The streets weren’t very wet, but there were ominous clouds in one direction and a glimpse of blue in the other. After a quick check of the weather on line, we thought the mile walk to the grocery store would be plenty; hopefully we could beat the approaching storm. We dressed quickly and gathered umbrellas and jackets and headed out the front door. Damp and breezy, there had been a definite drop in temperatures over night. We managed to get as far as where the buses were parked before the heavens opened. So much for the grocery store.
With a rainy day looming before me, I decided to treat myself to breakfast in the hotel. Returning to the room, I found Karen engrossed in The Day the World Ended, a 1950’s B-movie about the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. It was so bad it was worth watching. I tend to Google unusual movies I run across; interesting tidbits crop up. The director of this particular Sci-Fi masterpiece became known as the King of the Sci-Fi B movie, making low budget movies in about a week. This movie was his first, becoming the movie from which many clichés were drawn. The dialogue was priceless, and the unveiling of the mutant had us dissolving in laughter. We opted not to watch the following movie; it had a hard act to follow.
Karen and Audrey decided to take a cab to the nearby mall. I decided to have a quiet day in the room, assembling the traditional Tour Goodie Bags for the Tour Librarians and the Flute Section and warming up my flute and piccolo. Running out of things to do and needing some time off the computer, I sat in front of What Not to Wear and played long tones and Taffanel et Gaubert exercises on my piccolo. I’m sure my neighbors were thrilled.
Dinner was at Applebee’s by default – it was the closest in the rain. I had dinner with Leslye, Gina, and Matt before heading back to the hotel to load my luggage in Max’s car.
Everyone was on the bus early for the run out; ninety minutes had been allotted for the fifty mile drive. Fortunately, traffic was lighter than expected, so we reached the concert site a few minutes early. There was a nice table of treats waiting for us, cookies and lots of veggie trays; the pleasant surprise was the giant soft pretzel to share. Everyone is counting down, it seems. 
Across the stage during warm-ups I would see four fingers held up and waved periodically. Energy levels are up as we get closer to home.I changed quickly and gathered my miscellaneous bags for the trip back to Maryland. I beat Max to the car; the men had to change in a different building across the parking lot. We buckled in quickly, impatient to get through the audience traffic and on the highway. Traffic moved well until we crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Two right lanes were closed, and traffic moved slowly, stopping to look at any bright flashing lights. We made good time, though, pulling in Max’s driveway at midnight. He loaded my luggage in my trunk, and I drove off in the dark to Annapolis.
When my alarm clock went off at 5:30 this morning, I wasn’t sure where I was for a minute. Groping for slippers and sweatshirt, I went through the same morning routine I face daily during the school year, helping Jamey get ready for school. John was driving carpool this week, so once they left I retreated to the warmth of my bed, eventually waking up with the sun streaming in the windows.
It was lovely to have breakfast in my own home, sitting at the table bathed in sunlight dappled with shadows of the changing leaves. A lazy morning is called for, not quite on Tour, not quite at home, but somewhere in transition. In a few hours, I’ll be back on the road, making my way to Delaware and the Tour Band.
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