Road trip to Boston

This past weekend Will and I took a road trip to Boston to visit my Godmother, Aunt Deb. Will's family was used to seeing Deb when they stopped in Boston on their way to vacation with friends in Maine, but their friends moved and so they hadn't gone in a few years. I haven't been north in a number of years and was longing to stay connected. Heather had encouraged the 2 of us to visit and had us put together a list of weekends that would work. She did some prodding and Will and I both agreed to the 2nd weekend in July.

    Aunt Deb hasn't really been in touch since the death of Gramma, when she moved Ella into her home in Boston. I tried to call but with no luck, so I sent a letter. The day before we planned to go up I called and got her on the phone. Since it was such short notice I was a little worried that she wouldn't like the idea, but the phone call put any worry at ease. Deb sounded excited to have us come and offered to feed us and have us stay with her.  Will had arranged hotels using his points so that was already taken care of. We decided we would drive up after work on Friday and spend the night in Connecticut. That way we would be in Boston before lunch.

    Traveling with Will was so easy. We had great conversations and no stress. At one point in New Jersey well after dark we both got the feeling that we weren't on the right road and somehow wound up on the parkway instead of the turnpike. Shortly we came upon traffic lights. We were definitely not on the NJ turnpike. Both of us just looked ahead for a gas station or somewhere to stop for a bathroom break and we saw Dairy Queen so we pulled in. We both pulled out our phones and discovered we were on the Jersey Shore. We got blizzards and worked out the turnpike on Google maps. We had a few laughs about visiting the jersey shore and headed for the turnpike.  It took us a few extra attempts to get on the turnpike. We could see it but not get on. I made a couple of "it should be up here but no guarantees" navigation directions and Will patiently made a few more u-turns, till we got on the NJ Turnpike. No stress, no blame, just life- which we were both enjoying.  


   We got into Boston before lunch on Saturday and were warmly greeted by Aunt Deb and Ella. It was so good to see them both doing so well. It felt strange to not be greeted by a German Shepard as well. Deb has had a dog as long as I can remember. Sasha, then Hanz, and most recently Daisy. But Daisy died last year and her absence was notable. Aunt Deb is a wonderful hostess and made us feel very welcome. I hadn't met Ella before so we were introduced. She kept telling me that she was a very old lady (103). She has lost a lot of her hearing but had some fun stories to tell about St. Louis, where she grew up. Ella was completely enamored with Will and throughout the afternoon commented how handsome he was, that he had nice teeth, and fancy shoes. 


    Deb's house is full of charm. It is a historic home built in 1857 and she has kept it in great repair. Her yard is edged by a wall of stacked dark gray rocks and provides a wonderful scene to view from the dining room. We shared lunch in the dining room together, where we caught Deb up on all of the goings on in the family. She got a laugh out of Will's stories from the People's Republic of Montgomery County and shared some of the craziness in MA. All the while Deb was attentive to Ella's needs and treated her with care and dignity. Ella meanwhile raved about Deb's cooking, especially the homemade pies and responded to Deb's care with gentle thank you's. 


    In the afternoon Will and I checked into our hotel and arranged to bring dinner back to the house with us. Deb recommended a local seafood restaurant, where Will could get a good lobster roll or 2. Since it is hard for Ella to get around, Deb only goes out for groceries and doctor's appointments, so a dinner that she didn't have to prepare was very welcomed. We spent the evening discussing current events, politics, and family memories. I love hearing Deb's stories about growing up in Wisconsin as well as stories handed down. She shared about visiting every Christmas and working side by side with Gramma to get everything ready for family festivities and older stories about hand washing clothes in Newald and how far domestic chores have come. Stories of days of cotton dresses being turned into quilts and hand crocheting doilies leave an impression of a different quality of life. Will and I headed back after dark and then returned in the morning. We walked to Mass at the local church and then enjoyed brunch with Deb. She looked less energized, after what was an interrupted nights sleep, and she commented that that was one of the harder parts. But Deb serves 24-7 with grace and a tender heart. Will and I both left hoping to someday offer Deb that same kind of care.


    Will and I headed back to Baltimore in the hopes of being home in time to put our kids in bed. We had checked in with our families throughout the weekend and were ready to see them. It is the connection to family that brought us to Boston and that same dedication that drew us back.