I’ve been relaxing here at home this week during my last few days of vacation, catching up on some writing projects and tooling around on my new mountain bike (my anniversary present!). Time to get back to the blog.
We left for Pittsburgh on June 21 and began a whirlwind tour of western PA, visiting family and taking care of some family business. My father had been sick for quite some time and was moved to hospice just before our visit. I saw him at hospice the day after we got there and he died the following Monday. Thanks to those who sent along cards and prayers.
I have to admit that my dad’s death was very ambivalent to me emotionally. He and my stepmother had separated themselves from us when my two sisters and I were teenagers by moving away and leaving us to live with other friends and family. It’s unfortunate that dad chose to miss out on our lives–weddings, graduations, all the big stuff. That’s what makes his death sad for me, but the reality is that I grieved that loss a long time ago.
The rest of the trip was a round of family reunions–the Kaylor family in Coral, PA at my aunt’s farm where I used to help my cousins put up hay in the summer, the Cubbison family (my "foster" family) in Canandaigua, NY where we got together for my niece Rebecca’s wedding to a wonderful young man, and the Headlee family (Jennifer’s family) reunion on the Fourth of July at Jennifer’s sister’s farm in Scenery Hill, PA. The farm was our base while we traveled. The kids really love it there because they get to hang out with the cows.
In between, Jennifer and I celebrated our 20th anniversary at a wonderful B&B north of Pittsburgh called "The Sun and Cricket." I surprised her by arranging for us to renew our vows at the church where we were married in Bridgeville, PA. The pastor who married us is the senior pastor there now, but was on a mission trip so his associate did the honors for us. John gave us a nice ceremony and the church now has air conditioning unlike in 1987 when the temp was in the 90s and we were all sweltering. We went to the Sun and Cricket and enjoyed two great days of just hanging out, reading, taking walks, and going out to dinner. If you ever find yourself in need of a place to stay around Pittsburgh, this one is highly recommended.
We spent a big chunk of time in the car, putting 1800 miles on the rental car (a Saturn Aura–nice ride) traveling all over the countryside. Weather was generally nice for this time of year, though there were a couple of days that reminded me why I like living out west. The humidity and bugs can be oppressive. As one of my cousins said, "It feels like you wrapped your body in Saran Wrap."
I’m looking forward to getting back to work on Monday. It’s been a restful time–which also means I’ll need to get busy reducing the extra 5 pounds I put on by scarfing down reunion food!
