Bliss

Highway 22, Arcadia

Well, we did a million little maintenance things at FF this week, and left it looking no different than it looked before. TV still doesn't work, crack in the ceiling is still there, you still have to rattle the handle after flushing the toilet. These things might be improved in the next month in our absence, but we shall see. Saw our friend Bruce a couple times for dinner -- full of gusto, him -- and we left early this morning and made the 9 a.m. ferry in Ludington. We got a "state room" -- about the size of a  jail cell -- so we could sleep, and met up with Julie's mom at her house in Appleton.

She took us to the cemetery where her extended family is buried, and it was sobering. We had questions -- who was related to who, and how -- and she was patient for a few minutes, but we were kind of flies in her ointment and she started to answer tersely and we backed off. The facts, really, weren't the point. She teared up, finally, and it was time for all of us to go.

The three of us had a light dinner and we left her at her house, wondering if we should stay. She sees no one all day, most days -- but she's difficult to read, and it's hard to know how to help.

We got a room at the Copper Leaf downtown, squeezing one more night out of the vacation, and we'll re-enter tomorrow.

Reports from Mom Land are upbeat. Mucho gracias to Sister L, Friend Sj, B-in-L C, for filling in and doing it better than I certainly could have.

I'll stop and see her Monday.

Highway 22