So, home again.

First load of laundry is washed, dried, and put away.

Second load of laundry is in the drier.

Chappy has also been washed and dried–he needed a bath so badly! That slightly fishy smell from romping in the lagoon yesterday….

Food for Chappy is cooked and in the refrigerator so that he can get back to his regular diet ASAP.

My car is nicely tucked into the garage for the weekend since Dad is in Dallas until Monday. This was particularly helpful since it meant we could unload the car inside instead of out in the rain.

Everything is unpacked and put away, and the new things (a couple books, a Black Dog shirt, some jewelry) been found homes. Chappy’s glad to have his doggie-door again, and his first stop when he got to the house was to check his water dish.

I sorted quickly through my mail–have my bank statement to deal with, and my Whole Dog Journal to read, a couple odds and ends, but the best part? Look, my Trekking yarn is here! (Along with two skeins of Koigu because, well . . . do I need a reason?)

Did I mention the rain? Lots and lots of rain, as in for a while we were driving at about 35 mph on the highway because it was pouring so hard and visibility was so bad. And it took closer to six hours than five to get home.

And that was after a slightly late start–we got up and had the car loaded and on its way by 7:15. We went into Edgartown to pick up breakfast, then back to Vineyard Haven to catch the ferry. Our tickets were for the 8:30, and we arrived in good time, at 8:00 . . . but we ended up on the service boat, Govenor, which left at 8:45 instead. It seems that the Steamship Authority only had one slip working at the dock and so could only handle one boat at a time, and were running late. But, really, what’s 15 minutes, right? We got to Woods Hole at 9:30, fed the car, and were on our way at 9:45.

But then, yeah, rain. It was raining before we even got to Rt. 25. And poured for most of the rest of Massachusetts. And through most of Rhode Island. It paused for a while in Connecticut (the longest portion of the drive), and we were able to stop in Mystic for the bathroom and to grab a quick lunch, but it was raining again when we left. And while the sun came out for a little bit of a tease, it rained again for the western end of Connecticut, and for New York and the Tappan Zee Bridge, and it poured for the last few miles of the drive in New Jersey before we got home. I ended up doing all the driving, which was fine since Mom was tired, and we listened to three chapters of Harry Potter.

Speaking of our trip book, we still have about half the book to go, but that’s okay. All our favorite tv shows have ended for the season, and reading will give us something to do in the evenings (grin).

And now, I’m tired. I cooked dinner for Mom and me. Okay, it was just pasta, but still. I cooked! I’d almost forgotten how nice it is to eat off of porcelain with real silverware. We clocked almost 800 miles since Sunday–which for me is huge–and my car passed 30,000. This is a number at which my Dad and sister will scoff since my car is 4.5 years old, but hey, a milestone is a milestone, right? But, anyway, I’m tired. I want to go take my shower and then make the first cup of tea I’ll have had since Saturday.

Tomorrow morning, I’m going to Montclair to Wendy‘s book-signing. Exciting, huh? (Come on, admit it!) At least it will be a relatively short drive…. I’m looking forward to it, tired or not!

Tags: Family, Martha's Vineyard // 7 Comments »