Heading Toward Autumn-Looking Back at Summer

A look back at my trip to New Jersey.

As usual, my anxiety and panic built up in the days before I left.  A delay of 4 hours at the Dayton Airport didn't help matters at all.  Arriving in Newark, I always marvel at the beautiful colors and designs on the planes at the International Terminal.  Deep inside I have this yearning to travel the World.  If I can ever overcome my crippling fear of leaving my animals behind someday I may be on one of these planes.

I made it to my parent's house during the "big build-up" to Hurricane Irene.  My father has total command of the TV ( some things never change) and between the Yankees and Mets we were tuned into Fox News or The Weather Channel and it was all about Irene.  I know hurricanes are a serious matter but really!  The over-kill coverage was nauseating.

Sunny Friday..no sign of Irene.  My dad and I headed for our usual Summertime haunt....the Community Pool.  My family has had a membership to the local pool club since 1965.

And here is King Neptune himself, my dad.  At 80 years old he still swims laps nearly everyday, all Summer long.  Not sure if it's purely for the exercise or the fact that he absolutely must get his monies-worth out of any investment.

As Saturday night approached, so did Irene.  The TV coverage intensified and we spent our final hours supplementing the apocalyptic food supply at my parent's house.  As long as the hand-crank can opener worked we were in no danger of starving to death.  My brother and his family came over for dinner.  Here my brother Jeff and Dylan build a house-of-cards.

My mother focuses on the Fox News coverage..............

My niece Julia makes some all-important phone calls.....

The dogs, sensing impending doom, gather around my dad for comfort.

The first big gust of wind rattled the house and shook this plate of brownies that had been set to cool in top of the washing machine.

Nigh time hurricanes are always a scary thing.  Luckily, we were not hit as hard as predicted.  So many in Northern New Jersey had power outages and flooding.  We just lost a few large limbs off the giant Oak trees in the back yard.

 The day after the storm the winds were worse then ever.  By mid afternoon on Sunday this big chunk of Maple tree fell across the wires right across the street from our house.  Still, the power stayed on.

I had heard the incredible screeching sound and the cracking of the limb.  Oddly enough I thought it had fallen on the roof of our house....I mean my house because I had mistaken the metal sound for the sound of my own metal roof.  Actually it was the sound of this pipe that encases the wires ripping from the side of my parent's house.  It usually stands upright behind the gutter.  The limb falling on the wire had pulled everything along it's path, including the pole on the corner which tilted at a dangerous angle.

But we came through it all unharmed and the next night was spent at my brother's house for the annual "Taco Night"  This is always followed by a puzzle or board game.  This year it was a game that's new to me, but now one of my favorites:  "Apples To Apples".  My mother even joined in and I haven;t heard her laugh so much in years.

Sibling rivals!

A descriptive card for each of us.

My brother's Mel had to check out my cat-smelling purse.

A slaughtered peanut butter pie

Thanks for a great time!  I miss you Mommy and Daddy.  See you at Christmas