PEKABU 3 Cruising: Road Trip North

Not a great photo, but all those dark "dashes" on the horizon
are really 29 freight and container ships at anchor
on the Lower Chesapeake in Port Charles, VA

Thursday, 4/5 - On the road again! We left about 6:30 am for about a 12-hour drive ahead of us. Thankfully, traffic was light we arrived at Mom’s, in Delaware, around 6:30 pm.

She had informed the staff of our arrival, so it was no problem getting access to her apartment. We needed to leave Bailey in the apartment while we visited. She is currently in the Health Center and improving daily. During our visit we made plans for tomorrow.

A Google Driver-less Car
at the Rt.273 and Rt. 1 north exit

Friday, 4/6 – While Pete was working, I did her laundry and straightened the apartment. Then I took Mom to the hairdresser, who is on site. Afterwards, we returned to her apartment and had lunch with Pete. Our visit continued until about 4, when it was time to head up to Chris and Kel’s.

Our week in PA, 4/6 – 4/15 - When we arrived, Chris and Rubble, their new 14-month old puppy, came out to meet us and Bailey. Rubble is built like a tank and must weight about 90 pounds, but he is gentle and and loves to snuggle. We just had to keep Bailey and Rubble’s play limited as he had surgery on his rear leg, which is healing beautifully, but has some more to go.

Riley and PopPop

We haven’t seen them since Christmas. Even in 4 months, we can see how they have grown. Hadi, at 5, is a “lean machine” with a mind that is always engaged, while Riley, at 22 months, is curious, and loves being (interfering) with her big sister. Unlike Hadi, Riley is fearless and gives everyone a run for their money. Needless to say, these girls hold a special place in our hearts.

The purpose of our visit is to watch the kids and dog while Chris and Kel take a long overdue vacation. Last summer, they spent a week in Duck, NC; 5 couples and 9 kids. With 7 kids under 6, and 4 of them about 18 months old, there was little relaxation or sleep. Hence, they and another couple arranged for a week in the Caribbean… without kids!

Hadi

Saturday, we spent with the girls while their parents got things ready. After dinner, Chris and Kel gave them their baths and put them down for the night, then bid us farewell. They had a hotel room by the airport so it will be much easier to make the early flight in the morning.

Kel’s mom took the girls Sunday through Tuesday. I had planned to update the blog and organize/clean/discard some of the stuff we have at the house. Unfortunately, I dealt with a reoccurring migraine that zapped my energy for most of the week. So, Pete got us hooked on the Netflix series, Stranger Things. We proceeded to watch both seasons (20 1-hour episodes) over two days. We have never binged watched like that before, but it was worth it. What a great program! It deserves the accolades it has been receiving.

8 bucket trucks lined up and all
extending their buckets in an
almost synchronized move!

Majestic tree and pump house in a meadow
along the back roads of PA

During the week, Pete worked. We had also scheduled a couple of appointments while the girls were in daycare. I saw my G.P., while Bailey saw the specialist up at UPenn. She still has the sores on her ears and other lesions. The doctor believes it is vasculitis. We are now on another type of medicine with a possible biopsy in the future. Pete was supposed to see the orthopedist on Friday. We arrived to find only the receptionist in the office. Somehow, they scheduled the appointment for the wrong month and we were a “no show” for the March 13^th appointment. When the appointment was made, Pete informed them that we were traveling and would only be here for this specific week in April. This definitely delays plans for Pete’s knee replacement surgery, but more importantly, he didn’t get the torn meniscus examined and possible treated in the near future on the other knee. Bummer!!! I was able to visit with Carolyn, spending lunch and a couple of hours catching up and enjoying the friendship while Pete and George arranged for a business lunch.

Nana getting an earful from
her great granddaughters

We kept the kids out of daycare one day so that we could take them to see their Nana. Needless to say, Mom was delighted to spend a few hours with them. She continues to improve and, hopefully, will return to her apartment in a week or so. Fingers crossed!

Chiilin' in front of the TV

We had a great routine getting the kids ready in the morning for school, dealing with meals, and bedtime schedules. Kel and Chris faced-timed with the girls each night; technology at its best! We really enjoyed our time with the girls, and our quiet time, too!

Swing time: round-n-round
and up-n-down!

Chris and Kel returned late Saturday, exhausted, relaxed and couldn’t wait to hug the girls.

Once everyone was up on Sunday, we gave our goodbye hugs and headed back to Brunswick. The drive wasn’t bad, but a very strong cold front came though with its wind and heavy rain. There were a couple of downpours, where we hoped for an exit ramp so we could get off and wait for the storm to pass. 3 times the rains lessened before we got to the ramps or rest stops. 12 hours after leaving Pennsylvania, we pulled into Brunswick Landing Marina. The rains had passed, and the sky was beginning to clear.