Packing in the Visits

This is our last night on the road. Russ is making the drive home with me which is unheard of. Usually he flys in and flys out from vacation. This year when I said I thought I would stop and see his family if Bucks County on the way home he thought he would like to do that too. So today I got to be his work chauffeur. I drove, in silence and he talked to clients for the whole day.

We left Boston at 8:00 with him on his first call. We were headed to Ridgefield to meet up with Suzanne, Steve and their youngest, Oliver to have lunch at their club. Russ worked the whole way so I made the trip very quickly. We arrived in Ridgefield early so we went to see my childhood home in Wilton. We couldn’t see much because I did not want to drive down the driveway, but they have added a new garage and turned our old garage into rooms.

Our next door neighbors’s the Phrals’ house looked very fixed up and the Scheweitzers house next to them had a huge addition. The Humphrey’s house looked the same and was for sale.

We had the best lunch with Suzanne and family. We realized that the last time we had seen each other was on this day two years ago at her father’s memorial service and that going two years without seeing each other in person is the longest we have ever gone since 1979. We are not going to let Covid or any other stupid virus do that to us again.

We left Ridgefield and drove to Russ’ father’s house in Bucks county. It has been two years since we have seen them too. Brother David and his wife Tasha and their oldest daughter Bree came and brought dinner. Then, just as I was about to pass out his sister Nancy and her youngest Jack showed up. Dave served Nancy some of the orange watermelon he had brought. After eating some, which tastes just like watermelon, Nancy asked if it was actually cantaloupe, because it was the same color as that melon. She knew it tasted like watermelon, but after a long day at work your mind can play tricks on you.

I finally had to excuse myself, as chauffeuring really took it out of me. We packed in seeing nine people today as the last hurrah for our trip. Tomorrow I will be back to silent driving, but it is well worth it to have Russ with me on the drive and getting a chance to see his whole family and my best friends.