My girlfriend and I were shopping yesterday. Admittedly, I rarely concede to go shopping, because there are almost always better options for what to engage in out there, and also, you are always tempted to spend money on something that catches your eye and/or seems like a good idea at the time.
We needed to go to the Best Buy in Bridgewater to return an air conditioner with a problem, and I thought about how we were maybe fifteen to twenty minutes away from Morristown. She and I had been going back and forth about ideas over what to do and where to go on this beautiful weekend - the first really warm, spring weekend of 2018. She had mentioned the possibility of going to New Hope, PA, while I had mentioned Princeton. But we had done both several times before, while going to Morristown would be something new, or at least for her. As for me, it had been quite a few years since the last time that I had gone out in Morristown, even though I always loved going there.
And so, we went. I showed her Washington's Headquarters, a place I always loved as a kid, and which captured my imagination. It seemed amazing to me that Washington and the Continental Army wintered so close to where we lived, and that the winter that they spent here was even more brutal than the one at Valley Forge. More recently, my son and I took a trip there when he had a New Jersey history project to do and he also loved it. Good memories, and I always associate that with Morristown.
Then, we went downtown, and ate at a good restaurant, the name f which escapes me. She ordered a French dip sandwich, while I got the Ginger salad, which sounded great, and was. In fact, she stopped me before I could finish it, having had a bite herself, and said that we needed to switch. She wanted those last few bites, and I could have the rest of her sandwich and fries. Fine.
It occurred to me that we were only twenty minutes and change outside of my son's hometown, and that it would be a whole lot easier just to go there, instead of going back down to Hillsborough, dropping her off and then heading back up north yet again. Then, while we were in the process of picking him up, it occurred to me that this was a good and rare opportunity for us to meet my parents. My girlfriend rarely comes up north, and on such a beautiful weekend - the first really springlike weekend of the new year - it could be a great opportunity.
My father has his good and bad days, though. Sometimes, he felt okay, and had the energy and ability to go out and do things. Other days, he was in too much pain. There was no way of really knowing for sure which kind of a weekend this one would be. I called my mom, and she immediately loved the idea of getting together, and then asked my father. They went back and forth for a minute with a conversation that I could not hear, and then she returned on the phone and said that yes, we could meet. It was a good day, and everyone seemed up for it.
So we went, and met my parents at the Dairy Queen at Newfoundland, off of Route 23. We sat and enjoyed ourselves for maybe an hour or so, and everyone seemed to have a good time. I took some pictures to preserve the memories better, hopefully. Here they are:
I took this short video clip in hopes of getting everyone to talk a bit, and getting video of a nice weekend get together. The results speak for themselves in this roughly 20 second clip:
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