Pennsylvania - YAY!!!!!!

After driving in the "drizzle" every day since we left Kansas City, I finally woke up to sunshine and blue skies today. What a welcome sight!

Last night I left the Metzingers in Virginia and drove up old higway 15 to Frederick, MD to my hotel. It was a very black night and I could not see a thing - which disturbed me very much when I crossed the Potomac River....I like to cross rivers in the daylight so I can watch the water moving.

This morning I actually took an hour to do some laundry and "regroup"...living out of my trunk for 5 days was starting to feel a little chaotic. After I pulled it all together, I drove up to Gettysburg to meet Sixie (Rick), Tim, Gary, and a couple of others for lunch. After 14 hours of driving on flat, pine tree lined, straight freeway I looked up this morning and saw Pennsylvania mountains! WOW! What a beautiful sight. I enjoyed the whole Gettysburg experience...I arrived at the airport as Gary was landing. Tim and his friend had just taxied in as well, although I missed Tim's approach and landing. What a cute little airport that is tucked into the valley. Sixie chose a great little restaurant you all can read about here:

http://www.farnsworthhouseinn.com/tavern-gallery.html

My camera battery was dead, so I was not able to take any pictures...but others did and they are supposed to email them to me. So I will post them here when I get them. We had a nice chat over lunch about UAV's...I think another girl would have helped keep the conversation a little more "balanced"....but I learned a lot about UAV's - mostly that those guys know a whole lot about them.

I made a short trip through the Gettysburg battlefields after I left the fellows. Sixie followed me down the road - I think he was making sure I found my way - that was so nice. The sun was shining and I was remembering my dad - and how much he loved that part of the country. It is truly hallowed ground, Gettysburg, and it was an absolutely beautiful day to do exactly what I was doing. I got a little teary when the song Calling All Angels played on my iPod just as I made the turn onto the battlefield grounds...

I have a very good friend in Kansas City who is dying from metastatic colon cancer...he has put up one heck of a fight these past couple of years, but is not well now and I am so sad I haven't had the opportunity to visit him this summer as either he was away from home or I was - all summer long. I had a dream about Bob last night. He and I were going out to lunch. Bob was driving and I was feeling so good about how well he looked as he pulled into the restaurant parking lot. However, as we were sitting at lunch I began to notice he seemed to be deteriorating until it was apparent he was not feeling well at all. I called Phil this morning and asked him to please call his wife to check on him. Sure enough...he is not well. I hope he will be okay until I get home...but that is such a selfish thing for me to expect. I love you, Bob. I'm in our part of the country and I think about you every day...

So...being with my dad and Bob in spirit, driving through rural Pennsylvania in the sunshine and listening to Jane Siberry and k.d. lang singing Calling All Angels makes for a soulful kind of day...

...and every day you gaze upon the sunset
with such love and intensity
why it's...it's almost as if
if you could only crack the code
then you'd finally understand what this all means

but if you could...do you think you would
trade it in
all the pain and suffering?
ah, but then you'd miss
the beauty of the light upon this earth
and the sweetness of the leaving

calling all angels
calling all angels
walk me through this one
don't leave me alone
callin' all angels
callin' all angels
we're tryin'
we're hopin'
we're hurtin'
we're lovin'
we're cryin'
we're callin'
'cause we're not sure how this goes...... -Jane Siberry