Be Careful What You Wish For

It happens every year; the Labor Day 96 is announced and there is a collective sigh of relief at the thought of four days of time to relax before fully moving in to Tour mode. Labor Day weekend is a great time to hit the Farmers' Market, spend some time outside, grill a few meals, relax with friends, and maybe even hit a sale or two for some Tour items.

When an unplanned trip to New York became a necessity, I jokingly suggested it would be an excellent opportunity to finally return some furniture to New York that has been sitting in a storage unit since our move a year ago. I was tired of paying for the space and had tried to get John to schedule a trip up several times over the year. Be careful what you wish for!

John thought it was a great idea, so suddenly any free time last week was spent running down a one-way truck rental. Friday was spent unloading the storage unit and packing the box truck; after an early dinner we hit the road with Jamey, Chloe and I following John and the truck up to New York and out to Long Island. We pulled in the driveway at 10:15, took a short break, and proceeded to unload the truck into the basement. Mission accomplished.

After spending Saturday with John's extended family, we hit the road early Sunday. We took the scenic route down through the Eastern Shore, something we don't ordinarily do because of Sunday Beach Traffic. On the drive, John decided to call neighbors and put together a last minute cook-out for Labor Day.

We unloaded, and after a quick lunch, headed to the markets for provisions for the cook-out. Monday morning was spent in food prep and speedily cleaning the house, which had been left strewn with packing materials and odds and ends Jenna left behind.

We had a marvelous meal of miniature crab cakes, marinated peppers, tomatoes, and mozzarella, buffalo tenderloin, hamburgers, pasta salad, corn on the cob and field green salad, followed by fruit tart and chocolate cake for dessert. Good company, good food, and an early evening for all.

So, we managed to squeeze most of our long weekend in to a single day. I am thankful the 96 included the day following Labor Day so I had a little time to recuperate. The sales and tour shopping will have to wait!