Going, going... Part II

First, if you didn't read Part I, scroll down.

Back? Okay, now for the plan.

We leave seven weeks from tomorrow. 12 June. That's the day for which I had originally reserved the truck however many months ago. One week from 7YO's last day of school. That was the idea. We will load that day and drive a few hours down to Madison, WI just to get on the road. That's one of the benefits of summer travel. Extended daylight. Oh, and the fact that we're not starting out on Friday the 13th? Just a little bonus!

On the 13th we will stop in Chicago for an early lunch with a friend from my Army days. We were roommates from December 1978-August 1980. Then it's on to Cleveland where we'll have dinner with one of my best friends from here at the university and her husband. She moved in 2004, but for the three years prior - once I moved into the neighborhood - we walked for an hour almost every morning, Monday-Friday. When it hit 0 degrees we reserved the right to cancel, but I think I can count on one hand the number of days we did so.

We'll spend the night of the 13th in Cleveland and then, on the 14th, head to Wellsville, NY. P was contacted a couple of years ago by B, someone who had come across P's surname - B's "maiden" name - on the web. Anyone in the country with that surname is descended from two brothers who came to the US from Europe. One brother came west, the other stayed in New York. They have corresponded here and there since, but have never met. So, we'll be stopping for lunch so that a New York "E" can meet a Midwestern "E." Then we'll continue on to Schenectady... where we know no one. Really! If my cousin were still alive we'd see her, but, alas, we lost her to cancer almost seven years ago...

On Sunday, the 15th, we'll head toward Boston and have lunch with a friend, L, her partner, and their twins who will have just turned 8. L and I are a couple of hours apart in age (she's older!) and have known each other since 1987. Although I visited with her on my trip to F'ton in January, the others haven't seen each other since 2004 when we all went to Family Week in Provincetown.

From there we'll drive up to Freeport, ME and spend the night. That will leave about 5 hours of driving on Monday, the 16th, and we'll be in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

We will unload on the 17th and return the truck to Maine on the 18th. That gives us a day to spare for the unexpected.

Oh, did I mention that my mother flies out here on 7 June, will ride East with us, and spend a good part of the summer in F'ton? Well, that's for another post!

So...
28 April - 9 May - Classes
10-13 May - Tucson
14-17 May - Exams/Commencement
15 May - P's mother arrives
18-19 May - Ahhhh...
20-27 May - Fredericton
27 May - P's mother leaves
28 May - 6 June - Ahhhh...
5 June - 7YO's last day of school
7 June - My mother arrives
12 June - Leave for Canada

Now let's see how close reality comes to THE PLAN!

Stay tuned!