We are in Rochester, in our apartment until October 13 – Here! The coach is in Covesville, VA, Malena and Dan’s yard – There! This is strange state of affairs for us. We have been separated from the coach only by international travel, for the most part in the past several years. We drove the Jeep through from Covesville to the apartment in a total of under nine hours stopping only for fuel, three times, and to eat our lunch which we had packed. The audio book, A Monstrous Regiment of Women: A Novel of Suspense by Laurie R. King, swept us along the highway so the time and miles passed almost unnoticed. This is the second novel in the series about Sherlock Holmes and his new, young assistant/partner Mary Russell. We started it in August and listened in bits and pieces as our road time permitted. This run was uninterrupted Interstate time and the spell did not end until we were making the turn into Pleasant St where the entrance to the parking lot is. We listened to the closing credits as we were shutting down the engine. Perfect timing.

Our time in Covesville was jam packed with farm life activities and celebrating Rosh HaShana. We did not get out to see people as we had hoped because we were busy spending wonderful time with Malena and Dan and especially with Alex and Corey. I had forgotten how to play Hearts in the interim since graduating from Brown, but I certainly have not lost my ability at Backgammon.  I refused to accept a challenge to play Scrabble, they play constantly and I fear I have lost my edge there too.

We have booked a whirlwind of activities for our time in Rochester including a day at Niagara-on-the-Lake to see two plays and stay the night in a B & B. That started because we have to go to Niagara Falls to complete the process of renewing Carol’s Nexus card which includes Trusted Traveler and Global Entry, both very important for our travel plans this December and January. So while we were already going to be in the Falls, it seemed just a short hop to N-O-T-L and a play or two and who wants to start a 90 minute plus drive back to Rochester after an 11 PM curtain.  We used to do such things, but . . .

Doctors, Dentists and friends and oh yes Book of Mormon another play will occupy us in the time not taken by Yom Kippur and the Goldberg Lecture in Neurology. Then back to Covesville on the wings of another audio book, to be selected.