We've been three days on the road since I last blogged. Yesterday, we stopped in Walnut, Iowa, the antiquing capital of Iowa. On one of our cross-country trips, with the kids, we stopped here and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven then. I couldn't remember a thing about the town, even when we revisited yesterday. We walked through shops, barns, tents--it was so much fun. One night we stayed in Nebraska, another night Iowa, today we're near Sandusky, Ohio. We finally got off the main highways and have enjoyed going through some little towns and farm country (mostly corn). We found a very cute town New Carslyle and it was adorable. Then we found a town outside of La Grange, Indiana that was full of Amish. There were horse and buggies on the road, and a beautiful community with gift shops and a great restaurant that served food family style (Bob and I had meatloaf and salad for lunch--no pie ;-()
I was quite disappointed, though, by how commercial all the shops (and even the restaurant) was. Even most of the quilts were commercially made and not made by the Amish community members. I'd seen many of the same articles in other upscale gift shops.
In New Carlysle, I saw a number of pieces of art that Bob and I will work on when we get home.
For the last two days, Bryn and Sean were in Albany with my mother. They went for lunch Friday at my favorite pizza place, the Orchard, and dinner with Antoinette. Today they went to a CrossFit gym in Albany. Both of them liked the owner very much.
Then, Sean put in my mother's window air conditioner, put out her shepherd's hooks for her hanging flower baskets, and poor Sean and Bryn ended up having to go all the way to Latham for my mother's favorite haunt (76 Diner). She always forgets that there's one right on Wolf Rd.
I think the kids thought they would leave at 11 AM, but they ended up staying until 5 PM because Sean replaced the door knob and lock for her inside porch door and it was complicated since the door was as old as the house (almost 100 years old). They both felt better, though, knowing that the doorknob was not going to come off in my mother's hand if, God forbid, there's some kind of emergency.
I'm so happy that they could help her and I hope they make good time going back to LI together. Sean will stay with Bryn and then go on to his job meetings in Pennsylvania.
Anyway, sorry this isn't more exciting. I sure hope there will be more to talk about when we are in Maine.
I did buy a few tops at a Cato in Peru, Illinois and a new Hex Sign at the Amish restaurant gift store.
Bob saw another new species of bird, the catbird and a huge snapping turtle while waiting for me outside Cato's (Peru, Illinois) in a wooded area near the shopping center. Hahaha--he'll never change (at least I hope not).
Had a wonderful conversation with a good friend who told me that our former principal, Fred McGlure, had only about a day left of life--he was in hospice and wasn't expected to live past 24 hours. He's had a horrible time with emphyzema. He was a smoker, but no one deserves to die such a horrible death. I pray that his death is swift and without pain and suffering--for he's had enough of that the last years of his life. Fred used to mix us up and call me Mickey, and Mickey, Casey. We were both short, dark-haired, and long-haired staff members together at Independence High School when he was principal. He was a great guy--funny, compassionate, but no pushover. Why do we always regret not stopping by to visit someone in our lives as soon as they are gone (or when we hear they are soon to be gone)? I guess there are only 24 hours in a day--and no one can do it all. I hate having regrets.
Well, we have to decide tomorrow morning whether we are going to NYC (LI) or Albany since we are still too early to go to Maine (we are due there on the 15th). I'll let you know tomorrow where we land.