Travelin' Back North

It was sad to leave our cushy hotel this morning, so we lingered a bit, before going out to breakfast nearby at a yummy café.  It was nice to have a lazy pace and no real agenda.  We had many possibilities but we opted for a “we’ll see” kinda planning.

I was hoping to visit with an old Junior high friend of mine in Baltimore last Sunday, but the hurricane messed up those plans.  Today was another opportunity, but Kaleb wanted to stop by Johns Hopkins University on his way back to New Jersey, and my friend’s house was in the opposite direction.  Kaleb’s desire seemed more important than mine, so we headed north towards Baltimore on our way out of the DC area.

The Inner Harbor of Baltimore is pretty cool, and historic, and I was hoping we’d have time to wander around there a bit before we landed back up at Connie’s house this evening, but that didn’t happen.  When we got off the freeway heading into Baltimore, the entire downtown area was blocked off with police cars because some “race” was happening.  We thought maybe a foot or bike race, but from the sounds of it, it was either go-carts or cars.  The entire downtown area was packed with people and the inner harbor was like a circus.  We just passed it on by and went in the direction of Johns Hopkins, on the backside of town.

Kaleb’s face lit up when he saw the sign for JHU.  He feels pretty attached to that place since he’s been taking classes from there for the last several years.  Now he knows it’s a real place and not just an internet connection.  He wanted to go to their bookstore and buy a sweatshirt with their school name on it.  I was looking forward to walking around the campus, but we found out the Barnes and Noble across the street acts as their campus bookstore.  Kaleb couldn’t have been more pleased to spend some time in there.  I bought him a few Christmas presents (books, of course), and a sweatshirt and that was the extent of our visit to the campus.  Not exactly what I had envisioned, but Kaleb was content.

The drive back north wasn’t too bad, since it’s the middle of Labor Day weekend, but I still don’t like driving on roads I don’t know.  I got the rental car for free using points from our credit card, and since I reserved the car, I have to be the driver, or else we would have had to pay another $11 a day for an extra driver (what a scam).  So I’m the one stuck behind the wheel every time we go somewhere.  I’ll need a massage when we get home from all the tension in my shoulders.

I remembered my friend, Paula, telling me about a town called Havre de Grace, and since we drove right by it on the freeway, I just had to stop and see what was there.  I found out – lots of antique shops!  I could have stayed all day.  Kory and Kaleb were bored with my discovery so I didn’t have long to shop, but I found a few little treasures and would have found more if I didn’t have to worry about how to get them home.  Sweet place.  There are certainly more cool antiques on the East Coast, than on the West Coast of America, as I never even bother to go in antique stores back home – it’s usually just a bunch of junk.  Here, the things were cool and not even that expensive.  That was my thrill for the day.

We planned on getting back late tonight, but when I called Connie to tell her our expected arrival time, she told me they decided to have an early birthday celebration for Robbie today (his birthday is on Tuesday), because his son from his first marriage was with them this weekend.  So we got home as soon as we could in hopes to see him and his family.  

I was happy Rob was at least well enough to travel, but it’s easy to see he’s in a lot of pain and not doing well.  It hurts him even to talk.  I was glad to see him though, and my heart just breaks for what he’s going through.  He lit up when we walked in and I had to sit and listen to him telling his kids what a great person I am, about the crush he and his brother had on me their whole lives, and all the things I did for them when we were kids.  He swears his love of nature came from all the time I spent with them down at our neighborhood creek catching crawdads and minnows and tadpoles.  I remember those days so well.

Robbie didn’t last long after the cake was cut, then he had to go home and get horizontal.  It sure made Connie happy to have him over though.  I think her health is totally tied to his.  After Rob’s family left, I thought we should invite over Marylou, the neighbor that let us park our car on her property in case we flooded during the storm.  I had purchased a “Shoofly Pie” in Maryland from an Amish farm stand, and I thought she might like to have a slice.  Connie was reluctant to call her, “Because she’s so strange,” but she did.  She wasn’t home though. 

Kory and I had a good laugh as Connie said, “She’s a strange one, that Marylou.  Have you ever heard of someone that doesn’t wear a bra?”  I told her I don’t. 

“Well, she doesn’t even wear make-up,” she responded.  “I don’t either,” I told her.  

“And I don’t think she’s ever been to a beauty salon in her whole life,” she said.  

“Ditto, for me,” I replied. 

“Then I guess you probably don’t even carry a purse – because she doesn’t!”  “Right.”

Connie looked at me rather oddly, then said, “Well, maybe I should just call her up and tell her to come over and meet a kindred soul.” 

I know Connie loves me, but now I’m sure she thinks I’m “strange,” too.  No surprise there.  She can’t be the only one that does.