One mission of our trip was to stop in Unionville, PA to have a quick visit with my mom's high school friend Marilyn. They attended Riley High School together. Mom moved from LaPorte to South Bend and Marilyn was kind to the new girl. The rest is history. Marilyn told me that "your mother was quite the looker (not hooker) and the boys loved the fresh face." Definitely reminds me of new students arriving in 8th grade. The two women have been friends for over 70 years!
Marilyn and Bob live on 125 rolling acres in Southeast PA. Both are Chemical Engineers from Purdue. Bob has his PHd and worked at DuPont during its glory years. He has quite the resume. He took polyester from the science world to commercial use, worked with Mylar and Kevlar, and had a hand in the space shuttle program. Very nice, kind, everyday people. He served on multiple boards, and is still holds some advisory position at Purdue.
What started as a quick visit evolved into a three night, two day marathon. We went to Longwood Gardens (built by Pierre S. duPont), which is a formal garden that spans 1077 acres and has a 4-acre conservatory. Spectacular it the only word I can use to describe this setting. I was ho-hum about going, but the place is so vast and stunning it definitely tops any other formal gardens I've seen in my lifetime--including those in Europe.
The only catch is that I pushed Mom in a wheelchair, while Marilyn led the tour on a scooter. Did I mention the rolling hills in the garden yet??? I thought going up was tough---until we went down the first hill. I could barely maintain control of the wheelchair. Needless to say, I had quite the whole body workout. It was pretty funny actually, because neither woman had a clue what was happening to me. They did, however, comment that I looked "tired" that evening.
The next day Mom and I took a side trip to Lancaster County. I wanted to visit a quilt shop in Intercourse and Mom wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The 35 mile drive over took two hours due to traffic and construction, but the return trip was just under an hour and was beautiful. Neither of us felt the "buzz" that Lancaster County must give other people. LaGrange County is prettier, more realistic, and far less tourist trap-like. I did, however, find a few things to add to my fabric stash, notions stash, and book collection.
My favorite find is a cute cement doxie that looks just like our aging Oscar. I asked Mom if it was inappropriate to purchase a memorial for a dog that was still alive. We concluded that it wasn't as people regularly pre-plan their funerals all the time. My good choice was verified by the fact that another customer petted the dog while we were waiting to have it wrapped. She stood there stroking the cement wiener dog for a good five minutes--his tail is never going to wag, lady!
Our evenings were spent lingering over dinner and finishing up those bottles of wine. I loved hearing tales of my mother's high school days, old boyfriends and antics. I've never talked to anyone that has known my mother for that long with the exception of my uncle. Beautiful times and I know both Mom and Marilyn--each at 87 years strong, wonder if they will ever see each other again. It is times like this, that I am especially grateful to spend such times with my mother.
Hopefully, I will get caught up later today on the blog. While the rolling hills of the estate were beautiful, the internet was painfully slow or non-existent. Same with 3G. Definitely off the grid--which I think was the plan for Bob and Marilyn.
Next Up: Mom and Joey meet the Revolution.
