and tomorrow...room coffee from a filter pack!

Not a bad drive from Severna Park to Norfolk this afternoon. People don’t seem to do much on a Sunday, apart from breakfasting at Garry’s Grill. (Which thwarted my morning spontaneous plan. With several folks hanging out the vestibule door at Garry’s around 10am, Jeff and I went home and settled for frozen flatbread vegan pizza. Good choice.)

But traffic was light down the eastern shores of Maryland and Virginia, and we made good time. Though initially aiming for The Great Machipongo Clam Shack in Nassawadox, Mom and I decided that 4pm was too early for dinner, so we pushed on to Cape Charles for salmon-topped salads at Kelly’s Gingernut Pub, where the waiter--for some reason--showed us the propane torch they use to melt the sugar on the top of the crême brulée.

Now we’re nestled into the Holiday Inn Select, Norfolk, where I’m wondering a few things. 1) Did they really wash the glasses before they put those little paper caps on top of them? 2) Not sure about one of the towels either. 3) Can other people stand compact fluorescent bulbs, or am I an oddity in finding the light they cast best suited for a morgue? 4) Am I going to be absurdly tired at 7pm for the rest of my life, or is it just a caregiver rhythm? And 5) Why did I bring a Sundance Catalog? Oh, I know. Because I knew I’d be too tired to do anything more intellectually challenging than admire jewelry I will not buy on the principle that I could probably get something more unique, that is not sold by Robert Redford, from Etsy.

But here we are. Mom is across the hall. The minute we walked into our room Jeff said, somewhat conspiratorially, “I know--why don’t we go home and use the bathroom.” “Because we’re in Norfolk,” I replied. “Home’s a little too far.” “How did I miss that?” he said.

So here we are. Tomorrow, the cottage in Nags Head for some inventory and repairs.