So…..we left Colonial Williamsburg early in the morning on, got some coffee and some breakfast sandwiches at Dunkin’ about 2 miles from the Colonial Houses, and headed north. The wonderfully reliable GPS recognized a boondoggle around DC and rerouted us very nicely, it was a slower route but it was constantly in motion so that was very much appreciated. We stopped at one of the Maryland Houses on 95 for a break and got some sandwiches and filled ye olde gas tank so as not to have to stop again. The journey continued up the Turnpike to the Garden State Parkway, and over the TZB very seamlessly and with great hopes that we would arrive in more than enough time to take a breath and relax before heading out to dinner. Well, we were heading to CT remember….and as it turned out, not really a great surprise, the Merritt Parkway was at a dead stop from Greenwich on up.

Sue texted Tori at that point (I was driving) to tell her we were stuck…she suggested we get off and let the GPS pick us and guide us in (it was NOT rerouting us at that point). We did that and were lucky enough to get to Wilton before dark. We had just enough time to get all our stuff in the house, freshen up and, in my case, have a very stiff drink. Max, Tori’s son, was kind enough to drive us to Rowayton Seafood where we had a reservation for dinner with Tori, Paul, Laura, Tracy, Amy and Dan (basically the Hawaii/Napa/Tuscanny travel gang). The dinner and the conversation was fabulous. Josh, the general manager and sommelier (and someone who has become our friend) had set us up in the Crow’s Nest to make it even more special, and he came in on his day off just to say hi and spend a little time conversing with us. Gene, our server, also a friend and also made the evening very special.

Wednesday was a day to relax and run a few small errands. We were able to return a small bit of Tori’s hosting kindness by helping her deliver flowers to a client, Sue got her car washed at Splash (nothing like that down in SC), I got a much needed pedicure at my favorite and deeply missed, Sun Spa nails, and…drum roll….managed to get the last two bottles Ancona’s had of my favorite Greenhook Gin Smith, Old Tom gin!!! Tori made a kick ass chicken pot pie type dinner (all the while getting ready for the big feast the next day) and as a bonus, Tori’s Uncle Richard Seff arrived and we spent hours catching up with him and being entranced by his many stories of the stage and simply of his life.

Thanksgiving day!! After a decent night’s sleep (though truth be told, in a queen bed, it’s always avoiding the body blows), some morning coffee and bagels, a bonus…The Point, a wonderful independent VT radio station we stream, played the original version of Alice at 8:33 am….what a great start to the day. Then beginning at 10 AM, Fred did his usual Thanksgiving special show and yes, another version on Alice at exactly Noon (when tradition says it MUST be played).

Football, conversations, jokes, chopping vegetables, snacking, sipping, all throughout the day. More time spent talking with Richard, and eventually, Jill and Mark arrived adding to the list of folks we had missed over the past few months.

Dinner was a triumph!! Turkey, with all the fixings, punctuated by the MOST delicious pignoli cookies.

As the evening closed down, it was time to think about and get ready for the trip home the next morning. (I took a LOT of grief for the planning and the timing, but you’ll see in Act 3, that not only was it worth it, it was totally necessary)…

A wonderful couple of days in this whirlwind trip. The most magical of all was the opportunity to spend a lot of time with an incredible gentleman who shared so much of himself and his life that I can only hope to have 1/100 of the life he continues to lead.