Home at last ...

I know this super highway
This bright familiar sun
I guess that I'm the lucky one
Who wrote that tired sea song
Set on this peaceful shore
You think you've heard this one before
Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last

~ Steely Dan


As reported earlier, the limo ride to the airport almost came to an abrupt halt less than a mile into the ride. The limo was heading down Union Ave in Sudbury, preparing to make a left turn onto Route 20. We were driving in the left-turn lane approaching the traffic light and there was a truck stopped in traffic in the right lane when this knucklehead pulls out of the gas station in front of the truck and turns left into our lane heading right at us and never stops. The limo driver had to swerve out of our lane into oncoming traffic to avoid this guy who missed by inches taking out the right rear passenger side of the car, like where I was sitting. Damn those Massachusetts drivers.

Anyway, home at last in sunny and warm California. A balmy 29 degrees outside.

This is the end of this blog,... until the next trip.

Thanks to Marcela and Paul for their hospitality, for organizing the event, and for letting me stay in their home. Thanks also to Laura and the Comerys for the night's lodging in Attleboro, Medfield, and Little Compton. A very special thanks to Paul who, after not seeing me for 10 years, tosses me the keys to his brand new 300 horsepower BMW 335i and says "Go nuts".

Here are few parting shots that didn't make it into previous posts:

Jimmy taking a nap

Angela

Midnight

Lunch in Needham with Paul and Bill

Jimmy's house in Sudbury

Simone

Mom's house in Hanover

The Comerys - Maria, Emma, and Bill

The Comery house in Little Compton, Rhode Island

The Comery house in Medfield, Massachusetts

Airport! .... and don't call me Shirley

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in LA
wtf(?) ...

At the airport as we speak...

Met with my friend Samuel Adams at Logan Airport. Spent 10 minutes catching up on the last 30 years. Sam gave some tips to help with pre-flight jitters. They are calling my flight as we speak. I have 3 minutes left on my 2 bucks at the "public internet access" terminal.

Almost got T-boned by a wayward driver in downtown Sudbury. Only the expert evasive action by Paul's limo driver saved me from certain disaster.

More to come....

Gotta go ....

I'm Leaving on a jet plane...(soon)

Finally some weather like it should be in winter in Massachusetts...

Ahhh... this is more like it ....

Wednesday PM: Lunch with Laura, Mom, Marcela, and Jimmy at Olive Garden. Jimmy goes through 12 baskets of garlic bread. Noonan family put on Olive Garden blacklist. Jamie, Andy, and Ethan visit Laura's for pizza. Ethan brings down entire Internet by random clicks on Laura's laptop. Dad cleans up in Scrabble game, beating Scrabble veterans Mom and Laura by 20 points.

Thursday AM: Outside temperature in Attleboro reads 20 degrees. Dad goes for brisk 2-mile jog in shorts and a tee shirt. Doctor says frostbite should heal up fine in a week or two.

Plan is to spend 20 minutes programming GPS to go from Attleboro to Hanover, then drive to Hanover around 11:00, ignoring Mom's lament that the GPS is taking us the wrong way. Then drop Mom off in Hanover and spend 20 minutes programming GPS to go from Hanover to Sudbury. Say tearful goodbye to BMW in Sudbury. Then, when limo shows up around 2:30 PM, distract Marcela long enough to sneak Jimmy into backseat of limo and take him back to California with me. Hang around Logan airport until plane takes off around 6:00 PM. Arrive SFO at 9:30 PM unless something goes terribly wrong, which it will. If plane ever lands safely, take BART to Orinda. Then back to work again on Friday. Same-O, Same-O.....

Medfield to Hanover to Attleboro, and back

Laura's house in Attleboro

Tuesday AM: Drive to Needham office park where Bill and Paul both work. Bill and Paul spend 5 minutes catching up on last 23 years. Drive BMW back to Sudbury because Bill won't let me in his house by myself. Jimmy and I take a nap. Give Jimmy bottle after his nap. Jimmy gives me bottle.

Tuesday PM: Drive Beemer to Medfield. Mystery stew at Bill's for dinner. Stay at Bill and Maria's Tuesday night.

Wednesday AM: Breakfast at the Comerys. Drive Beemer to Hanover. Pick up Mom. Drive to Attleboro. GPS takes the back roads, ignoring Mom's directions.

You don't look a day over 80 .... no wait, you are a day over 80

Mom at 80 years and 1 day holding Jimmy
....or is that Audrey Hepburn?

Monday AM - Visit to Mom's apt in Hanover with Paul. Get grand tour of Mom's apt.
Monday PM - Lunch at Uno's in Hanover. Dad has a diet Pepsi. Paul has a Coke. Mom has 2 Bud Lights on draft. (This part is all true)

Turns out Paul and Bill Comery have worked at the same office park in Needham for the last 8 years and never knew the other worked there. Lunch tomorrow with Bill and Paul at work where they will relive the Mother-in-law road trip they took 23 years ago to Tahoe.

Meet the family ...

Back Row: Andrew, Jamie, Mom, some loser that crashed the party, Aiden, Jen, Matt, Lindsey.
Front Row: Laura, Paul, Marcela, Jimmy, Taylor, Ethan

Saturday PM - Drive to Ptuck-it with Bill Comery, hear Girlyman folk band, drive to Little Compton.

Sunday AM - Spend 1/2 hour trying to program GPS to get from Little Compton to Northborough, Ma. After calling GPS tech support, drive 300 HP BMW 335I to Northborough, Ma., all at or below the posted speed limit and in the right lane.

Sunday PM - Visit old friends Dennis and Andy. Spend 10 minutes catching up on the last 20 years. Spend 45 minutes programming GPS to go from Northborough to Sudbury. Spend 20 minutes driving to Sudbury.

Sunday PM - Meet 4 family members for the first time, 3 others who I haven't seen for 8 years, and 1 who I haven't seen for 18 years. Spend 5 minutes catching up on the lost time. Mom skydives solo from 5,000 feet into Paul's backyard. Celebrate Mom's 80th birthday.

Basketball stars of the future ...

St Edwards 26
St. Dennis 20

The St Edwards Warriors (girls 12-year olds) ran over the St Dennis Patsies in a route at Westwood High. Emma Comery didn't score any points but she made a great catch (before losing the ball on a blown call by the ref, the first of many blown calls). Dad Bill Comery was ejected in the second half for getting in the ref's face over a foul that wasn't called on an opposing player who mugged Emma and got away with it.

We're on our way from Medfield to Pawtucket, Rhode Island. That's pronounced "Ptuck-it". We're going to St Paul's Episcopal Church because Bill has to set up some chairs for a poetry reading or something and, since I'm around, I have to help. Then, we're going to Little Compton.

I'll be back to Sudbury tomorrow, along with a bunch of great-nieces and great-nephews I've never met, for Mom's 80th birthday party. Mom celebrated the day before her 80th by doing the Ironman Triathlon. She came in third in her age group. Not bad.

Straight Intta Little Compton ....

Ok, the part about buying the BMW and driving back was a joke. The BMW will be driven only as far as Medfield, and then to Little Compton, Rhode Island. Little Compton bears no resmblance to it's larger namesake in Southern California. Contrary to popular belief, NWA never recorded a rap song entitled "Straight Outta Little Compton".

Jimmy says Hi.

Change in plans ....

When you get to the fork in the road, take it.

~ Yogi Berra


Sometimes, you just need to travel a different path. I got this great deal on a BMW 335i. I decided instead of flying back on Thursday, I will be driving my 335i back to California. I think I look pretty good in it. What do you think?

Boston at last ....

Boston at last
And the plane's touching down
The hostess is handing the hot towels around
From the terminal gate
To the black limosine
It's a ten-minute ride to the Holiday Inn

Ok, there were no hot towels and I'm not at the Holiday Inn, but the plane did touch down with a minimum of incident. A bit of turbulence (not too much) over the Great Lakes. Pauls' house is like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine. Lots of space. Big yard. Even has one dog and one cat. The dog is taking a nap at my feet as I type. The cat tried to climb up on my lap but forgot that her claws hurt real bad on bare skin. A lot of you have written in requesting pictures. I'm working on them as we speak so please be patient. I'm off to do whatever it is I'm doing. I'll keep you posted.

Why would anyone read this blog?

Ok, I'm packing now. I'll be taking BART to the airport. Geez, blogging is just like half the cellphone conversations I overhear in public. "...ok, I'm half a block away...I'm walking down Market St.... where are you?" Or the typical BART cellphone conversation "...I'm at Oakland West .... Uh Huh ..in about 25 minutes ... Uh Huh ... quart of milk?... Ok, loaf of bread? Ok... Bye".

Flying again after 8+ years on the ground

Mom's 80th birthday is Sunday, Jan 7. My flight leaves at 3:10 PM tomorrow. That leaves a good 18 hours to worry about what could possibly go wrong. Well, if Patrick can jump out of an airplane, I sure as hell can just get on one. The unlimited beverage service in business class might help.