The Parking Lot Ride to New England

We have not been out of the state since the pandemic hit. A couple of weeks ago we got an invitation to visit New England for my oldest cousin’s memorial service. She passed away last year and now a get together was planned. So we decided it was time to take a ride. We are very familiar with the freeways to the Midwest and the south, but have never driven from DC to New England - the most congested corridor anywhere in the US. If we could get through this we could get through anything. I can honestly say that we would never do it again. It was essentially a parking lot from the time we left home to the time we arrived. From DC to Baltimore and the tunnel, to Philadelphia to New Jersey. Then the ultimate hell hole of New York. Everything looks so old, rusty and cruddy. On top of that it was raining most of the time. The toll roads were ridiculous. I don’t know if my easy pass transponder worked but it was replenished twice along the way - eighty dollars worth. The George Washington Bridge alone was seventeen dollars to cross. Google maps was constantly red and we crawled along. We never planned trips in the summer months because of all of the traffic and especially since the pandemic. Everyone is taking a vacation now. But this was for a different reason. The drive back was just as bad as the drive up. To make matters worse we had an hour delay because of a presidential motorcade on the freeway near our house. It was just too much. But we are still happy we went and glad we were able to survive the gridlock. And the company is always so good. 

A Short Trip to Central Virginia

It’s been four months since we took a short trip to central Virginia to visit family. We used to all live on Capitol Hill just down the street from each other. We had an opportunity to watch our grandson grow through late middle school. Then they moved away. But luckily it’s only three hours away so we can still visit every so often - but it’s not the same! Now our grandson is a sophomore at UVA. So we stopped there first to have dinner and his mom joined us there. We took a walkabout the campus and then had a bite. A lot of the coeds were having graduation photos taken. Then after another hour of driving we were “home” at the converted warehouse on the James River. On Saturday we took a ride to the “cabin” that is now completed - also on the James River, but in another town about twenty five minutes away. The dog loves all of the land and we love sitting and doing absolutely nothing - but only after a hefty walk up and down the paths and stone walkways. Back at the warehouse an elaborate dinner is always prepared, dishes are washed, and we always watch a movie. This is the first time the grandson was not at home when we were visiting. We are sure mom and dad are adjusting to the change of not having a kid around the house. The next day we all went out for breakfast and a little after noon we were on our way back home. Both my husband and I are terrible travelers. We are exhausted after just a couple of days and it takes a couple more to get back to normal. We always look forward to the visits and hope to have many more. It’s so nice to get away and turn off the noise around you. 

A Trip to Copenhagen?

We haven’t traveled anywhere outside of the state since the pandemic hit three years ago. Luckily we have family in central Virginia and have been able to visit there a few times. It’s a three hour drive which is very pleasant. We used to travel to the Midwest at least once a year to visit with friends and colleagues. And before my mom passed away we were in Florida a couple to three times a year. We haven’t been overseas since 2015. We have family members who live in Denmark, Canada, Australia, and Iran and friends who live in England and France. I really don’t care to travel that much - unless there are friends and family to see there. And I really don’t like making all of the reservations and plans anymore. I just don’t want to be bothered. So when we thought about taking an overseas trip we would only do it with someone else who liked making all of the arrangements. We are thinking about going to Copenhagen to visit our niece and her son. We haven’t been there in over ten years. And with a non stop flight it would be “tolerable” to fly. So we asked our friends if they’d like to go. They have never been there and we are basically tagging along for the ride. We are interested to visit with our niece and mindlessly visit wherever our friends want to go. Nothing has been booked, but we are studying the options. It’s nice to go somewhere that we know someone especially at our age. We have never taken a tour - which probably is much better as far as having everything arranged. Maybe one of these days we might. I really prefer tagging along with someone who likes to travel and knows their way around. We haven’t been in a plane since 2015 - and I don’t miss it. But we should probably go somewhere to get back in to the swing of things before it’s too late. This might be the best opportunity. 

Thanks DC Blogs

I've been blogging for almost five years about living in DC compared to the Midwest and a lot of subjects in between. I write something every day whether we are home or away. Every once in awhile one of my entries grabs the attention of DCBlogs and it gets mentioned on their site. I usually notice it because the stats for views increases. I never know what subject it might be but I always appreciate the attention. This time the subject was about AAA service for a flat tire. It's bad enough to happen at home but a lot worse on travel. So I always thank DC Blogs for noticing an entry and tweet about it. Then they notice the tweet and I favorite it. So thanks once again DC Blogs. Now I need to think of another subject you might like - preferably a more pleasant one.