Somewhere Near Ashtabula: A Sad Day

Having rolled smartly out of our yard and onto the New York Thruway yesterday morning, we expected to have filed a report by now of our first day on the road to Iowa. Something sad an unexpected intervened.

We had planned to spend last evening and this morning visiting with Arthur’s Mom in her nursing home near Buffalo. Instead we learned as the day progressed that she had been taken quite suddenly ill with pneumonia and was failing fast. At 97 and quite frail, she has defied the odds any number of times, but not this one. She slipped away this morning at 5 AM.

With the help of Arthur’s brother and loving friends and neighbors, we spent this day calling the relatives and making all the arrangements one does in these times for a late August memorial service when all the grand kids can gather to celebrate a life well and fully lived.

She was an inveterate traveler herself, and often said to us over the last few years as we were leaving on a trip, “If anything happens to me, don’t come back.” We took that to mean that when we had done all we could, we should head off once again to Iowa.

We are parked in a truck stop lot in northeastern Ohio, spending the night among the big rigs. Tomorrow will be a better day. Adventures await. Stay tuned.