Getting From Here to There

The end of Day 2 finds me 900 miles from home in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I was here many, many years ago when my former sister-in-law was in college at Bridgewater. But of course, I'm not here to enjoy the local scenery, but to rest up for the last leg of the journey to Connecticut tomorrow.

It's too bad in a way that I can't take more time here. I found out today that the Virginia Quilt Museum is here, and it seems a shame not to visit. But I didn't get here until well after it had closed, and tomorrow I will be headed north well before it opens. I'm not completely certain of the route home, except that I want to stop in Paducah, KY and visit the American Quilt Museum there, and I'm not sure this road will get me there. I'll study on this more later.

The day started rainy and foggy and I was afraid it would be that way all day long. But by the time I stopped for lunch I was under clear skies, and breathing air so fresh and clear I felt like I was on another planet. This afternoon I got slowed up by construction for a bit and I rolled down the car windows and let the breeze in. By then the sun was hot, but it still felt good after the humidity of the Delta.

The first surprise of the day was stopped for what I thought was a second breakfast around Knoxville and discovering that I was now on Eastern Daylight Time and it was nearly lunch time. Where I crossed the time zone I have no idea. It was amazingly disconcerting to lose an hour without even being aware of it. But I've now got clocks reset and I'm acclimated.

The second surprise came at supper. There was a Shoney's I could walk to from my hotel, so I went there for supper, knowing that the food would be mediocre. But I wasn't prepared for a salmon filet that was so dried out it was almost inedible. The surprise was that when I said something to my server, she deducted the charge from my bill. I rarely bother to complain when food disappoints me, and I'm not about to change into a chronic complainer now. But it was nice to have someone listen and do what she could to make my experience better.

So now I'm knitting a bit more on my current shawl project and watching the Olympics. Early tomorrow I will be on the road again. This time there will be people waiting at the end of the day's journey, people I am anxious to meet and get to know.