We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, partly because I misread the time of my flight (no doubt because the BOARDING time was in huge numbers...) There was no wait to check our bags curbside, and the security line inside moved right along, so Marilyn and I had lots of time for her to download more books onto my iPad.  I've definitely got lots of reading material now, more than enough to keep me busy for some time.

My flight was uneventful, my baggage made the same trip (always a plus), and I didn't have to wait too long to catch the shuttle. Of course at that time of day there was lots of rush hour traffic, and living so far north of the city I was the last passenger to be delivered to my destination (one guy was from NY and was in just for the Diamondback/Yankee game tonight, and another guy was an engineer from Japan here on business), but it was relatively painless getting home.

Alex also flew home today (he said the BBQ festival was amazing, and he had "the best BBQ ever"), and then took Aja for some "semi-emergency" dental surgery: 3 root canals! They picked up dinner for the three of us on their way home - and she actually ate some!  It was rather warm in the house when I got home (the sun has been shining here, unlike where I've been for the past two weeks) and I'd opened up the house upon my arrival, but it was still pretty warm. Alex 'suggested' I turn on the A/C so it's much more comfortable in here now.  (It sure was cold when we left for the airport at 11 this morning, only in the 50s, so I'm not complaining about a little warmth!)

Not much on my agenda for the rest of the evening.  I did water the plants out front (which looked pretty good, thanks to attention from Joy, Patti, and Colleen) while I waited for dinner to arrive, and now I'm just going to relax on the couch and watch a little TV until I crash.  While it's only 7:00 here, it's 10:00 as far as my body is concerned, so I don't expect to make it too far into the evening.  

Tomorrow I need to vote, and also have the gym at 10:30, but then should be able to load my pix and start getting them resized, cropped, and rotated for posting.

Even though we don't have to leave for the airport until after 11:00 this morning I woke up quite early - even after staying up past my usual bedtime last night trying to finish the movie "Concussion". Of course we didn't start watching until after 9:00; we'd had another late nibble dinner (though neither Marilyn nor I felt hungry) since our wonderful hosts felt it would be 'bad form' not to provide evening sustenance. <g> 

Andy and Sandy bailed early once they finished exercising (after all Andy does have to work today) and Marilyn fell asleep in the recliner shortly after the movie started) so incredibly (!) I was the last one to crash... which I'm reasonably certain is a first!

So here it is only 8:00 and I'm showered and packed and ready for the long schlep home.  Next time I post should be from Arizona, when I may even have vacation pix to spruce up my entries!

Today was the family gathering at Riderwood for brunch.  We were 15, and filled the private dining room. I know I certainly ate well  (bagel with lox and cream cheese, mushroom and cheese omelette, salad, fruit, and cookies&cream cheesecake for dessert) and was certainly not the only one.  Mom can rest well tonight, knowing that we "got her money's worth" today.  Sure was great to spend time with everyone today (which was also Rachelle's birthday) and I'm happy to report that Uncle Allen seems to be holding up well; tonight marks one week since Helen died. Afterward we all waddled <g> up to Mom's apartment and continued the party up there.  

It's been a great vacation with family, and (especially after the past couple of days with the various large family gatherings) it's bound to feel really quiet when I arrive back home tomorrow.  On the plus side, I will be able to load the pix from my camera and share some of them on my blog. :)

It was a wonderful family gathering this afternoon, and the nine of us enjoyed telling stories as we feasted yet again. Bert was his usual entertaining self; maybe you heard us laughing? While everyone was together it seemed like a good time to give Andy his birthday present, which he (and everyone else) seemed to like. Once I get home I'll be able to post pix of his new elephant quilt.

The sun, which had appeared briefly this morning, disappeared when yet another storm front rolled in this afternoon.  Not only did the rain pour down, but it got really nippy.  So much for sitting out on the deck. We checked the weather forecast, and not only is tomorrow going to be another chilly day but I'm pretty sure I heard that the low is predicted to get down to about 40.  That's winter weather!

We had originally thought about trying to do crabs for dinner tonight, but after our large lunch no one was really hungry. In fact it wasn't until about 8:30 when I thought it might be nice to have a little something to eat that we decided to nibble on some of the leftovers from lunch.

And tomorrow is another feast, the Sunday brunch at Riderwood, though with a different contingent of family. Since there will be 15 of us Mom has reserved the private dining room.  So far my jeans still seem to fit just fine, though it really does seem that I've done nothing but eat, eat, eat for two weeks.  It's nice being spoiled like this, and I am definitely not looking forward to returning to my own cooking.

It's been a relaxing morning sitting around chatting with Andy and Marilyn, and now I have lots more book recs to add to my list. I'm currently waiting my turn in the shower queue - and am actually sitting out on the deck with the sun trying to break through the clouds. Who'd have thunk?  Ozzie is finally warming up to me, though that no doubt has a little something to do with the fact that I'm feeding him the pet treats I picked up at the store yesterday on Marilyn's recommendation.

My cousin Gloria (and hubby Bert) from Florida are coming over for lunch. They've been in town visiting their son Matt, who lives in Northern Virginia.  Matt, along with his girlfriend (fiancée?) Sierra, will also be joining us. Bert tells the funniest stories - only wish we'd had smart phones years ago to record the time when he got Aunt Muriel (mom's sister) to explain the different reasons why their father had stopped talking to various people in the family; talk about laughing so hard our eyes leaked. 

This morning it wasn't raining too hard, so I (finally) made it to the cemetery to visit Dad. At least this time, despite all the rain, he hadn't 'disappeared'; apparently the third time setting his gravestone really was the charm. On the drive over to Mom's it rained fairly hard (nothing new...) but for the first time there was also heavy fog.  

So I was surprised when it turned out that Marilyn's plane landed early. We had been watching old family movies (Andy & Sandy's wedding, in 1983) and were just getting ready to head to the airport when Marilyn texted that she'd landed. It was my first time driving to BWI, and we did run into heavy traffic, but luckily by the time she got to the gate, deplaned, and collected her luggage she didn't have to wait too long for us.

It was a relaxing afternoon back at the house reminiscing, and after yet another delicious dinner we went out back and played with the dogs... at least until it got buggy. Then we ended up "poolside, with drinks", and now are about to watch the documentary "The Wrecking Crew", about backup musicians for some of the famous groups.

On the way over to see Mom this morning I stopped in at a service station to see about getting the bulb replaced on her car's right rear blinker.  Good thing - because it turns out that both bulbs were burned out on that side (so not only was there no blinker, there was no brake light and no light on the side) and one bulb out on the left (so no light on the side.)  While it didn't rain here today, I think rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. At least we'll be a little more visible now!

We had a wonderful afternoon with Ann. Now that she's stopped driving (she will be 97 next week) she enjoyed getting out and about. But I think the best part for her was that seeing me gave her a "connection" to her daughter Bev (my next-door neighbor and BFF growing up) who died from cancer two years ago.  Ann is doing incredibly well and also looks great - nothing old about her!