ADVENTURE ON THE HORIZON

After fourteen months in virtual hibernation I was ready for an adventure. An invitation to my brother’s home in Lexington, Massachusetts was the catalyst for gassing up the car, locating a missing suitcase and evaluating a wardrobe that has been unseen for a millenium. Packing was difficult because I haven’t done it in so long and there were so many items to remember, like my daily schedule of pills and my phone charger, not to mention socks and shoes and sweaters. Unfortunately the weather was not encouraging with rain followed by, you guessed it, more rain. Yet I set off Saturday morning at 9:03, only 3 minutes late. I sailed along until I approached Hartford and the exit 29 turn off to Boston. Normally there is a long delay as one maneuvers through the mass of cars on the right hand side of the highway. Not this time. The exit was now on the left and the wait was an easy half hour. Did the powers that be keep both exits open? NO! Did the engineers make the left hand exit a double lane? NO! What a bummer! Safely through the jam up, I made it to Massachusetts only to find that all the exit numbers on the Mass. Pike and Route 95 had been changed by gremlins. I was afraid that I might not remember the way and I had no bread crumbs with me, but, give me a break, whose idea was it to renumber all the exits. Just so you know, exit 14 is now 123. No rhyme or reason that I could see. Arriving after 3 hours, I was welcomed like a long lost princess. My brother Myles and wife Judy ushered me in and then we were off to visit my nephew Seth, wife Amy, Amy’s parents in from Cleveland and the most precious and precocious little girl on the planet, Sophia. Remember she is the one to ask the Four Questions in Hebrew and in English at Passover and she is only 2. Sophia was dressed in a red dancing outfit with a tutu skirt and she carried a teddy bear everywhere. I brought her five new books including 2 of her favorites, stickers. and one book with her name on it, Sophia and the Purple Suitcase. She proceeded to take all the stickers and paste them on top of one another, like a mini-tower. I also was conducted by the little guide on a tour of the house. Adults played mah-jongg and ate the Keto treats Seth had baked, all of which resembled dry manna from the desert. We dined at home on turkey and corned beef, while Judy, the vegetarian, ate asparagus and an egg sandwich. That night and the next day we played word games and Rummy Q. The planned BBQ was rained out on Sunday but we amused ourselves playing pool and Scattergories and crossword puzzles from the New York Times. A yummy Chinese meal was enjoyed. On Monday, the clouds were still gray but the rain stopped and the BBQ was rescheduled for good friends Edward and Ros. After a lovely visit, I got back in the car for a ride home with half of the world. I arrived weary but happy for having ventured across state lines and eager to plan more adventures in the almost normal future.