And sometimes things happen.
The day after I had that idyllic day at the beach, I was sitting in my trailer back at the campground working on where I would go next. My next stop was going to be Fayetteville to visit my sister-in-law, Michelle, and my niece, Mariel. I was toying with the idea of trying to book a few more days right where I was. The campground was lovely and I could easily see myself hauling out my swim suit and taking a dip or two.
I called Michelle, to see if Michelle had any plans that I needed to work around. It turned out that she had just gotten the word that her father, who was already in Hospice, was failing. After having lost my own father a little more than two years ago, I wanted to help. It seemed like what she needed right then was to be able to get back up to Buffalo.
Naturally, I offered to take her. I told her that it would take me about half and hour to get hitched up and on the road and then I’d be there about two hours after I started driving.
By the time I got there, her father had passed. It wasn’t unexpected, but I had hoped that I could get her back for one last visit. We loaded up the trailer and headed north.
We spent the night in transit in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. I love the hospitality that they extend to those of us en route.
Incidentally, this photo wasn’t taken during this trip. I never saw any blue sky.
The weather was appropriately gloomy for such a trip. There was still color visible through the rain. I can only imagine what the hillsides and mountains would have looked like with sun.
I delivered Michelle and Mariel to her mother’s house. My brother, Craig, was there, as he has a job back in the Buffalo area. Michelle and Mariel are in Fayetteville until they get the house sold.
I spent the night in my trailer in front of the house. The next day, I went to my sister, Amy’s, house and camped in her driveway for the duration.
She made me a tasty snack. We didn’t have much time to spend together while I was there. It was a short stay.
The whole visit centered on the funeral. The visitation, the funeral, the cemetery.
The funeral luncheon.
And then, we turned around and headed south. Michelle’s mother sprung for a night in a hotel, so we stopped in Beckley, West Virginia. I should have gone out and slept in my trailer, so that I could put the West Virginia sticker on the map. But, I couldn’t resist the temptation of a real bed and a shower.
While we were on the road, the sun came out for a bit.
Who knew that Taco Bell was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?