Saturday, June 12, 2004

Home Again

Dan and I got up at 6:30 and headed over to the rail trail. Dan decided it was too cold to walk, so he waited in the car while I went for a short run. I saw two cardinals, some mallards and a rabbit at Lock 12. We had coffee and bagels at Greeenwich Coffee on the way home, then went back to the house. I showered, dressed, finished my packing and tidied the room. I visited with Charles for as long as I could, then left the blue bottle from Thomaston and a card of the Quincy Library for John and Susan. Then we headed out.

We stopped at Meriden and visited with Grandma. I told her I'd bring a cake next year for her 99th birthday. She seemed a little unclear that I was her granddaughter and as always I felt bad leaving her, since every time could be the last.

We got to Providence by 2:00 and turned in our car. Then they x-rayed our bags and thoroughly investigated my jars of blueberry jelly from Maine. Good to know our airport security is keeping us safe. I hadn't even known blueberry jelly was dangerous!

The flight to Philadelphia was on time and uneventful. We got stuck an hour in Philly while they tried to figure out which plane to put us on. But finally we got a plane and headed for home. I took the window seat and got to watch thunderstorms below us while a clear sky and moon shone brightly above us.

It's always a bit of a culture shock to come home to Houston after being in a part of the country that tries to show some respect for beauty and history. This glass and concrete city has no soul and even while I enjoy the comforts of my own home and routines, I always pine for what I've lost by choosing to continue living here-- that sense of connection with the past and with nature that I get in other parts of the country.

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