I stayed with my sister-in-law Christine the night of the funeral. We played some Hand, Knee & Foot in Jett’s honor. The next day I loaded up the truck with everything left in our storage unit and terminated that contract, then had some pizza with my lovely granddaughter Liliani. Sister-in-law Kim took off her minister hat and put on her chef hat, serving me yet another wonderful dinner. The next morning I departed, starting the long (and pretty lonely) trip home.
I took the “southern route” (I-95 rather than I-84) through New York City and regretted doing so. I encountered no fewer than 4 delays due to accidents. I didn’t get to Alexandria until nearly 8pm. But I was served another wonderful dinner (spaghetti and sausage) when I got there. Rusty was happy to see me, more or less.
The next day, Monday, Rusty and I drove to Knoxville TN where I stayed 2 nights with an old college friend. Another home-cooked meal (see a pattern?). Wednesday I drove to Chattanooga, mostly in a driving rain (tropical storm Zeta). I had wanted to get to Atlanta, but it just wasn’t worth it. I got a room in Chattanooga at LqQuinta (*very* nice – I will have to look for LaQuinta the next time I need a hotel). The storm had passed by morning so I decided to push through to Fort Myers. 10 hours with one refueling stop (and to walk Rusty). Got home at dusk Thursday night.