Wednesday, March 27th to Sunday March 31st.

While I am outside getting some things out of the Rav, our son Steven pulls up in an orange Subaru. At first I thought nice color car rental, then I see that Ambers sister is driving and think, what is going on here? Turns out he was on standby last Saturday and never made it to DC. Flew into Philadelphia this morning and had rental car issues so Ambers sister drove up from DC and brought them here. Now we have to figure out how they are getting to New York tomorrow.

Uncle Steve

In the meantime, we are glad we get to see them and they get to see Natalie and his step brother and sister in law. We have a nice evening together and figure out that they can take a train from here to Penn Station and then to Long Island so all is good.
Thursday March 28th. Coordinating with my brother in New York, we settle on a one o’clock train from here and a connection which will arrive in Eastern Long Island at 4:30. We enjoy a leisurely morning and then I drive Steven and Amber to the train station and see them off. Carol makes Enchiladas for dinner and we hang out with Steve, Jen, and Natalie.
Friday, March 29th. Today, we relax in the morning and then run some errands in preparation for our Europe trip. After that we visit Carols mom for the afternoon and evening ordering a nice Italian take out meal. The hit is Spaghetti with blue claw lump crabmeat that Carol ordered. Another nice day with family.
Saturday March 30th.

Napping with Grandpa

We sleep in a little today. We are enjoying our time with the granddaughter. Jen has a baby shower to attend so after she leaves we take advantage of a 70 degree day and go for a walk with Steve, Natalie, and the grand dog, Ollie. Carol successfully plays frogger crossing the road pushing the baby stroller. We stop at a small neighborhood park where Ollie can play frisbee and Natalie gets her first ride down a slide.

Brewpubbing with Grandpa

Returning home, we decide to go check out the local brewpub. Natalie needs to experience the local brew or maybe just the atmosphere. Truth is that she slept the whole time we were there. It was nice to sit, taste some beers and chat with our son. This evening we go to Jens parents house for dinner. It is a great evening of food, conversation, laughter, and of course doting grandparents.
Sunday, March 31. We wake up and start to pack. We are driving to New York today to see my mom, brother, niece, and nephew. After spending some more time with our granddaughter, we break away at 1215. It is starting to rain lightly. We stop at the pretzel factory to buy some soft philly pretzels for my brother. The further north we travel, the faster the speed of the surrounding cars. The speed limit stays the same but people drive faster and ignore it more. We make good time to Staten Island and over the Verrazano Bridge but it was too good to last. We hit traffic on the belt parkway and the next twenty miles takes us almost an hour. It finally loosens up but the rain has gotten heavier so we travel at slower speeds for the rest of the journey. We arrive at my moms at 3:40 in the pouring rain. Mom looks good at 86 years young. We have dinner and talk. Another week and we will be leaving for Spain.