A Wet Virginia Morning

7:39

It's 7:50, and my son-in-law Drew and I are up early, watching ESPN and both are on our computers. I was up at 7:00, Drew probably at 6:00, while the girls slept in. The weather in Virginia is crazy this holiday, with today's high near 70º, but tomorrow's high will be in the 40s.

Morning With Pickles

There's not much to say about yesterday's road trip. We left about 8:45 and arrived at Jill's seven hours later at 3:45. It rained most of the way; at least our windshield wipers seemed to be working the whole time. We have taken this trip many times over the past 15 years. We always stop in Warren, at McDonald's, after an hour for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Then, we change drivers at Gio's. We switched just before getting on the PA turnpike and drove to Berkley Springs, West Virginia, where we stopped again for lunch at McDonald's. Our last stop was a half hour later, to get gas at Shawnee Springs Market in Winchester, VA, about an hour from Jill's. Once we got on 66, the main route from Washington, DC, we made good time, though there was an accident on 66 West, with cars backed up for at least 10 miles.

Nellie, Hayden's Cat

When we arrived, Drew was just getting home from work, and Jill was still showing a house in the Plains. Halle, our youngest, was also home to greet us and help bring our bags and goodies in. Jill was home by 4:15, and by 5:00, we were happily sitting around the living room, enjoying a glass of wine and the antics of their two new cats. Hayden, our other granddaughter, got stuck in traffic and arrived soon after 5:00, bringing her cat, making it three cats and one dog, Coco.

We got caught up on everyone's lives, and it was fun to talk to Halle, who, like me, is an English major at Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond. She is really enjoying both reading the classics and writing. Hayden and Drew both work for Defense Contractors, and their companies are suffering under Trump's cuts. 

Prepping Dinner

Evie brought dinner, stuffed shells and chicken cutlets, so they went in the oven at 6:15, and we ate at 6:45. Stuffed shells are the girls' favorites, so they were a big hit. We had dessert, Junior's cheesecake for dessert, and watched the first half of Dancing With The Stars, the girls' favorite, until 9:15 when the adults went to bed, and the girls stayed up watching the end of the show. We were tired from our drive and probably had too much wine, so we were happy to go to bed earlier than usual.

With My Granddaughters, Halle And Hayden