I didn’t write about:
Cicadas
At the plantation, the trees were full of a loud chirping/clicking sound. Cicadas I thought, but a woman in the souvenir store said they were locusts. Comparing the bug body I found on the path to images on line, the noise was from cicadas, large, 1 to 2 inches, fly-like greenish bugs mating in the trees. The sound was hard to ignore. It was more than a soothing background sound ala Pirates of the Caribbean. More disturbing was the thought of how many thousands of them were hovering in the trees above us. I imagined them all dying at once and raining down on us.
I may not be meant to live in the South.

The drunk in NOL
The shirtless drunk who gave me a fist bump as we waited in line for Preservation Hall. He asked if it was first time in town then gave ideas to keep me safe. “Put $5 in your front pocket,” he said, “and hide the rest. That way when you get robbed, you give them your front money and tell them that’s all you’ve got left. Walk on the opposite side of the street from parked cars too and don’t walk by yourself.”
“Good advice,” I said feeling uneasy.
“That your wife?” he asked and gave Lydia one of his bead strings.
He gave me a bristly man hug and wandered down the line to visit with some folks behind us. There but for grace, I thought. There but for grace.

The woman and her nephews
On the Cascades to Seattle, a woman parked her two nephews in the seat across from us, while she sat across the aisle from me. She bustled around getting the boys settled in the bottles of water and colored pencils, which the boys ignored in favor of their smart phones. Satisfied that she had the boys situated she swung her pack up to the rack above us, showering all around her by the water bottle she had failed to reseal. She was trying so hard to be a good aunt and I felt so badly for her. We, all of the “splashees,” scrambled to mop up the water and settle her in just as she had settled in the boys. I doubt that she will, in the long run, remember the incident. Lyd and I will though.

Picnic on the floor with grandkids
Travel is not easy and we were enervated (pooped) when we got to our hotel in Boston. Heather and her two children were already tucked into bed in their room. We had a beverage and a burger in the bar and climbed into bed ourselves. Saturday we spent the day on and of a Hop-on-hop off trolley. Sunday we went to Plimouth Plantation, Heather dropped us off at the hotel, then went to a local grocery for cheese, meats, and bread.

We cut paper bags into plates and used my pocket knife to slice the cheese and bread. It was basic, humble, and completely enjoyable. It was the family time we had missed as we traveled.

Annie
Dogs fill a void in our lives that nothing else can. Annie is our Springer Spaniel. She is about 8 years old and I was concerned that when we left we might not see her again.
She was there when Josh opened the door, whining, wiggling and baring her teeth in what passes for a dog smile. She is not a small dog, weighs in at 56 lbs., and insists on sharing my chair when I’m in the family room. Our rear ends make up more than the seats capacity. She sits half on my lap, half in the chair.
All of the bags having been brought in, I sat. She joined me with a quick jump.

Home.

 

The Road