We spoke with Annie and she says it's getting hot now. They are still on their grand tour, staying at a farm south of Mumbai.

We took the blue highway route down to Charleston SC yesterday. I said I wanted to see America. Mostly we saw strip malls, car dealerships and fast food places. But also swamps and water and tree farms. We stopped at Myrtle Beach State Park which was a welcome oasis from the RV dealers.

And we had enough daylight when we got here to walk around this beautiful city, the historic part anyway. Some creepy parts, like the slave markets, the building where nullification was first promulgated by John Calhoun. We had to wonder how decimated the city was after the war and how they rebuilt it and preserved it. So much money.

We had planned to go on a Fort Sumter tour this morning but canceled last night so as not to have a hectic start. We'll save that for our next trip.

Today we get back in the car for a shorter drive to Daytona, to John and Marilyn's. Our third beach with a few more to go.

Looking ahead, we see snow in the forecast for Pittsfield and eclipse the next day. We like being away when it snows but last year we lost trees that could have been saved if we had been there to knock the snow off the branches.

Oh well. Hope it's melted by the time we get home. Hope our house is still standing. Hope the plow guy didn't push the gravel back to the lawn that I had raked back on the driveway. Little worries.

Better yet, hope you all are well and healthy! Love from down here.

(Actually there were no April Fools jokes in this letter.)