Friday, June 16, 2006

Arrived safe in the Old Dominion

Well, I'm sitting at a very pleasant retreat house in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, looking out on a splendid day, the Chesapeake Bay just a few miles away.

I arrived last night around 6:30, driving 620 miles from Piqua, having left at 9. (If you're doing the arithmetic, as I do, that's an average speed of 65 mph, including two stops). Ah, I love West Virginia's enlightened policy about speed limits! Also, a beautiful drive, down U.S. 35 through the heart of Ohio, into Appalachia, through Charleston, the capital of the breakaway counties (does Virginia want them back anymore?), then up along the Blue Ridge, around the nation's capital and down to the Beach.

Unfortunately, all that driving does my lower back no good, and I had to do some stretching; a good night's sleep, and now some walking about today, will do me good.

I always remember, when I arrive, what I couldn't remember to pack: sunscreen and a hat! Both are irritating things to remember, as I have a gigantic bottle of SPF 50 sitting in my bathroom back home, and a couple of hats I never otherwise wear, hanging in the closet.

You will laugh when you learn about two things I plan to do today: get an oil change and a haircut (at two different places, natch). I just ran out of time to do either before I left, and besides, it's not as though I came somewhere they don't do these things!

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