An Early Virginia Morning

6:44

I was up early, 6:15 and it's now 7:15 as the sky begins to lighten. I am the only one up, of course, and it will be probably true for the next hour or two, as the girls all like to sleep in. 

Road Trip

Typical Western Pennsylvania Signs

 
We had another easy drive yesterday, especially compared to our 2750 miles road trip for Thanksgiving. Yesterday's drive was only seven hours although, for the first four or five hours, it drizzled or rained, obscuring the beauty of our ride through the Allegheny State Forest. We have taken this trip at least twice a year since 2010 so we know the way by heart yet it always seems different because of the changing weather and seasons. We made two stops, one at Gio's, two and a half hours from home, just off Interstate #80 and I availed myself of one of their pork barbecue sandwiches with cole slaw for lunch. Yum. We then drove through Pennsylvania to Breezewood, then Berkeley Springs in West Virginia before stopping at the Shawnee Springs Market and Cannery. We always stop there for cheap gas, $3.19 a gallon, and this time we picked up a banana cream pie instead of fruit, Jill's favorite. 

Finally Blue Skies And Sun 

Blue Skies/Clouds

More Clouds

We arrived at our daughter Jill's just after 4:00 and were met with hugs from Jill and Halle, and barks and excitement from Daisy and Coco. We emptied the car easily and quickly.  After all, it's going to be a three-night road trip, not a couple of weeks. Jill was ready for us, with wine, appetizers, and a tasty chicken dinner with a vinegary sauce to die for. We sat around the kitchen island, with Evie helping Jill get the chicken ready, sipping wine, and enjoying three kinds of cheese and crackers. Once the chicken was cooking, we sat in the living room and it felt good to finally relax after our drive. We ate around 6:30 and loved the chicken along with brown rice and a salad. We then decided to watch a film Evie and I have seen a couple of times, The Fallout, about a school shooting and its effects on the students. Halle had also seen it but not Jill. We enjoyed our banana cream pie as we watched and by 9:30, were tired enough to go to bed. 

New/Old Think:

 “You can’t do everything but you can do something” and “Blame no one, expect nothing, do something.”