Judy P's Tickle Trunk

…or Adventures in Man-land.

“Ready for another adventure?”
“Oh yes, dear!!”

The drive from Sturbridge, Mass. to Falls Church, Virginia was not exciting. I noted that there were still a lot of leaves on the trees but they too were fading to shades of brown and gold. The temperatures were more like winter than autumn. I heard snippets of conversation in coffee shops and truck stops; polar vortex, global warming. Whatever the case, I hoped it was a passing trend. After all, it was winter we were trying to escape. I saw a solitary gold crushed velvet couch cushion on the side of the road and occupied myself with spinning a story around it. Imagine the dismay of the owners when they, twittering with excitement, install their new old sofa in the living room only to  discover it is missing an essential piece. Would their lives become a world-wide quest to find a piece of matching fabric? Would an argument ensue (“I told you they needed to be tied down”, “If you weren’t is such a hurry I would have put it in the cab” etc..) which would change the course of a marriage? Would some lucky traveller find the perfect cushion to replace the one that got burned in the unfortunate incident of the barbecue lighter and the gift wrap? The possibilities were endless!

There were two packages waiting for me in Falls Church. One, the 6″ deck plate which was inadvertently left out of the boat kit (Hope I don’t jinx it by saying that CLC has the best customer service of any enterprise I have ever dealt with) and the other a new pair of coveralls from Rosies work wear for women. I’ll review them in another Blog entry, now that I have had a chance to try them out. This is probably the last mail I will get for a while. We need to look into US Postal General Delivery service. (Rant re post office coming soon)

We planned a week or so in Falls Church to take care of some business and prepare the camper but the unexpected cold snap made outdoor activities uninviting and so for a few days I settled into a state of apathy which was exacerbated by travel fatigue. I had planned on biking and hiking and swabbing down and waxing our little home but other than one day trip to the Smithsonian I did little more than shop for things I forgot to pack. (I just found my “don’t forget to pack” list – however will I cope without my pastry board?)

Falls Church was man-land but thanks to Nancy B for taking the edge of it by sending the gift of Henry and David gourmet treats. The chocolate torte was divine; like dark rich truffle filling and then some, and the fruit bread great with coffee but the unbaked frozen pie was the gift which kept on giving as it came packed in dry ice which led to much adventure. Mike led us in a squealing spoon experiment, in using it to make ice cream for the pie, and best of all, some fun I like to call Kitchen Sink Drama with Dish Detergent and Glow-stick. Will I ever grow up?

My Smithsonian visit was to the Freer Gallery. I was interested in seeing the Asian exhibits and the Whistler collection. As is my usual luck with these things, the Japanese Galleries were all closed but I still found plenty to enjoy. Here were some of my favourite items:

These were ancient Asian pieces but could easily have been something inspired by Edward Gorey.

Translucent glassware, I think Turkish.

I loved the hazy transparent feeling of this artist’s work:

The Lute by Thomas Dewing, 1904, oil on wood panel.

Detail from The Lute

and the perfectly captured cold winter work on the Thames in this one:

The Thames in Ice, James McNeill Whistler, 1860. Oil on canvas.

So after a full week of internet surfing, playing Settlers of Catan with the grand-nephews, football, and some exceptionally good home-cooked meals (scallops with bacon jam and bison burgers – thank you Mike, chef extraordinaire) we hitched up the trailer and took to the highway and our real journey began.

Ready to roll.

Question of the day: Why are there so many mattress stores? (I had first typed the following question but removed it because I thought it in bad taste: Who really cares about Kim Kardashian”s backside? and besides it was already answered by Ellen DeGeneres.

Travel Tip: Clean cold water is by far the best thirst quencher on the road. Best make oneself thirsty first though, with pretzels and Slim Jims.

© Judy Parsons 2014