HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN

Safely home again in Delaware, after several days that felt like a real vacation - even the two spent mainly sitting in traffic on the New Jersey Parking Lot, I mean: Turnpike.   My contribution to T'giving dinner was the gravy, which turned out spectacularly well.  G's fruit stuffing  (Dear reader, do you say "stuffing" or "dressing?"  This is a question I'd like to explore.  It must be regional.  G says dressing, I say stuffing.) was also heavenly.  We ate entirely too much, but that seems to be what it's all about. 

On Friday other members of G's family came out for a visit.  This included two small boys, so we all trekked over to the Eric Carle Museum.  If you don't have any small children, or grandchildren, or teach any small children, you may have been deprived of Eric Carle.  He has produced some of the most wonderful books for children that exist.  His illustrations are works of art, and to see the originals, be able to see how he achieves his effects, was probably more of a delight for the grownups in the crowd than for the kids.  There is an Art Room, where the current project is making squares (about 6 X 6 inches or so) of translucent paper into "tiles" for a huge mosaic, by pasting designs or pictures made from scraps and bits of colored papers onto them.  The finished squares all go onto panels that will hang in the windows of the Art Room through the holidays.  They are truly amazing - kids have vented creativity in wondrous and delightful ways.  Some of the grownups, and both kids, made squares to contribute to the work.  And had a lot of fun.

We took several lovely walks, ate leftovers, went to bed early and got up late, watched movies, did a little shopping - mine was all books at a wonderful bookstore called "Food for Thought."  It's a beautiful area, but I don't think I could take the winters.  On our way south yesterday, we stopped in Holyoke to have breakfast with friends from our Massachusetts years.  We'd been out of touch the past year or so, and catching up over quiche and coffee was heartwarming fun.  They can't take the winters much longer either, and are thinking perhaps New Mexico.  Which is our thought too, and having them close by would be a dream come true. 

This morning came much too early, after yesterday's Drive From Hell, and I've been working like mad all day.  So, for now, it's into my jammies to curl up and read a while. Then to bed, so I can make the End of the Semester Sprint in good form.