I can’t believe my adventure is almost over. What a marvelous time I’ve had and what interesting people! Today I’m staying with Becky and Muhammed, their son Dante, and Zelos the dog in Pennsylvania. After last night’s sterile room in Ohio, it’s such a pleasure to be here. I’m really enjoying Zelos. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dog around. Sherilyn and Phil had Sadie, a sweet yellow lab, but she is a farm
dog and stays outside or in the barn. This guy has followed me around since I got here. Of course, I greeted him with a dog biscuit, so that might have something to do with his affection.
They live in a lovely house in Mountain Top. Pennsylvania has lovely rolling hills and mountains. As I drove along Interstate 80, I passed the city of Punxsutawney, the site of famous Phil, the groundhog, who dooms us to six more weeks of winter. The highway reaches its highest elevation east of the Mississippi River here in Pennsylvania, 2,250 feet.
Becky and Muhammed treated me to a delicious teatime treat: zucchini chocolate cake, bread and cheese, and, of course, tea. Later we feasted on salmon, roasted potatoes, broccoli, and salad. A most welcome change from “road food.” Tonight Becky and I watched Masterpiece Theater’s “The Paradise.” Fun! Since we aren’t connected to TV, I haven’t seen any PBS shows for a long time (until they make it to Netflix).
Dante is 13 and taller than his mother and both his grandparents and catching up fast with his dad. He is a delightful young man and a typical teen. His appetite follows the usual teenage boy route: eat everything in sight. When he was that age, Sam almost gave John apoplexy when he consumed what was to be an entire week’s worth of luncheon meat in one session in front of the fridge. Like us, they see great similarities to their situation in the comic strip “Zits.”
Tomorrow I head out for Milford, CT, to see the kids and grandkids, the last stop on my marathon adventure. It will be good to be home and to see John. But I will miss being on the road.