It begins now.

Last night was my last night in NJ. My brother Kurt and his wife, Siobhan came over to have dinner with me and my parents. We sat outside and talked. It was almost cool enough to need a sweatshirt. I’m hoping I didn’t wait too long to start my trip? My plan was to wait until summer was over so I wouldn’t be traveling in the intense heat. The weather here has started to change quickly, still warm during the days but dropping into the 50s and 60s at night. I love the Fall season here. However, it’s already snowing in some of the higher elevations out West where I plan to go, and I won’t get there for another few weeks, so no doubt it will be even colder. This camping thing might turn out to be bad decision?
Anyway, back to last night. We had a pretty nice feast prepared on the grill. We seared Tuna steaks, Salmon, regular steaks and squash. We shared a few bottles of wine. I had been saving a bottle of 2001 Omaggio (many thanks and a hat tip to Jim M.) for a special occasion, and tonight it was the night. It was worth the wait! Mom brought out some angel food cake for desert, my favorite. Good company and good food made for a great evening.
I woke up this morning around 7am and started packing. It’s now 5:00pm, and I’m almost finished. What started out this morning with me worrying about every little thing I might forget and leave behind has turned into almost complete apathy. Each time I do another “walk through”, I see a few more things. I’m just about ready to leave the rest behind. I’ll be lucky if I leave enough room in the car for me.
So I’ve been staying at my parent’s house for the past week in order organize my stuff, store some things in their garage and get ready for the trip. I think my mother has been secretly trying to get me to stay by way of my stomach. She has always been a great cook, but for the past few days she has been pulling out all the stops. Homemade peach pies, cookies, you name it, she makes it. Her powers are great, but my will to travel is strong. Little did she know that my one weakness is lasagna? If that had been brought out, I may have caved.
Well, I guess it’s time to pack up the few remaining things and say my goodbyes. Off to the West, but the first stop……Delaware? I’ll explain later.