Seven Hours To Topsail, North Carolina

Drew And Jill

Backyard

All Is Green

Well, it's 6:45, and I have been up since 6:00. I am in familiar digs, my daughter Jill's home in Bristow, Virginia. Her husband, Drew, just arrived home yesterday from two weeks of work in Kazakhstan. Right now, he's busy packing the car for our drive today. It's 66º in Bristow, overcast, and it rained overnight. Looks like we'll be having rain for much of our drive south, as well as in Topsail. We hope to be on the road by 9:00 and are not looking forward to the traffic on 95 South.

All Packed!!

Typical View On #99

Yesterday was the usual drive to our daughter Jill's house. We left at 8:00 and arrived just after 3:00 — a seven-hour drive. It would have been more pleasant if both of us weren't so tired. I was up at 5:00, and Evie not much later. We had our usual stop in Warren, PA at McDonald's, then two hours later, at Gio's gas station and barbecue, we traded places, and Evie drove the next couple of hours to Shawnee Springs Market in Virginia, where we always stop for gas and, this time, lunch. We'd actually planned to stop at the McDonald's in Berkeley Springs, WV, but it was so crowded we drove on.

Halle And Granny

Hayden And Pickle

Pickle

Trimming Emmy's Nails

Jill was in the garage and welcomed us sometime after 3:00. She had just gotten back from a big shopping day at Costco and Trader Joe's. Our granddaughter Hayden was there too, working from home for Culman, a defense contractor. Around 4:30, Drew walked in after flying in from Kazakhstan by way of Frankfurt — fortunately, all his flights were on time. Halle, their youngest, was getting some Spanish tutoring and didn't get home till 5:00, when we all settled onto their great screened porch to enjoy wine and catch up on what was going on in everyone's lives. Jill ordered takeout from an Asian restaurant, and the girls went to pick it up. We gorged on various dishes until we couldn't manage another bite. I helped Drew with a few things as we got the car ready for the trip — the carrier went up on the roof, another one on the back. By 8:30, all of us were exhausted and ready for bed.