Tuesday after Labor Day has been a 2-cup-of-coffee workday. It was relaxing and we had lots of fun, but I need a vacation day to recover from my vacation.
We were lucky for the opportunity to visit with lots of old friends; Saturday night Finn and I went to a barbecue with the Flynns while Mama stayed home to catch up on work. Finn was shy at first but within about 30 seconds was engrossed in playing dress-up with the girls, while Tim and Betty and I drank and caught up on the deck outside. She was on her best behavior, even after a bowl of chocolate ice cream, and when it was time to leave we drove home under the stars with the top down.
Sunday we drove to Lexington Park to meet Grand at the Naval Air Museum where he showed us around the planes and told Finn about the ones he’d flown and worked on. It wound up being sunnier and hotter out there than we bargained for, so we had to skip the last couple in order to escape to air conditioning and an early dinner. After rehydrating, we made it home in time to move the mattress out of our bedroom, lay new carpet down, assemble an IKEA bedframe, and replace the bed. We’re getting to the point at which all the improvements we made in the house 8-10 years ago are needing touchups. This past week, the entire room got patched, sanded, and a new coat of paint throughout, and it looks dramatically better.
Monday we drove up to Pennsylvania to visit with the Beatties and have another barbecue. Finn was again on her best behavior, and we adults let the kids play while we (mostly) relaxed. Chris and Alison have a beautiful house stocked with mouthwatering mid-century furniture and two excitable Boston Terriers, and it was great to catch up with them. It’s amazing to consider, looking back at who we were 20 years ago, how far we’ve come, and how much the same we are in a lot of ways. As we stood in his driveway chatting and watching the kids ride bikes, leaves fell gently into the yard. Fall is coming soon…
On our return, we “did a teamwork” in Finn’s words and started assembling a new dresser for our room. We’re both tired of waiting around to get things done (we’ve had new carpet and furniture sitting out on the porch in boxes for months) and we couldn’t help ourselves. With some careful maneuvering and strategic use of a hammer in the quiet corners of the house, we got everything put together by 10PM and fell exhausted into bed.
We got word early last week that Howard, my sister’s best friend for fifteen years, had passed suddenly and without much warning. I shuffled some things around and hit the road Thursday evening to make his funeral mass Friday morning. From what I’m told the viewing was packed with friends, and the mass was no exception. At one point the priest in charge of the service leaned in to ask the older gentleman sitting next to me (one of the elders) if someone could go locate enough host to use for communion.
Renie had written a eulogy for Howard, and it was funny, touching, authentic, and moving. I was proud of both her words and her poise.
After the service, we drove over to the firehouse, where the reception was being held, and found ourselves sitting with several of Howard’s friends from Ithaca. I struck up a conversation with the gentleman sitting next to me, who mentioned he was from Thailand, and we started talking about travel and food. Within a half an hour he was inviting the family to come and eat at his restaurant (one of Howard’s favorite haunts) and we made plans.
At the table, he set us up with four glasses of Proseco, and things got progressively better from there. Starting with two types of Thai soup (Tom Kha and Tom Yung), we worked our way through four appetizers, stopped for a bottle of red wine, and then worked through five (!) entrees. The restaurant is pan-Asian, so the menu ranges from Thai to Indian, and the mixture of curry, lemongrass, and chili powder was outstanding together. After our entrees, he insisted we try the dessert menu, but not before a glass of grappa or Yuzo (lemon infused sake) to clear our palates. We wound up sitting for four hours enjoying the time together, raising a glass to Howard, and savoring every bite.
Saturday it just so happened there was a party planned for Grampy, who turns 98 this year, so I decided to stick around and celebrate with everyone. He just got moved back into his house from my uncle’s, and a couple of cousins spent the last few weeks painting and cleaning and getting things ready for him. He’s now installed in the middle room (the family room from my younger days) with a palace-sized chair and a hospital bed in front of a flat screen TV. He looks better than I’ve seen him in years, and I could see the spark in his eyes the whole time I was there.
Being able to visit with everyone was great, and once again I ate way too much.
Sunday morning I hit the road and made it back to Baltimore by 3, just in time to sharpen the mower blade and attack the lawn while Finn played on the swing. Jen got the rear bed weeded, and after some work with the edger the house doesn’t look like it’s been foreclosed upon anymore.
I like the design and love the idea of this website: Atlas Obscura bills itself as a compilation of “Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations”.
We’re back from a great couple of days at Chincoteague National Seashore, where the weather was a perfect sunny 80°, the water was calm, and the beaches were relatively quiet.
Finn, as usual, had a fantastic time digging in the sand, running through the surf, making friends, and flying our new kite.
Finn played hard each day, but wasn’t able to nap at the beach. Too much to do, too much to see.
We were all sad to leave, but Friday was the last clear sunny day in the forecast. Our timing was perfect.
On the Metro, heading to the National Zoo
Making friends wherever she goes (human and animal)
She was very interested in the dinosaur, even when there were big cats right over her shoulder
There weren’t many perfect photo ops, but this was one of them.
Friday morning we filled the Scout up for a beach adventure, and struck out for the sand above Corolla. Finn’s seat strapped easily to the rear bench, and she happily held on to Ox and Kasoogi as we left the pavement and drove north to find a quiet patch of ocean to ourselves. Once we’d parked, she laughed and played in the surf, and I carried her into shin-deep water to brave the breakers together. It was great to see Chewbacca out on the beach again, and I tried to shoot as much of the experience as I could for Brian.
After returning home (and a short road nap in the Scout), we adjourned to the pool for the afternoon, taking advantage of the last sun of our stay. Burgers on the grill accompanied whatever we had left over in the fridge, and Brian started mixing drinks as Mama and I waited for Finn to fall asleep. Note to self: beware the offer of a Mudslide on the evening before the trip home.
We woke to rain and wind beating on the windows, which meant outdoor activities were curtailed. Mr. Brian made pancakes for the house, and we tried to make our way down the shore to the aquarium in Monteo, but the road north of Duck had been washed out. We contented ourselves with a lunch of excellent barbecue and fried fish served by illegible waitstaff. Finn melted down after that, so it was home for a nap in the top bunk and a quiet afternoon of reading and quiet time for us.
We’re not ready to come home yet.
Red flags at the beach today, because of rip currents and rough water. We adjourned to the pool, sipping pina coladas under a blue sky flecked with clouds, and splashed until Finn’s eyes got heavy. After a long nap, she got right back in the water and had to be dragged out for dinner.
Elsewhere, Texas is on fire and our hometown is underwater; news reports show a river down Main Street in Elicott City. Hopefully there will be a house to return to.