Our drive from Maryland to North Carolina was pleasantly uneventful until we were 20 miles from home. Traffic came to a halt in the gorge, and we sat there for one and a half hours. There was a long stretch with no exits, leaving us no alternative. The attraction of the moment was the rising of the moon. When we finally moved, we passed an 18-wheeler on a tow truck headed in the wrong direction. It was a strange sight. The four-lane interstate was squeezed by mountains on both sides with a concrete Jersey barrier down the middle. Perhaps the road was closed again later to allow that rig to escape.
Needless to say, we dragged ourselves into the house, carrying as much as possible. Nathaniel clapped his hats on my head for an easy ride in.
After the car was unpacked, Nathaniel performed his mirror ritual. His summer has officially begun. [Every time he comes to stay, he moves the mirror to the hanger where the former owners hung a clock. He is the only one who can use it easily, although David can see himself on tiptoe.]
A couple of days later, a cloud invited itself to dinner on our porch. It shied away at the last moment.
Mehrling Muse 
That must have been a very tiring journey home. But now your Summers officially started, no more long journeys for a while?
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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I don’t think we’ll take any long trips until August. Our daughter Kate is coming down to spend almost two weeks with us. That should be a fun time.
xxx summer hugs xxx
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Argh! I am usually anxious to get home and my patience is gone. It must have been wonderful walking in the door!
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John took a short nap while I watched for vehicles to move. Nathaniel and I played games on our phones. Everything was fine after we started moving again.
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Traffic is almost an everyday occurrence here in all parts of Metro Manila. It’s the start of summer for you….lovely!
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John said if anyone had died in that accident, we might have been there five hours. The gorge is dangerous with vehicles hurtling around tight curves.
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Glad you got home safely:)
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That intrusive cloud was interesting. Does Nathaniel collect hats? A tall hat would make him even taller!
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Nathaniel loves hats. I think he wears one for a while until it doesn’t look fresh any more. I think those were the only hats he brought with him.
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Interesting, but Nathaniel is a dapper dresser to begin with, so hats just complement the outfit even more.
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I can see the joy of having Nathaniel back on his grandma’s face.
God bless you and your time together.
Susie
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Thank you, Susie. He is a personable fellow, if I do say so myself. Our summer is off to a good start.
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I love your writings; I hope you publish one day.
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Thank you, Elizabeth. People are extremely kind in the blog world, but the publishing world is very different.
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Every 12 hours we have the tide rise, every visit you “the look back.” Glad to see the young man has not shirked his duties. Glad your back home safe. Nice to go away, always good to get back home. CT for us next week.
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The mirror ritual is a fixture now. That’s nice that you are going to CT. We’re home to stay for the summer, we think. Others are coming to us now. The grandsons’ mother will be with us for a couple of weeks. She’s sure to show up here on the blog.
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How did you celebrate the Fourth?
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OMG, one-and-a-half hours stuck in traffic!!! How exhausting, perplexing and just plain awful! Happy to be home, you were!
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There were immediate things to be thankful for. We were not involved in an accident, and the temperature was bearable. We each did what we wanted to do. John slept, and Nathaniel and I played games on our phones. The rising moon was an added bonus. Oh, we could also let David know why we were not home on time.
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Wonderful to see the silver lining like that!!
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Not bad for a pessimist, huh? Maybe I’m forwardly pessimistic and backwardly grateful.
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