I left my house at 6:55 pm. I was aiming for 4:00, but missed. Note to self—keep the day before a trip sacred. Do not let favorite clients (friends) talk you into helping them, for that day needs to be spent doing laundry and packing and getting the car ready. I have a weak self protection mechanism, it seems.

The good thing about leaving later is that the traffic of the weekenders going west is lighter. The Cross Bronx Expressway is still a bear, no matter what time of day or day of the week. You’re just lucky if you don’t find a clog. This wasn’t too bad. By then I was listening to the Mets v Dodgers game, and I think the Mets had the bases loaded when I went under the apartments and the signal cut out. Even with Sirius radio. I was hoping to come out from under them to raucous cheers of a grand slam, but alas. My theory is that the Mets lost on purpose because it would’ve been so much more interesting to play the Guardians, who lost the day before, than the Yankees. Don’t write me, Yankee fans (I predict a Yankee win)! My mom is a Guardians fanatic, and it would’ve been fun to listen to a Mets/Guards World Series while we drove, the loser of each game buying the winner a drink, in whatever town we were in.

I landed in a hotel near Hazleton, PA. In the morning I had a free breakfast and set out across western PA. The autumn colors are beautiful. I’m not sure if they are coming to peak or just past. I like PA’s hills and farms, the quiet vistas belying the hoopla of the candidates vying for votes. In my youth I had spent a few years in the City, without paying attention to the fall colors. When I did finally drive across Pennsylvania at peak color it was confusing. It didnt make sense. The leaves were orange! Not green. Or red! Or yellow. Not green. It was fun to have gotten beyond the rote experience to a perceptual surprise. It took hours (and PA is that long) to get over the strangeness of the colors.

In Ohio I stopped to see old friends of my late husband. He’d known them since his 20’s, and I’ve known them since my 20’s. I’m glad they are still my friends. Suzanne was always an inspiration to me, living as she wanted. She began lifting weights competitively and held several records for the over-50 age group. She deadlifted 440 lbs! She can still be seen doing it on YouTube. She is still an inspiration after she incurred nerve damage from a fall, in how she deals with physical limitations and frailty. Life can turn in a second! Her husband, Spa, is a good natured giant, patient, and loves to rebuild motorcycles and other things when he is not taking care of her. They are one of my favorite couples. I wish I could see them more often.

I made it to mom’s house, 20 minutes away from my friends. She welcomed me and began cooking meatloaf and waffle fries and coleslaw. Yum! We watched Oceans’ 11, in preparation for our stay in Las Vegas later, ha. I had to bow out early as I was exhausted. We are both normally night owls. Tomorrow holds some medical checkups, errands, and visiting people we haven’t seen in a while. Good night.