I had almost forgotten to check in
with Uncle Bob about our being in the area and was so excited when a plan to
connect came together. We left from Ann
and Trav’s house early knowing that our Philly destination would be a long day. Little did we know! As was our routine, we planned on stopping
midway to stretch our legs and I started looking for a hike along the way. Enjoying the changing colors as we drove, the
distance passed quickly.
I chose a hike just off the
highway and we turned in to realize there was no parking for us. In making the about face, Rob missed my
frantic antics and yelling and took off the bumper (and made some adjustments
to the quarter panel …) of another car!!!
Oh my. We dealt with that and
headed back out.
Somehow, the day got longer
quickly. The next hike – and the next –
were more no-goes. Now with three missed
attempts (one with a special memory) and the hour getting later, we were both
getting irritable and frankly, sick of being on the road. We pulled off the road to grab some lunch and
found a better hike than we suspected along with a nice spot to enjoy a lunch
outside.
Now later than we had hoped, traffic
was picking up and the roads were getting smaller. We finally made it to just outside our
destination and called Bob to get us in the final leg. Bob lives on my cousin Mary’s property which
sits on a beautiful riverfront. The
tricky part was the low arched rock bridge in our way! Bob and cousin Julie showed up to escort us –
DOWN THE BIKE PATH!!!
After some convincing a by then
very irritable Rob, we did in fact drive our monster on a bike path and down to
the property – much to the chagrin of several bikers on the path! We
were both instantly thankful we hadn’t given up! We were set up in the yard in minutes in a
wonderfully scenic and peaceful location.
It was so fun to reconnect with
Bob, Mary and Julie and Rob and Mary’s husband, Tom, got along instantly! It wasn’t long before beers were open and the
grill was lit. Mary’s daughters made
appearances and we spent the night eating, drinking and catching up on the 15
years since we last saw each other!
The next morning, Mary, Tom and
Bob joined us for coffee in the rig. Tom
and Mary are talking about trying the RV adventure and that added plenty to
talk about! Mary headed off to work and
the guys moved up to the deck as the morning disappeared. Before long, it was time for us to get on the
road – OR NOT! We opted for taking
everyone out for lunch!
With the rest of the day at our
disposal, we all got our own “stuff” handled before Mary made it home and I
made dinner for us all. We enjoyed
another great meal together before heading to the lower deck and the projection
TV for the Eagles vs Packers game – quite the faceoff considering we were in
Philly but hailed from Wisconsin!
Mary didn’t have to work the next
day and we had a leisurely morning with conversation still at a fevered
pitch. We still hadn’t come close to
catching all the way up! It was
particularly special for me to be with Bob.
Bob has a lot of similar traits as my father who has been gone for 18
years now and also is strikingly like his late father who remained a witty
character until his last days at 99 years old! 
Being that we weren’t in a hurry
to get on the road, Tom treated us to a river tour on their pontoon boat. We piled in and wandered the waterway for an
hour soaking up the sunshine and enjoying being together. Needing to get on the road, we shared a lunch
of leftovers while making promises to be in touch before another 15 years
passed! And as quick as it came
together, we were back on the bike path feeling much richer for the special time we had and headed for points toward home.
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