*so tired* And I don’t have time to write this whole trip up in one sitting.
The trip went pretty much as expected. It was nice seeing my Aunt Elaine, Uncle Chris, cousin Erica and her fiancee, and it was really great of them to let us stay at their house.
We rented a car while we were up there. Originally thought we’d just get the cheapest 2-door, but once we got up there the rain, wind and realization that we’d be doing highway driving for most of the trip convinced Michael to get a bigger car. We ended up with a Dodge Magnum. What a yucky car! But it was roomy and better than a little metro or whatever 2-door we would have ended up with.
Wednesday night we saw my Grandparents briefly, then had dinner with my aunt, uncle and cousin. We went to bed pretty early, traveling days are so exhausting.
When we went up to the storage locker on Thursday morning, there was more stuff in it than I expected.
After visiting the storage locker Michael and I went out to lunch to Bugaboo Creek with my Aunt Meg, Aunt Elaine, Uncle Paul and my sister Heather. At the end of lunch we were talking about what our plans were for the afternoon when Michael got a call from work. They had a situation that Michael needed to take care of, and we were 2 hours from his laptop and an accessible internet connection, our afternoon plans were decided. We drove back to New Hampshire so he could get online.
When Michael was finished with work we went over to the retirement community where my grandparents live. It’s a very nice place, brand new. The entrance looks like a hotel, their apartment is roomy and they have a full kitchen and a bigger bathroom than I have! They have access to a pool, library, small movie theater (with a popcorn maker!), and all sorts of other things. I want to be old! Well, not really, but it is a great place, and they seem happy. We ate with them in the community dining room, it was like eating in a restaurant, very impressive.
We spent some time with them in their apartment. My grandparents spoke a bit about my father, then gave me a few of his things. One was a term paper he had written in 1971 about Buddhism and Hinduism, he had written it after a tour around the world with his brother when he was 19. It’s quite good, I think I’ll retype it and put it online. Then there was his wooden Buddha statue that I had always been quite fond of (and had in my bedroom for the better part of my teenage years). Then, most importantly, were his Runes. I nearly teared up when my Grandmother told me she had them, I didn’t know anyone had kept them, and as far as spiritual things go that’s the only real link I had with my father. He taught me about Rune stones, and I carried the art into my adult life. Having his stones, the ones I used before I made my own, is very special.
To be continued…