Day 250, Year 8: Travel Day
Date: Thursday, July 11, 2013
Weather: Rain, Rain, Rain
Location: Hampton Inn, Mooresville, NC
Late last night the rain started and continued on through the morning as we drove north to Boston. So we had rain for our travel day as we left Woods Hole with a fully packed van—full of luggage and people. Mark was taking me, Justin and Jo, and all five grandchildren to Boston. He dropped me off at the airport to catch a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend my sister Patsy’s 80th birthday celebration. Since this party is a surprise, I won’t be posting this log until tomorrow night after the party is over. You can put something on the internet and expect it to be a secret! But back to Boston . . . After dropping me off, Mark then took the rest of the crew to the New England Aquarium for the day. They had a fantastic time and even worked in a ferry ride to Charlestown at the end of the day. Then Mark dropped JJZ&C off at the airport for their overnight flight to England and then he, Sam, and Jonah drove back home to the Cape. Mark stopped at IKEA on the way home and got dinner (IKEA meatballs) there for the boys. When they saw the IKEA sign on the way to Boston in the morning, they started chanting “lunch at IKEA” and that gave Mark the idea for the dinner stop. Granddad reported that he had a perfectly wonderful day—his first outing with the grandkids without me—and he already has plans for more outings without Oma.
My flight was delayed by two hours due to the storms in Charlotte and then was delayed another hour in the air because we had to divert to avoid a big storm system. Instead of arriving at 4:40 pm, we touched down at 5:45 pm and then it took another 40 minutes to get off the plane and get luggage. I had taken only a very small carry-on, but the plane was so full by the time my Zone was called to board that they took the bag which had to be picked up in the Baggage Claim area. What an ordeal, but finally my niece’s husband picked me up after what was a two-hour wait for him. Earlier in the day he picked up two of nieces who also flew in from Boston. So, thank you, Bill! We arrived at my nephew Tommy’s home just outside Charlotte in time for me to fix the family favorite, salmon cakes, for dinner. Tommy drove to Roanoke today to pick up our 97 year-old Aunt Ethel and Tommy’s brother Todd and his family arrived later in the evening from Atlanta. We looked at old photos and listened to some of Aunt Ethel’s stories. Aunt Ethel was married to my mother’s brother, so unfortunately none of us have her genes. She will be 98 in September, still wear high heels, and has more energy and a sharper mind than people half her age. What a wonderful gift to be able to be with her for this weekend.
Tomorrow evening, my sister Patsy and Joe will arrive thinking they are coming to hear Jennifer make a presentation and then go out for a special birthday dinner. Here’s hoping we can continue to keep this celebration a secret until tomorrow night.
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| 130711 Day250a Boston, MA–Aquarium Trip |
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| 130711 Day 250b Charlotte, NC–Arrival in Charlotte |
