Father's Day Weekend

The four hour drives, on Friday up to Pennsylvania and on Sunday back, were wearing, but the time in between was wonderful.

My brothers-in-law are great to visit with, and very gracious hosts. Upon arrival at their house, I promptly collapsed. A couple of hour's nap did wonders for improving my disposition.

(Does a bulletin go out just before I take a road trip asking every idiot driver on the Eastern Seaboard to please line my route and proceed to tailgate, switch lanes erratically, speed up, slow down and just generally make nuisances of themselves. I swear, one must.)

Whilst I slept, everyone else walked around beautiful downtown New Hope, PA and equally picturesque Lambertville, NJ. Monkeyboy got to see an old railroad engine that's being restored, and got to spend time being the center of his uncles' attention. He loved it.

That night, RFB's brother made us a sumptuous meal on the grill. Then we all watched Ice Age in hi-def. I forgot how laugh-out-loud funny that movie is.

Saturday in Philly was great. A hilarious ride down in a hybrid-car outfitted with GPS navigation, plus a driver and front seat passenger whose faux bickering are at least as funny as Oscar Madison and Felix Unger ever were.

Brunch was at a diner in the neighborhood L. lived at while he was in veterinary school. And then on to the Franklin Museum complex and King Tut.

RFB had arranged not only 5 tickets, but also five walking audio tour dealymabobs. The narration was done by Omar Sharif and was very informative.

With a little time to kill, Monkeyboy got a chance to play at every hands-on station in the "Physics of Sports" gallery. (So did I). And we both got to ride a "sky bike". That's a bicycle on a steel cable tightrope, suspended three stories above the museum's 1st floor. It's perfectly safe, and there's a net underneath, besides. It was way cool, and RFB's heart should start beating again any minute.

L. and B. had made reservations for us at a lavish restaurant on a boat permanently moored at the harbor. All four adults had decadent meals and desserts. Monkeyboy had grilled cheese, french fries and the most chocolatiest dessert you ever saw. Chocolate cake? Check. Chocolate sorbet? Check. Chocolate pastry? Check.

By the time we got back to New Hope, we were almost ready for bed, but caught about half of "Hail, Hail Rock and Roll" on one of MTV's Hi-Def channels. I never get tired of that flick. And the more we watched, the more Monkeyboy got it that Captain Jack Sparrow was partially based on Keith Richard.

Sunday morn, I was presented with a really cool kaleidoscope RFB and Monkeyboy had bought in town on Friday, while I napped. It's beautiful. (A toy for Father's Day. Ya think they know their customer?)

Then it was time to pile back into the car and dodge imbecile drivers on the return trip home, but not before L. and B. put on one more foodfest, this time featuring home-squozed OJ, yummy french toast, and sliced fruit and whole blueberries in milk.

Wowie-zowie, what a great weekend.

Hope yours was, too.