Awake: 5:58am Temp 66 sleep 6+03 mostly sunny overnight @ Nicktown.
K & I attend 8:00am Mass & spend only (15) min @ the KK meeting. We brought verbal excuses with us for being absent for the remainder of this meeting as well as Monday & Tuesday of next week. Most of the present members accepted our story.
With suitcases packed & a lunch by Kathy in the cooler + a car seat for little Jerry when we rendezvous in Virginia, we leave Nicktown @ 10:30am. Traveling south on State road 553 to U.S. route 219 to Ebensburg & top off our Suzuki tank with (10.5) gallons @ $3.99 per gallon; then U.S. route 22 to Altoona & I-99 to Bedford ; U.S. route 30 to Breezewood; I-70 into West Virginia, then U.S. route 522 to Berkeley Springs, Virginia where we have a lunch break downtown @ their historical park. Busy place, only one classic bench in the shade of huge oak trees available.
From Berkeley Springs, we continue on U.S. 522 skirting Winchester, Virginia by going around the city on I-37 with a touch of I-81 North, then transitioning onto U.S. route 50/17 for about 20 some miles & swing a right onto U.S. route 17 to I-66 to Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, Virginia.
We arrive at the Marriott @ 4:40. Kathy types Catholic Church into Lady Garmin GPS & it gives us the closest location of (2.2) miles. So we conveniently attend the 5:00pm Vigil Mass @ Saint Ambrose in Annandale, VA. One item of interest: in this relatively new church, the distance between the pews was so tight that we had difficulty standing whenever the kneelers were down; in fact, we quickly learned what that noise was all about when everyone else stood up.
After Mass we check into the Marriott & then call the Foote family figuring they should be back from their (34) mile bike ride by now….no answer but we leave a message. Before long Melissa returns our call; they just arrived from their bike ride with Jason & Billie Anne (Kevin’s brother-in-law & sister). Mel & Kevin both report all went well & the boys loved it. Kevin had Andrew in a bike seat attached to the handlebars & a trail-a-bike for Matthew with his own peddles attached to the rear of Kevin’s bike frame. Melissa had Nathan in a bike seat attached to her handlebars. She asks if they can come up & visit us in our room. “Sure, come on up,” Kathy says.
The boys are excited to see us so we spend about (30) min with them before we have to leave & drive over to the Reagan International Airport to pick up Eriko, Nick & Jerry coming in from Seattle via Phoenix.
Since 911, many airports around the country do not allow much time for terminal parking & picking up incoming passengers; Reagan Int’l is no exception. This airport, however, has a viable solution I thought; a cell phone parking area away from the terminal for people who use cell phones to contact incoming passengers. It worked for us; I left a message for Nick to call us when they start walking toward the outside exit. Regardless of the late arrival, we were delighted with the system & happy to see their smiling faces. Little Jerry recognized us immediately & seemed quite content to take a ride to our hotel.
After Nick checks in, we join them in having a small late meal @ the Marriott dining room; K & I each have a mixed salad.
Lights out: 11:30pm
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