Lots of Driving Through the Twin States

Last week we had one of those crazy days that you anticipate with dread, though in retrospect you reflect in amazement that you actually pulled it off. It just feeds into my OCD tendencies, but it's amusing on some level.

The kids both had activities and I was being pulled in different directions. To complicate matters, the two other families who I've come to rely on for help were both busy, so I was on my own. Fortunately we had back up plans. The day was actually really nice, even if it was a little crazy. We first headed down to Walpole to see a friend who was hosting, of all things, a mushroom workshop. I think I wrote about this earlier. The seminar was great, I learned a lot, and the kids had a blast. Plus, we finally got to visit our friends down there. We picked up our friend, NMP, and headed down.

The first complication was that A and NMP had a track meet in nearby Langdon at the Fall Mountain Regional High School. N had a lax game at the same time in Manchester, which is about an hour west of Langdon. Normally I would have asked KS to drive because she goes to all the meets, but she had asked me to give E a ride, and E ended up not even going because she wasn't feeling well. My other backup, AM, asked me to take N to the mushroom workshop and then the meet, so I had to come up with a plan.

The first part of the adventure was getting to the track meet, which was about 40 minutes from our friend's house. I printed directions but they are usually so detailed that they completely confuse me. I end up getting lost and it's a pain. We had a little time cushion, which helped, and eventually we found the school, but not before I stopped and asked someone for help. We were driving through towns I'd never heard of, and on small country roads, which for the record had beautiful scenery, especially at this time of year.

When I dropped the girls off, I told them I would try to get back in time to take them home, but if I couldn't, then they should take the bus, which the school provides. In fact, this might be the option they want, though I can't say for sure. N and I then had to figure out how to cross the CT River into VT and then drive to Manchester, which wasn't easy. We arrived in Manchester a little late, but not horribly, and I set about watching his game. They lost, but N didn't seem too fazed by it. None of the kids do, lax is a pretty relaxed sport, which is fine by me.

I was watching the clock and realized that there was a chance we could get back in time. His game was slated to end at 6:00, and then it takes about 1 1/4 hours to get back to Langdon. A's track meet ended at 7:00, but they almost always go over, sometimes by as much as an hour. The problem was, if they finished at 7:00, which they sometimes do, there was no chance we'd get back in time. However, there was a strong chance we would, so we went for it.

The first logistical hurdle was food. N needed to eat after the game, and we didn't have a lot of time to search for and purchase food. Luckily, at the lax game, the snack shack was serving burgers and hot dogs. I got him one of each, and we hit the road. Not the healthiest meal, but not too bad, and tasty, to boot. He wasn't complaining. We took off and headed for the border, arriving around 7:20 and in time to see A run her relay. I love when that happens.

The meet ended closer to 8:00, which is crazy when you think about it. We jumped in the car and headed home. One last note, I had some choices to make a different junctures on the way home, and for once in my life, I made the right choice and crossed over into VT sooner than later. In the past I took route 12 into Claremont and came home via Plainfield/Windsor, which is a pain. This time I scored by doing if differently by heading into Springfield and catching the 91. It's the little things in life that make the difference, right?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to VJ Clikz for the pic.