There and Back Again in 33 Hours

Yesterday Buggy and I headed south so that I could attend the wedding of an old friend in Arlington, Virginia. My dear friend Sam, who lives in nearby Falls Church, graciously volunteered to watch Olive for me while I attended the ceremony (being that I didn't know anyone else there and went without a plus one, the ceremony alone sufficed). It's always great to see Sam, her husband Howard, and their precious little egg of a son, Grant. Howard's mother, Carolyn, was visiting from North Carolina, and they gave Olive the stuffed tapir Carolyn had given Grant, but he'd shown no interest and Olive had. He is a very welcome addition to our family for sure.

We arrived at my parents' house early enough to let Olive visit with Mimi and Pop Pop for a while before she went to bed. She delights in the wonders of their home - particularly a duo of elves at an antique toy piano that my mom made some years ago. It's pretty magical, actually, even to an adult, so I can only imagine the fascination it evokes in someone her age. On this visit, however, she seemed more perturbed at the elf sitting on the bench (the other one is posed in song perched atop the piano itself) with his hands crowding the keyboard. Being the avid pianist she is, she didn't take kindly to him not leaving enough room for her hands. We worry that she'll cause some harm one of these days so my mom will have to remember to stash these two away the next time we come to call.

Another source of immense pleasure for my gal was Jo, my brother Taylor's cat. She took to calling out the name, "Kitty", while we were there. She was also greatly amused by the double staircases, the climbing of which was facilitated by handy banisters and carpeting. That girl is quite fond of her silly grandparents, too; we're going to have to make an effort to get down to visit them more often.

My folks had to leave for work the next morning before we awoke, but we were able to get in some more time with Tay, Kitty, and her great-grandparents who live downstairs. And then Ben, or course. No Maryland visit is complete without seeing our beloved buddy, whom met for breakfast at Café Nola in downtown Frederick where Ben and I met for tea - our first outing together - over three years ago. The two of them have a pretty special relationship and it's sweet to see each of them light up when the other is around. After breakfast it was back on the road to Pittsburgh, the bright mid-Autumn sun beaming down all the way home.

It's blurry, but this is one of my favorite shots.

When I'm in Frederick I like to drive past Gi-Gi's house. Alice doesn't live here anymore, as they say, but to me she always will.