Back From The Road, Final Entry

I know this might be getting slightly boring to many of you so I decided to combine the last three days into one post.

Saturday was the big day…..started out early….coffee with my dad and his long time, best friend, Ken Reagan.

This was from February, 2011...same table we sat at this weekend.

Neither of them are getting any younger, but since Ken has gone blind, my dad goes over every Saturday morning and picks him up to go out to breakfast. Ah, to have such a friend. After taking Ken home, he picks up my mother and goes to brunch with her. I participated in both meals and then drove to Union, NJ to visit with my wife’s Uncle Joe and Aunt Jean. Then came the long awaited party.

My nephew Matthew, doing his Matt Drudge impersonation

We came, we drank, we dined, we sang …what a night.

Mom & Dad

The Tic-Toc Diner...just up Rt. 3 from Giant's Stadium

We are at the right place

Founding Member Peppi Marchello (L) and his son, Stefan on bass

The first time I saw Peppi play his trademark baseball bat was in 1976

Sunday morning I got up and had breakfast with my cousin, Bobby at the Tic-Toc Diner (This is a killer website) and then headed back to my parents to say goodbye and then meandered towards our old house in the Pocono Mts. It had been fifteen years since I had been there and was curious as to what had changed. Drove through the neighborhood and then to East Stroudsburg where I visited with one of the staff at the Lanterman & Allen Funeral Home,

The once great L&AFH...soon to be no more (?)

where I worked before moving to South Carolina. After that, it was back through the Delaware Water Gap and a half hour drive to Lake Hopatcong to visit with Joe Barrett & his wife Grace. Joe and I went to grade school, High School and College together. He also worked with me at Forest Lodge, which will be the subject of another posting. We had a few beers, told a couple of stories and listened to the latest incarnation of our favorite band, The Good Rats.

At 7pm it was time to hit the highway and I drove to midnite, landing in Strausburg, VA. Up at 0500 and I finally arrived back in Aiken at 1235. I packed a good bit of adventure in the those four days, clocking 1,930 miles.

It’s good to be home.