Rhode Island has been very, very good to us. Still reeling slightly from the oppressive heat and humidity of the south when we rolled in, we now find ourselves nicely rested and smelling distinctly better than when we arrived. Art and Marge's hospitality and nicely improved weather are responsible for this in equal measure. What a treat to wake up at our leisure, remarkably sweat-free, and head down to an outdoor breakfast with friends and family on the patio overlooking the bay. How sweet to spend time outdoors for longer than fifteen minutes at a stretch and not immediately require a shower. What a joy it is to walk past water spigots without fearing that Kristanne lurks behind the bushes, waiting to hose me off so that we might share the van in mutual comfort.
| Yes, these are but a few of the delights we found in Rhode Island. Sunday brought us a rather slow day on the Odyssey. We rolled out of bed around, say, tennish, to find that Art and Marge (that's them at the right) had prepared a flat-out fantastic way for us to break our fast. We're talking eggs, sausage, fruit, coffee, and these delicious Portuguese donuts that were like eating the cookies of the divine. Naturally, this was all served outdoors in the glorious Rhode Island weather. |  |
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These civilized delights are not for me, though. Not when I've got a tallwalking redheaded stepchild of a web page to produce. Not when the fate of nations sits heavy in my hand. Not when thousands of peasants laboring under the bootheels of oppression are counting on this webpage to distract them from their sorry lot, if only for an instant. If you think that this doesn't bother me, you're wrong. If you think that I somehow escape this responsibility unscathed, you're mistaken. It positively wrecks me, leaving me unable to function in normal society for hours before and after I've written this baby. Fortunately, Kristanne and Otto reside somewhere on the south side of normal, so I'm usually just fine. Being in Rhode Island, though, I felt like I had to remove myself from the uninitiated before going into Web Page Mode (pictured at left). |
| While the rest of our merry band conversed and socialized, I headed upstairs to bang out a few web pages. Things were going well, and I really felt like I was doing some good stuff, when Kristanne came up to check in on me. Usually, this is just great. I love Kristanne a lot, and seeing her makes me nothing but happy. However, this time something was different. Putting her leg up on a chair and feeling it out appraisingly, Kristanne turned to me and said, "Which do you think is a better adjective for my leg, 'sculpted,' 'chiseled,' or 'godlike?'" This is not usually what I expect from Kristanne. Usually, it's nothing but support, constructive criticism, and friendly banter. Not requests for heady descriptions of her limbs. Nonetheless, I told her that "sculpted" seemed the best to me, connoting as it did the artistic perfection of her being that seems so apparent to me. "Cool," she said, and bounded back down the stairs to eat a few more Portuguese donuts. Boy, those sure were good. |  |
Finally, the time came to say goodbye to Art and Marge and head back to Chuck and Lisa's place in Boston. After a piddling little 70 mile drive, we headed on in to check out a slide show of Chuck and Lisa's trip through Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Tahiti, Guam, San Francisco, and France. They've been a lot of places. Then, it was off to bed, the better to be ready for the Monday ahead. Check back tomorrow as we head off to Middletown to see Jacek.
Total Miles for 7/20 = About 70