It's strange waking up in an empty house in Bristow, no little mice around to keep you hopping, just a TV, computer, and a cup of coffee. I am still not sure of how the Interstate up north will be; I assume it will be slower but clear. I just hope the traffic will be normal, not more than usual, especially as I go through the major cities of DC, Baltimore, and NYC. We plan on leaving around 9:00, hoping to avoid the gridlock around DC.
We had a nice dinner with Ellen and Wally last night, making our stay here in Bristow much more fun. We went to a recommended restaurant, the Asian Garden, and it was quite good. They came late afternoon and we went to an early dinner, though we are not 'early birders' yet, and they headed back to Hearndon by 7:45 because both have to work today. They had a great holiday having the kids home though they ended up having Christmas at home as the Lange's all had strep throat. It's been fun seeing them and it makes coming to visit Jill and Drew all the more special.
We finally arrived in Darien, two hours later than the GPS suggested our arrival would be; the roads were very crowded, once we got on the the New Jersey pike and at times, we were in a stand still. The other side, however, seemed to hardly move, for what reasons, I am not sure, but I am glad we were heading north rather than south. It cost us close to thirty dollars in tolls to get here, along with gas and food, not a cheap drive. It surprised me as I have never been on these roads before. The irony, too, was as we got out of NYC, into CT traffic slowed down and it took us forever to get to Darien, through Greenwich and Stamford. It took us seven hours, leaving at 9:00, arriving around 4:00, about 315 miles. With a less crowded highway, we could make it in six, perhaps less
Beth had dinner all set, salmon and spinach, our favorite and though the boys and Rami were not there, because of skiing, we had a good time. They arrived just after we finished eating, with a bag full of Chipotle's wraps, so they were happy.
It was nice to see Chello again, as it had been awhile since we have last seen each other. She was supposed to head back to Florida on Monday but because of bad weather, she has to wait till Thursday. So, she seems a bit itchy to get back to her home and dog Lettie was also here last night, and as usual, Bella became my friend. She has been here almost a week, too, and couldn't get back to NYC because of the snow as well. She had a car pick her up last night, around 8:00, as it would have been difficult with her dogs to make it via the subway.
We were all tired and went to bed around 10:00 though Tyler's friend was here, waiting for his parents to come and pick him up.
A daily journal of our lives (begun in October 2010), in photos (many taken by my wife, Evie) and words, mostly from our home on Chautauqua Lake, in Western New York, where my wife Evie and I live, after my having retired from teaching English for forty-five years in Hawaii, Turkey, and Ohio. We have three children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandson, as you will notice if you follow my blog since we often travel to visit them. Photo from our porch taken on 11/03/2024 at 7:07 AM
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