We're home. We've been here since about 6:30.

It was a long day. We didn't get up until eight, but neither of us slept well. The bed was much too soft. Otherwise the room was nicely quiet and dark. We were right next to the elevator, but heard nothing. It was an okay place. The shower was rather wimpy and it was just a regular television, not a flat screen.

Breakfast wasn't bad. They had both sausage and bacon with the eggs, packet oatmeal, five different cereals in individual containers, coffee and tea and hot chocolate, some fruit yogurts, make-it-yourself waffles, only white bread for toast along with biscuits and bagels—but there was toast-your-own French toast as well. Perfectly serviceable.

There was a WalMart nearby with really cheap gasoline, so we topped off there and then returned to our journey. Although we were further south than yesterday, here the trees were all bare; it must have been the elevation. We didn't get back to autumn leaves until we reached North Carolina. How bright the yellows are this year, both here and up in Pennsylvania. I tried to get a photo of some of the yellow trees yesterday and failed miserably. They are like molten saffron.

We had traveled about an hour before turning south on I-77. This was a different route than we had come north, since we left from home, but were coming back via the vet's office. This route climbs gently through one edge of Virginia and the "top" of North Carolina through a place called Fancy Gap, and we made a "pit stop" at a gas station we had found previously, at the top of a hill overlooking a valley. You come on the valley a mile or so before the gas station, making a curve to the right and having the whole valley—farms, country houses, little groves of trees, horse, cattle, miniature people in miniature vehicles—spread out below you to the left. I bet it's gorgeous when the trees are at peak.

An unremarkable trip down to Charlotte, except that it became sunny and quite warm, up to the mid-70s. We stopped for lunch about 1:30 in Gaffney [South Carolina], home of the giant peach water tower, at Cracker Barrel. The place is next to an outlet mall and was mildly mobbed, but we only had a 20-minute wait, and lunch was delicious: the tenderest of pork roasts in an apple glaze. I had mine with carrots and applesauce.

The only other place we stopped was the Russell Stover Outlet Store in Anderson, SC, for James to stock up on sugarless candies. The supply of hard candy was very sparse.

We were making good time until we were a half hour out of Atlanta. The sun began to set and was in everyone's eyes. Since, as I've noticed in years of returning from work at this time, apparently half the population of Atlanta has no idea what sun visors are for, instead of prudently and understandably slowing down, they come to nearly a dead stop and inch along at about ten miles an hour. Grr.

We made it to the vet's office just about dark. The technician brought Schuyler out first and she took one look at me, gave a happy chirp, and jumped up to the bars of the cage to greet me. I remember how Sylvester used to snub me for a day or two after I left him to board, so this was quite happy for me, too. She came right up to the bars and kissed me. As I was talking to her, I heard this panting that sounded like a miniature steam engine. I said, "I can hear you, Willow!" and the tech loosed her and she skidded up to me, sniffed my leg while still moving, and then bounded past me with a happy "Daddydaddydaddydaddy!" romp straight to James.

We stopped for a paper on the way home, but then were otherwise in for the rest of the night (despite the fact that I have no milk). The big suitcase, which was now full of dirty clothes, was left downstairs and I started one load of laundry before even coming upstairs. The laundry basket in the bedroom is full for another load! All the toiletries were put away, and some of the books. I had some soup for supper, and James had chili and taquitoes, and Schuyler sat with me to watch teevee and Willow vacillated between James, her dog bed, and her crate. We watched both This Old House episodes we missed, Colour Confidential, and "Mr. Monk Goes Camping."

And boy, am I sleepy...good thing we both have tomorrow off. We have an "appointment" at Costco and at Kroger.

Labels: pets, television, travel

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:03:00 PM

Comments:

I fell in love with Cracker Barrel when Lauren and I ate at one just outside of Albany after she picked me up from the train. I had delicious lemon-grilled trout; she had a huge pineapple pecan salad.

And it sounds like you had a joyful reunion with your babies! I'm sure you're glad to see them...and they missed you! :D

# posted by  Emma : 8:59:00 PM

 

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