My Trip to Connecticut

[tngrandma]

I am really lookin forward to this trip.  I haven't been out of the state in three years, and that time my daughter drove, and it was for a funeral.

This conference only meets every three years, so it is now or I have to wait another three years to get there.  I missed the last one in 2006, so it has been 6 years since I saw any of these people.  I don't even know if I will; be able to get to the next one in 2012, as I have already been diagnosed with cataracts.  Although they are early right now, I don't know how bad they will get in three years.

But, that is three years away, and now is now.  Have to think positive here.

My trip -

Well, I will rent a car late Monday afternoon, pack it up, and leave very early Tuesday morning (I am an early morning person, so will probably leave around 5 am).  Driving north from east Tennesse, very boring, straight shot up I-81, from Tennessee, through Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, into Pennsylvania.  I-81 all the way.  I used to get a kick out of guiding people from up north to our house down here.  I would tell them "Take I-81 south until you hit Tennessee and hang a right".  That is it, basically, we live right here in the upper east corner of Tennessee.

Anyway, the first two days of my trip are very flexible.  I will be camping, don't know where yet, probably  the local State Park up in PA.  Will be visiting friends, relatives, etc. until Thursday AM.  I may take a side trip into NYC to see the WTC site Thursday AM.  I haven't been there yet.  I am still not sure I want to go.  There are too many memories there.  I used to work on Wall Street for a NYSE floor broker and commuted through the WTC every day from the PATH subway train exit.  That is no more; it collapsed into the hole with the buildings.  I can still visualize myself coming up the escalator from the PATH station into the lobby of the WTC and seeing those beautiful windows, the ones with the arched tops.  Then, walking from the WTC 1 1/2 blocks to my office building on Broadway, across from the Merrill Lynch building.  I had to go to the SEC one time (it was located in the WTC at that time).  It was on one of the higher floors.  Man, was that horrible.  I have claustrophib and don't like heights.  My boss didn't know what he was asking me to do.  Had to take an express elevator; it went up and my stomach stayed down on the lobby level.  That was horrible.  Fortunately, I only had to do that once.  Could never work in that building.  Had enough trouble with my own building, my office being 9 floors up.  So, I am still not sure I want to go and have my memories erased (or at least edited).  Maybe, I just want to remember it the way it was.  Don't know about that.

Thursday afternoon, will be at the genealogical conference in Connecticut.  Looks to be fun,cemetery trips, library research, and lectures.  But then again, I am into all that stuff, so for me it is fun.

Meeting up with my sister, who is driving up from El Paso.  Haven't seen her for three years, since my brother's funeral in New Jersey.  She is 9 years older than I am, and I know the trip is going to be hard on her driveing all that way. 

The conference ends Sunday, so I will be driving back Sunday and Monday.  I have to return the car Monday afternoon, and I have my first class at the local state university that night at 5:30.  I have already told my professor that I may be a zombie in class.  She emailed back to me that it was ok, the first class was usually abbreviated anyway. 

Well, that is what I plan for my rip.  Really looking forward to it.  Hope I am not disappointed, but I don't think I will be.

Have laptop, will travel.  I am totally energized for this trip.  Laptop computer, Cell phone, and Digital Camera. Wow!! Have things changed since my last vacation north in 1997.

Since I have to work Friday, Sunday and Monday, and have a lot of canning and mowing to do before I leave, don't know how much time I will have to post or journal, so this is going to be it for now.

See ya when I get back.

t