14 vii 06: Homecoming
10:15 Dad picked me up at the Philadelphia Airport. I had arranged with Suzy that I would meet her and Willow at Central Park, since Willow's summer camp was ending, and the participants and their families were having a picnic near the Garden of the Five Senses and the swimming pool. I arrived at Lancaster County Central Park at about 12:30 after stopping at Arby's on 322 -- Dad had two sandwiches, a coffee, an iced tea, and french fries, used the rest room twice, and smoked a cigar -- 10:30-11:00, while Karl and I waited -- then in towards Lancaster on US 30 rather than PA 741, which was the route I suggested. We sat unmoving in traffic on US 30. Then Dad asked if I didn't want to leave my backpack in the trunk of his car to pick up later -- no!
As we were approaching the Park, Suzy called and asked if I could be dropped off at the truck, and bring from it the cake for the party. Keep in mind, now, that I have been awake since about 6 a.m. on the 13th -- albeit that would be 9 a.m. Eastern time, or, to reverse the equation, it was, for me, now about 9:30; I had been awake for almost 28 hours. I suppose I may have dozed briefly on the plane.
When I arrived at the picnic, somewhat dazed, having wandered about to several locations in the park before finding the campers, Suzy waved to me, but did not get up from her seat. It was blazing hot and humid, and the food which remained consisted of hamburgers, hotdogs, potato chips cooked in lard... a vegetarian's paradise. We spent much of the afternoon in the park, at the swimming pool. I slept fitfully, stretched out on a beach towel.
We arrived home around 4 p.m., ate dinner (pasta & red sauce, canned green beans) with Max Armstrong. Suzy went out for the evening, to Adams County to see the band Copper Sky (a band from Lancaster). She returned at 3:15 a.m.
The house had been extensively straightened in my absence by Suzy, Willow, Max, and Max's wife Jen. They had not necessarily vacuumed, and materials cleared from the house had been piled haphazardly in the garage attic and barn.
Max had installed new flooring in the bathroom and the upstairs hall; the front door's base had been planed, so that it would not scratch the new flooring there; the lower section of the garage had been totally cleaned; the garage attic had been reorganized; much of the material from the garage had been moved to the barn... Willow's room and our room were neat, the living room, and the kitchen, too!
My pocket journal notes, on the last page facing the record of my trip to Canada: LOVELY HOMECOMING PRESENT!
A further note on the next page reads: "14 Friday -- On 13th Suzy had melted candles in oven; one spilled -- on 14th she made cake -- oven caught on fire, kitchen full of smoke; simultaneously ceiling collapsed because [of] new[ly installed] sink leaking in bathroom [and] of course all this needed to be cleaned up [before I arrived from the airport.]
As we were approaching the Park, Suzy called and asked if I could be dropped off at the truck, and bring from it the cake for the party. Keep in mind, now, that I have been awake since about 6 a.m. on the 13th -- albeit that would be 9 a.m. Eastern time, or, to reverse the equation, it was, for me, now about 9:30; I had been awake for almost 28 hours. I suppose I may have dozed briefly on the plane.
When I arrived at the picnic, somewhat dazed, having wandered about to several locations in the park before finding the campers, Suzy waved to me, but did not get up from her seat. It was blazing hot and humid, and the food which remained consisted of hamburgers, hotdogs, potato chips cooked in lard... a vegetarian's paradise. We spent much of the afternoon in the park, at the swimming pool. I slept fitfully, stretched out on a beach towel.
We arrived home around 4 p.m., ate dinner (pasta & red sauce, canned green beans) with Max Armstrong. Suzy went out for the evening, to Adams County to see the band Copper Sky (a band from Lancaster). She returned at 3:15 a.m.
The house had been extensively straightened in my absence by Suzy, Willow, Max, and Max's wife Jen. They had not necessarily vacuumed, and materials cleared from the house had been piled haphazardly in the garage attic and barn.
Max had installed new flooring in the bathroom and the upstairs hall; the front door's base had been planed, so that it would not scratch the new flooring there; the lower section of the garage had been totally cleaned; the garage attic had been reorganized; much of the material from the garage had been moved to the barn... Willow's room and our room were neat, the living room, and the kitchen, too!
My pocket journal notes, on the last page facing the record of my trip to Canada: LOVELY HOMECOMING PRESENT!
A further note on the next page reads: "14 Friday -- On 13th Suzy had melted candles in oven; one spilled -- on 14th she made cake -- oven caught on fire, kitchen full of smoke; simultaneously ceiling collapsed because [of] new[ly installed] sink leaking in bathroom [and] of course all this needed to be cleaned up [before I arrived from the airport.]
posted by M E Achtermann at 3:22 am
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