We had a few days left with Clare after our return from Lake Gaston. They were generally delightful — being with Clare is almost always delightful.
For dinner one night Dean and Clare made a vegetarian version of pasta carbonara which was tasty.
Clare found delight in some scratch-off art cards I’d bought for the engagement party. One night she sketched ghosts of friends and family on them. They are delightful.
This afternoon we dropped Clare and Pete off at the train station for their journey west.
Since the pontoon boat went back yesterday we had some time on our hands. Clare’d expressed a desire to visit The Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum in the nearby town of Littleton, NC, so we went. It was interesting and the owner was very nice. We only saw two rooms, I think there has been more rooms open in the past, but it was something to do. I didn’t realize that Bigfoot was not limited to the PNW.
After the museum we went to a state park where Bigfoot had been sighted. We didn’t see Bigfoot.
On the way back to the cabin we stopped at an abandoned plantation that was more creepy than the museum.
Finally we got ready for Clare’s early birthday celebration, had cocktails, ate dinner and celebrated Clare.
Andrew, Alex and Bennett (Clare’s friend from high school) arrived Monday night. I stayed up just long enough to welcome them and show them their rooms.
Because each day was similar, I’m grouping the delights together.
The pontoon boat was possibly the highlight of the trip. I think Dean took the crew out twice a day most days (Rupert, Chum, and I went out with them on Thursday). The kayaks were also a big hit; he Airbnb had two and Dean brought his two. We also used the fire pit. It was delightful watching everyone have so much fun.
Fire Pit Night
Andrew built the fire and stands proudly over his creation
Andrew built the fire and stands proudly over his creation
I spent the day with Clare, some of which was delightful. Being with her is always delightful, but being with anyone while driving in Bethesda on a Saturday, then going to the mall (to go to an Apple store) on a Saturday is definitely not delightful. I know I was not a delightful companion for some of the day.
Dean, Clare and I had a mostly delightful dinner at Pines of Rome.
We picked Clare and Pete up at Dulles this afternoon. All is well with the world.
I calculated that it had been 745, 920 minutes since we last saw Clare and Seasons of Love became an earworm.
Apologies to Jonathan D Larson for the way I mangled his lyrics below.
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty minutes
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty so distant
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty minutes
How do you measure? Measure a year and a half?
In messages,
In phone calls,
In Insta-pics,
In cups of black tea,
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in tears.
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty minutes
How do you measure? A year and a half without her?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love...
Seasons of absence...
Seasons of love...
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty minutes
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty opportunities to reminisce
Seven hundred forty Five thousand nine hundred twenty minutes
How do you measure a life of a daughter you miss?
In truths that she learned
Or in times that I cried
In bridges she burned
Or how she took life in stride
Its time now to sing out though
The separation is about to suspend
Let's forget these eighteen months
The plane is soon to descend.
Remember the love...
(Oh you gotta remember the love)
Forget the distance...
(Oh yeah, its time for coexistence)
Remember the love...
(Sing out, give out, measure your life
In looooooove...!)
Seasons of absence...
Seasons of love...
Also Clare made a hollyhock (rose of Sharon) doll.
This morning I received my second shingles vaccination. While the side-effects were not delightful, the feeling of having all my old lady vaccinations done is.
I had a delightfully long (2 hour) phone call with Clare last night. Among other things, we discussed the CDC’s new mask guidelines and agreed that we thought it was wrong and too early. I, however, pointed out that the CDC is not a policymaking organization, but one that provides guidelines based on science. Clare reminded me that the CDC did make a judgment call back at the beginning of the pandemic when masks were in short supply and we were encouraged to not wear them so the hospitals and first responders had enough. She suggested that the CDC could have done the same this time by not posting the new guidelines that masks are unnecessary for fully vaccinated people. The CDC is not filled with stupid people and it has to have known that antivaxers might take advantage of the fact that it is impossible to know if someone is vaccinated or not by just looking at them.
In the end we agreed that everyone needs to be critical thinkers. And we’ll continue to wear masks for the time being.
When I'm Sixty-four 