Back again

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We made our way back North yesterday, bucking any problems with tornadoes and such. We were slightly delayed in NY due to bad weather, and arrived in Portland to watch plows clearing the runway. It took us 2 hours to get home, travelling on the unplowed interstate. Normally it is a 45 minute journey. We came across an accident a few miles from our house, which we would have been a victim of if we had been driving through a minute earlier. We saw the driver flee the scene so we stopped and called 911. L looked into the vehicle, which had struck a tree and what looked to be a stone wall. I was worried what he would find, but no one was inside. I've learned all sorts of things being a spouse of someone in public safety (and a clandestine viewer of COPS). I thought maybe the man was in shock and that's why he ran, but L's guess was that he didn't have a license, or it wasn't his car. Humanity = stupidity?

Trip recap: we saw Manatees, collected shark's teeth, listened to my grandmother talk and talk, drank wine and beer, spent time with family, relaxed and watched the week just fly. I read The Da Vinci Code for my teen book/film group that meets next week. Reading isn't the right term. Forcing is more like it. I understand now why the book is a best seller, although it has nothing to do with the quality of his writing. The premise is so intriguing, and accessible to people who aren't likely to read scholarly writing. So even though he writes so pedestrian, the subject matter is interesting enough to overlook how cheesy Robert Langdon's character (and others) are. I read it in small pieces at night and on the plane. I'll finish it tomorrow night.

I highly recommend Jet Blue. Very comfy, great crew, and I got to watch copious amounts of BBC America. Shameless but wonderful!

We went to my favorite bagel place today and I got to read a few pieces of today's New York Times. One section included quotes for the week. I read about Joe Biden's major faux pas comment about Barack Obama. I realized that I probably would have been none the wiser since I don't watch TV and haven't seen a newspaper in days. Scary. I consider myself to be aware, but it's scarier to think of voters who have no clue. Anyway, I also read something very beautiful by the breeder of the euthanized horse Barbaro, Gretchen Jackson:

Grief is the price we all pay for love.

It is very touching.