Home Again

No, I don't mean the fact that I'm back in Tucson, although I am. The title refers to how I felt being back in Washington for the weekend.

I took the Thursday midnight JetBlue redeye, arriving in Dulles around noon on Friday. I quickly got my rental car and pointed the nose toward the Washington Monument. Tyler and I communicated repeatedly by phone, coordinating our parking efforts. We ended up parking a block apart at the same time. I made my way up 12th Street and over to where they were on L'Enfant Plaza. As I was walking down the street to meet them, Boston and Riah saw me in the distance and started racing toward me, throwing their arms around me. Ah, the wonder of being a grandmother to these little beauties.

We made our way to National Air & Space Museum, where we had lunch and then explored. After three wonderful hours together, including a ride on the carousel on the Mall, we parted company. They headed back to Youngstown and I headed into my D.C. weekend.

I drove to Arlington National Cemetery, where I was saddened to see the number of new graves since my last visit in November. Then I made by way to Ballston for a drink and a bead exchange with my singing and beading and Europe-traveling friend Risa. After 90 minutes of catching up, I went down to Queen Street in Arlington to Polly's house.

Polly's husband, Brian, was still in Florida being Mr. Fixit for her mother, so we had the weekend to ourselves to catch up as we hadn't done in at least 30 years. We sat on the patio and listened to the crickets and sipped and talked into the night. On Saturday morning we got up and Metro'd into Dupont Circle to visit the American Impressionists exhibit at the Philips Collection. How fun to see the "Luncheon of the Boating Party" in person.

After getting our art fix, we went to Circa for lunch. After a quick visit to Beadazzled so I could see their new store, we headed back to the Pentagon and home to relax for the afternoon.

In the evening, I met my brother- and sister-in-law at my beloved Cashion's Eat Place for dinner. My drive over there included a run by my old Irving Street house and John's old Argonne Place house. How fun to see these beloved homes again. When I arrived at Cashion's, Johnny Fulchino, the co-owner, was sitting at a table on the sidewalk and welcomed me with open arms and great hugs. He told me he had sold the restaurant three days earlier to the man who had been their sous chef for twelve years. If I hadn't been in D.C. and at Cashion's this weekend, I wouldn't have known this. Don and Lee and I lingered over dinner for four hours, and later were joined by Don's cousin and her husband who had just driven in from New York. It was a wonderful reminiscence-filled evening.

Sunday I got up and visited with Polly a little more, packed, and headed for Knollwood for the party. John's daughter and son-in-law and namesake younger grandson, Ross, were there, along with Don and Lee's son Geoff, his wife and their beautiful four-year-old granddaughter, Megan. My mother-in-law has deteriorated greatly since I last saw her in November. She has severe macular degeneration and can hardly see. Her hearing is very poor, and she is confined to a wheelchair. But her brain is still in good condition, especially when you consider she's 100 years old. A lovely party and a tribute to a woman who has done a lot of good for a lot of people in her life.

And then I was in the car heading for Dulles and the long flight home.

I was so very glad I had gone, and had a wonderful weekend.

Oh, how I love Washington, DC.