Honey Hill, and return

Sunday: We all slept in. I got out of bed around 10:30 or 11, feeling a bit mashed. Shower. MB showered, and came and asked for shampoo (which I'd used the last of) while I was having a sitting. Toast and tea with mom, as she opened the few birthday presents I'd brought for her. One moment, with my wife sitting on my right, and my mom on my left, I suddenly felt surrounded and overwhelmed by female sentimentality.

We drove out and got breakfast at a diner. It's a funny place, founded in 1980, and looking very much like a product of the age of disco. The food was quite good though. We all had eggs of one variety or another, and split a big waffle with strawberries. I got the waitress to bring a piece of tiramisu over to the table with a candle in it... but I did tell a little fib to set it up (I said I had to go to the bathroom when, in fact, I didn't).

Next stop was Home Depot. Driving down this stretch of road was another trip back in time. It's the Post Road near Rowayton, where I spent 5 important years of my young life, entering puberty, and weathering my parents divorce. Lots of good memories though. I circled the car around the parking lot while my mom bought a flowering plant for our friend (and my 5th grade teacher) K, who is 94, and having some health problems.

We drove to the convalescent home where she's being cared for ("Honey Hill"), and found her room. A nephew and niece were just leaving. It was nice to see she had people looking in on her. She was sitting in a chair, being fed some oxygen through a tube going to her nostrils, but otherwise unencumbered, and bright and alert as you could ask for. We talked to her for awhile, telling her all about our exploits of the last few days. MB demonstrated the handkerchief dance. We said goodbye and headed out around 3:30.

While we were talking to her, a large thunderstorm had let loose outside. Rain was pelting down, and lightening was streaking across the sky. I dashed out into the parking lot to fetch the car, just as a big bolt split the air overhead. Got quite wet, and rattled, but otherwise unharmed. I drove MB and mom back to her condo. We loaded my car, getting drenched in the process, then changed into dry clothes, and said goodbye. Quite a lovely few days we've had with mom. Stopped for gas en route to the parkway. Driving was a little slow because of all the rain, which kept coming and going. Around Hartford, MB called her folks, and I spoke to them briefly. She and I had an animated conversation about where we stand in our lives, and possible things we could take on in the future.

We stopped for a break at the first service area on the Mass Pike. Quite a zoo. The Pike was crawling, and everyone seemed to have decided it was a good time to get off the road for a little while. MB sprung for some coffees. We forged ahead, and made pretty good time getting back to our house, arriving about 7:40.

We unloaded the car. The cats were fine. I did some vacuuming. MB looked through mail. Soon it was time to leave for guitar circle. At the dojo, Victor and David were waiting outside. Terry and Martin had canceled, leaving just the 4 of us.

The first portion of the session was spent talking about what our next challenge should be. Victor's sense is that a series of shows, in a short amount of time (8 shows in two weeks, for example) might be appropriate. He was encouraged by our performance last night at the luau. We talked more about the name of the circle, and the url for the website. Then, some guitar work. Eye of the Needle. The bulk of the rest of the evening was spent showing David and MB the lead line to Askesis. I played bass for demonstration/practice purposes, and refreshed my memory of the line as well. We called it a little early tonight, around 10:20.

I had a conversation with MB on the way home about how to best capture a big musical download like she had just received. Then we didn't talk much. Back home, we both unpacked, then I went down basement and addressed my daily practices. Soon bed.