Crossing the border

Recognize this?

Or this?


The first is a Norman Rockwell, and the second...well, you really should know that it's the Lincoln Memorial. Regardless, these two represent the afternoon jaunt I had planned to Connecticut's next door neighbor...Massachusetts. Thirty minutes from here are the Norman Rockwell and Chesterwood museums and I had planned on taking the Hummer and making an afternoon of it. I'm here by myself as the family celebrates the grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, so with some cash and a gas-guzzling vehicle my day was set. It started out as a beautiful summer morning hitting 90 degrees and beckoning me to soak in the sun...so I did. After I acquired a new tan in preparation for the Mediterranean (I'll never get tired of saying that), I got myself ready to go and turned on the top 40 station as I took the Hummer across the border into Massachusetts. Clouds were beginning to form part way through my journey but it didn't look too ominous, so I continued on my merry way.
My merry way indeed.

As soon as I got 2 MILES from the museums...the storm began. Lightning struck in front of me and rain began to pour harder than my wipers could keep up with. I even pulled into the Rockwell Museum's parking lot but was too afraid that the typhoon of the century was upon me and that the windows I left open on the third floor of the house were gushing with water onto my precious laptop. Almost an hour later I finally made it home, dodged a fallen telephone wire and tree branches and sit here inside the mansion with the windows open to the sound of birds chirping. Yeah. Apparently the storm is over now. Alas, I can say I ventured into a new state and almost went to the Norman Rockwell museum. And now I find myself ready to curl up with my latest purchase, "Crime and Punishment" and enjoy the solitude of this huge place......and then call Ben when I get scared after it gets dark. :)

The library...go ahead and salivate all you bookworms out there:


We leave for Paris in 5 days! I went to Maya's school graduation yesterday and sweat bullets in the heat as I watched all of the little prep school students accept their awards, sing songs, and smile for their proud parents. It was actually really fun to be there. We're all hitting it off great, and I can't wait to head overseas and experience France in a way I never have before!! A la prochaine!