Lordy! Six a.m. comes early on Sunday morning.
Mark and I are on the way to New England. Four days in Provincetown and two in Hudson New York visiting out friends, Wally and Yoshi. When we were planning this trip, a friend asked if we were going to stop along the way to see some sights. I just cringed. That’s when I recognized that I’m very much a destination-oriented traveler. I find it difficult to think about vacations in terms other than getting to where I’m going, and I have little patience for researching what might be found along the way. Be efficient. Just get me there. (Didn’t Conrad’s character, Marlow, condemn colonialism for its efficiency?)
That same friend suggested that I try saying to myself, “I want to arrive in Provincetown some time on Tuesday,” and then find some things along the way to fill up the time between departure and arrival. I’ll have to try that on a future long trip, though I’ve yet to resolve the problem of how to find worthwhile stops alonf I-70. (The world’s largest ball of twine does not count as worthwhile in my book.) For now, though, just drive, Mark. Drive….
About six hours into our trip, we made a detour to visit our friend, Matt, and his parents, Gary and Jackie. Matt lives around the block from us, but by a happy coincidence, he’s visiting his parents near Newville, PA this weekend. We first met Gary and Jackie a few years ago when they joined us for a Cirque du Soleil performance in Columbus. They’re both really nice people—easy to talk with, quick to laugh—and it was a pleasure to see them again. Jackie reminds me of Emmylou Harris, and I can see Gary in Matt’s countenance and mannerisms.
They have a really nice house on 40 acres in the country with a great sitting porch on the back looking into the woods. While we were sitting out talking, a fawn got into the yard and spooked their horses. It was pretty funny to see three big horses scurrying to get away from a relatively tiny deer. Jackie made a peach pie this morning and offered us each a slice. You can guess that I graciously declined, but Mark was in seventh heaven. After a nice, two-hour long break, though, it was time to get back on the road. We’re going to push on to Mahwah, NJ today and then stop for the night.