THE WATER IS WIDE

As we wait for the job to start, the new house to close and the furniture to come, there’s not a whole lot to do. Some days I fret and Paul calms me down and says that it’s all working out fine and everything will get done. So it seemed like the best thing to do was start regarding this time as a prolonged and unexpected vacation. At the end of last week we set off for the beach.

First we had to drive to Manassas to get our car which had finally arrived at the last possible moment of our contract with Autolog. We searched for the wrecker service where they said we would find the car … not exactly reassuring. It was thankfully in one piece and we drove to a motel to spend the night and wait until dawn on Saturday for our journey east across the Chesapeake and eventually to the Delaware coast. Eventually. We had no preparation for this traffic. We’ve seen Cape Cod and LA and nothing compares with the traffic across the Bay Bridge at Annapolis on the first Saturday of August, and then the bumper to bumper crawl through MD to DE and over to Rehoboth Beach. It took us 5 ½ hours. Meanwhile, about an hour into this trek, we both have to find a bathroom. Nothing tells you that you’re 62 like the sudden, desperate urge to pee that seems to come out of nowhere with a relentlessness you never experienced in your youth. Think of all the nights at Newport clubs when you could stand in line after a few beers and chat while everyone took their turn. Not any more. We finally pulled off the road at a big gas station/convenience store and joyfully burst through the door only to find a line of about fifteen travelers waiting for the one unisex toilet. There was nothing to do but head for the small cluster of trees at the back of the parking lot. Paul got there first and disappeared. Needing more cover, I headed behind an abandoned 18-wheeler but could see nearby traffic too clearly. I finally found relief as I tucked into a large shrub near the rear of the building and crouched into position. I could see a family of five get our of their SUV and look in my direction and I didn’t care. Something about being a nurse… I’ve seen it all, now you can too if you care to! Relief! We headed back to the car from our separate undisclosed locations and joined Daisy who was sitting up in the drivers seat and wondered what the big deal was with peeing outside.

After 2 ½ more hours in heinous traffic, we got to our little inn at the beach and began to truly relax. Mid-afternoon, we headed down with Daisy only to find a “no dogs allowed on the beach” sign. We knew taking turns wouldn’t be a lot of fun and then remembered her airplane carrier. Paul packed her in, threw a shirt over the carrier and we were good to go. For the next three days, we visited the beach with our small “package”. On the last afternoon, I saw a lifeguard looking curiously in Paul’s direction as he continuously talked and offered treats to the package, patting it and checking its little zippers. Nevertheless, it all worked. We even had a chance to go in the water together, jumping with the waves and laughing as we had in those Buttonwoods summers so many years ago.

Today we are heading back to my sister Pat’s. Papers are coming from Tucson, homeowners insurance is being arranged in West Virginia. We are refreshed and ready for the next big thing.