::and the music swells::
I’ve seen “The Wizard of Oz” probably 50 times (including several times on the big screen), and I’ve never NOT cried at those words when Judy Garland’s “Dorothy” utters them in the last seconds of the film. Similar tears streamed down my cheeks as I pulled up my driveway on July 29. Very happy that I took the trip … but OHHHHH, so happy to finally be HOME!
Shortly after beginning my last LONG DAY of driving (from Seneca, SC to Springfield, VA — 520+ miles; 8+ hours), I saw one of the most interesting sights from the Interstate:
I quickly jotted down the name of the town (Gaffney), and found this photo online later. It’s a WATER TOWER, and the basin is in the shape of a peach! I would have thought this would appear somewhere in Georgia, but apparently the South Carolina peach crop is just as noteworthy! 🙂
Good ol’ Lulu … perpetually cheerful … posing at two more state line (quite a distance from one another, I might add), and yet, as anxious to arrive at our last overnight as I.
Thunderstorms slowed us down a bit, just north of Richmond, VA. (See reasonable facsimile of conditions above — once again, NO, I did NOT actually take these photos while driving.)
We arrived at my Grammar School friend, Carol’s house by 6:30 PM — and thank you, my dear friend, for the lovely dinner. Words really cannot express how happy it’s made me to have reconnected with Carol a few years ago — we’ve been lucky enough to see each other on several occasions since our Facebook connection, and it’s always a treat because we just Think Alike!
Lulu got to bond with some gals in the guest room at Carol’s …
And further bonding with dear Carol herself occurred the following morning:
::Mwah!:: Carol! Hope to see you again soon!
I was out the door shortly after Carol left for work, and before I even got on the highway, saw ::drumroll:: an ALASKA LICENSE PLATE!!! (Yeah, yeah, I know how nerdy that sounds, but in two weeks, I found ALMOST all of the 50 states license plates. My final total was 47: was only missing Hawaii, Idaho, South Dakota, and Wyoming.) Guess I’ll have to pick those up on NEXT YEAR’S trip!!
I somehow missed the Maryland state line, but we swung over, and Lulu got to pose with the Delaware sign! “This means we’re almost home, right Lolo?” asked Lulu. You betcha, girlfriend!!! 🙂
Our next, AND LAST (!!) stop before home, was downtown Philadelphia, and lunch with my former student, Vinny. What a JOY to see this face, and spend a short amount of time!!! We had fun catching up … and I had a good long laugh when he recalled one of his most memorable moments of me back the day, when I directed him in the school plays. The memory involved me having a meltdown because no one knew their lines, and I just picked up a chair, put it on my head, & screamed. LOL Yup. The more things change, the more they stay the same! 😉 Great to see ya, Vin!
Philadelphia and Trenton, NJ are practically sister cities, but somehow I never saw the “Welcome to NJ” sign after I crossed the bridge from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. I’d decided that when I took the photo of Lulu with the NJ sign, I’d only include her feet at the top — simulating her jumping high in the air, so happy to be so close to home. Here’s the recreation of the moment that never really happened:
(Yes, those lil black lumps at the top are Lulu’s feet. LOL)
And … before I could say, “What exit?” I was pulling into my driveway in Rutherford. Shortly thereafter, I wrote this on Facebook:
States visited: 15
License Plates seen: 47 states (including DC), 3 Canadian provinces, and an Audi with some wonky European plate
Post cards sent to my cousin (Mae): 15 (the last 3 are on the way!)
Miles traveled: 3,762.8
FINALLY ARRIVING HOME AFTER 13 DAYS OUT: Absolutely priceless!!!!!
This was another gem procured from the Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth, and how Lulu and I will leave you for now! Happy Trails, my friends! Thanks for joining me on the journey!