We Left the Beach and Beat a Hasty Retreat to the Warmth of Home!

Ah, all my attempts to avoid chatting about the weather shall never be successful. North, south, east or west, it defines the days of our lives. Soooooo, when we heard about a rare southern snow 'n' ice storm heading towards our vacation mecca, we bumped our departure from what would have been today to Thursday morning. Fortunately for us, we stayed ahead of the snow during our two-day journey home.

We battled typical Washington traffic for a couple hours. Would it be a violation of our civil liberties to enforce car-pooling? We'd have been longer in the snarl, had we not been multiples in the car and able to use the HOV lane. Next to us were two lanes of traffic barely moving. It's not rocket science to figure out that convenience has won over sensibility. No one wants to hook up, I guess. Finally, we landed on Thursday evening at a favorite stop, the Hampton Inn in Frederick, Maryland. Funny thing about that place - they have a thirty-pound weight limit for pets. Hmmm. Mambo's head alone probably weighs in at nearly that. Sweet receptionists simply pretend they don't see us walking in. Thank G-d, 'cause they have the most comfortable bedding and a terrific restaurant from which to order. Very early the next morning, after listening to frightening forecasts by pervertedly excited media personnel, we headed out.

The ride was lightened and brightened by Gavin's FaceTiming us. What fun! He gave a mini-concert, playing the latest tunes on his trumpet and all he'd learned on his ukulele. Ask me how excited I am about THAT!! Seems Santa hit a winner with those instruments, 'cause Dawn had messaged us a vid of Hunter working out a uke song, as well. Then, in came Bri's e-mail that there is now a small ukelele (the variant spelling of ukulele that I seem to prefer) band formed in Gav's school of which he is a part. We've a concert on Wednesday morning… yippee!! More on Gav tomorrow, his eleventh birthday. We'll address smooches at that time. :-)

It was great to get home. Sure, it's always sad to leave the gorgeous beach behind. But even with the lake iced over, there is simply no place like home, with its own special brand of warmth. And in case you're watching the news and wondering - the big storm is somewhat missing us and delivering just high winds with some blowing snow, but no accumulation.

We've memories intact… gorgeous warm days combined with chilly, windy ones and a couple of rainstorms. We just take what we get and give thanks.

Here's to Sunshine 'n' Shadows 'n' Surviving the Life