A Splendid Morning Sky On A 0º Morning

6:30

6:44

6:45

6:49

7:21

It's 6:30 and I have been up since 5:30, the yard and lake lit by a full moon until 6:00 when some orange and a vast  U shaped cloud appeared off to the east.  When I stepped outside, the porch cracked, the snow crunched because of the cold.  We warm up some tomorrow, to the 30's and a wintry mix while Washington, D.C. which we just left, may get five or six inches of snow. 

Early Morning Cold

Yesterday was a long day which started with a long wait in the hotel's Starbucks for a couple of coffees.  Halle was playing at 9:00 so we quickly packed up everything, showered, dressed and arrived at her match just as they were about to start.  We knew that on Monday it was lose one and you were done. 

Halle, Our ACE (dedicated photographers:  baba and granny)

Unfortunately, although they played well, Halle's team lost in two to a young but skilled team from New York City.  It was a sad end to the tournament but on the bright side, they are a young team and received lots of experience and now know what they have to do to get better. 

After the game,  we were undecided as to whether to go back to Jill's or head home to the lake.  We finally decided to head back to the lake, mostly because Tuesday morning for Jill was going to be hectic, as Drew was heading to Big Sky to ski, the girls had school and Jill had work.  So we walked back to the hotel, checked out, and I picked up my car from a garage nearby,  returned to the hotel to get Evie and our bags, and we headed out of the city.  We drove on the George Washington Memorial Parkway which follows the Potomac River for a bit, then towards Frederick and Hagerstown and eventually, jumped on the PA turnpike at Breezewood for 15 miles, before taking # 99 to Altoona and home on our usual roads. 

Our Drive Near Allegheny Forest

We were lucky weather-wise, with only a few flurries when we were in the mountains, some near Allegheny State Park.  We stopped for gas at Gio's for gas and a barbecue sandwich with coleslaw for me.  And we were home at 5:20,  just as the GPS predicted. 

Heading Home In The Late Afternoon

We had about five inches of snow on our driveway so I quickly shoveled a path to our car and we unpacked.  It was strange to be back in our house after five days away.  We unpacked, put everything away and then wondered what to do now that we were home, the way we always feel after a road trip.  We decided to relax with a glass of wine, reflect on the fun past five days, before Evie decided to make our dinner, a salad, a couple of hot dogs, and some beans. 

We quickly fell back into our routine or rut, watching Colbert, Real Time With Bill Maher and some news before going up to bed early, tired from the long day.  Looking back at our road trip, it was a busy four days, lots of volleyball, good meals with Drew and Jill, and fun visiting with our granddaughters.