Late Night Travel to Maine (They do Have Computers!!!)

Buddy Charming a New Friend in Maine

I broke a long standing self-rule yesterday by not being the last person to leave a First Friday celebration.  It had more to do with the 200 mile drive to Northern Maine than it did with how much fun I was having.  I left after only two beers and when I got home my wife had a homemade pizza (not quite a Zorbas but enough to get me through) and had everything packed and ready to go.  I even volunteered to drive (why I stopped at 2) and the trip had a lot less stress than otherwise.  My wife was pleased even though she had decked herself out in what she described as her driving outfit (who knew?).

We started out around 6:30pm and that turned out to be a good time to be on the road because most of the Friday rush hour had died out by the time we reached some of the normal heavy traffic zones.  We stopped in New Hampshire for a comfort break and called our son who lived only a couple miles away.  He was heavily into preparation for college homecoming so we didn’t bother him too long. He was getting up at 4am in order to get a good parking space at the tailgate field.  We’ll stop by to see his hangover on Sunday.

Traveling into Maine on a Friday night in October is significantly easier than the summer version with the attendant horde of tourists.  We sailed right along even though it was too dark to really see anything.  Buddy as always was a great traveler.  If you have ever driven on I-95 in Maine you know what I mean when I say – it never seems to end.

 We arrived just before 10pm and Buddy immediately charmed the husband of my wife’s friend if not the resident cat.  This is a very large cat that is used to being in charge of the animal aspects within their home.  Buddy of course was oblivious to his lack of social standing and soon had the cat cornered under a car.  I don’t think they’re going to be friends.  My wife and her friend launched into their normal ritual of catching up and generally ignoring the men folk (win!).  They stayed up drinking wine and practicing some late night yoga before my wife finally came to bed around 3am.

I got up this morning to a heavy frost and a semi-comatose wife.  I took Buddy out for a long walk to help relieve the animal tension.  The cat appreciated his absence, I’m sure.  There was a beautiful walking trail along a small river in this college town and I enjoyed the solitude of the walk and trying to keep Buddy under some form of control.  He made several friends along the way.  The leaves are pretty much gone from the trees this far north but it was one of those vibrantly crisp New England autumn days that I love so much.  I thought of my son and how much fun he had probably already had by this point in the morning. 

My Wife (Right) Last Night in her Underutilized Driving Togs With her Friend

Buddy Reconning the Trail This Morning

It Was a Beautiful Morning