Our family planned a huge birthday bash for my father and it was going to take place late this afternoon. I was up early and considered my options; since I didn't have to be in the Providence, RI area until 1500 (and didn't want to sit around all day), I decided on executing a plan I'd been outlining earlier in the week: to visit the Shrine for Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney. I'd already been thinking about taking this detour, so there wasn't much to plan. I left the condo by 0645 in hopes of arriving at the location at the time they opened. Stopped in West Lebanon (shopping) just after 0700 and was back on the road shortly afterwards. Used I-89 to reach I-91 and headed towards Connecticut (listened to audiobooks on the way). It was rainy but weather improving as I went south; traffic was also not a problem for most of the way. In the end, I made good time and arrived at St. Mary's Parish in New Haven (on the edge of the Yale University Campus) by 1000. It was here, in 1882, that the Knights of Columbus were founded. As a Knight myself, I was interested in learning more about the life of the founder, Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney - he lived less than 40 years but helped inspire the development of a strong fraternal organization with a “safety net” component (insurance). The impact of the Knights of Columbus is probably unmeasurable but there is no doubt it has lived up to its principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. My visit to the historic church (which included his tomb) and the nearby Pilgrimage Center (which contained a full account of his life, the founding & subsequent mission of the KofC and the cause for his Canonization) did not disappoint. The example of this one priest provides yet more evidence that the life of one person, however short, can have a profound and lasting impact on the world and people in it. After buying some souvenirs at the McGivney Center (1030), I got on I-95 and drove east. The weather was wonderful by that point but I was surrounded by some really crazy drivers... Landmarks I passed brought back memories of using this route constantly when I was younger - almost everything was familiar. Realized I'd forgotten my dress shirt for the party later in the evening and stopped to do some shopping at Walmart in Coventry, RI. Back in my car again (1255), I continued north towards Providence. On the way, I made some calls to my dad (coordinating a meet up) and Mollie. Due to construction, I had some problems getting off where Google Maps told me. However, I still made it to the Bally's Twin River Casino in Lincoln by 1315. As I mentioned, the purpose of my journey was to join my family in celebration of my dad's approaching 80th birthday. Of everyone in attendance, I had the longest drive but arrived first. I had thought about going somewhere for nice walk but the parking at the Casino was limited and I felt lucky to get a spot. In the end, I walked around for about an hour in the parking lot. At 1445, I changed into one of my new shirts and met my sisters inside the Casino a few minutes later. My dad (and Beth) arrived at about 1515 and all attendees (including my brother in law, two of Dad's neighbors, my nephew and his girlfriend) joined together for some photos before my father gave all of us cash to spend on the machines. After that, everyone split up to play the slots. I followed my dad around for a while, watching him win and then went in search for some adult beverages. During this entire period, I'd thought I was at the same casino where my dad had taken me last October. However, after I'd walked around the entire place, I asked a bartender where the wall of beer/wine was. With a quizzical look, she indicated they'd never had one. Feeling embarrassed, I looked online and realized that the other casino had been in Tiverton (D'oh). Settled for a "to-go" beer from the same bartender (1545) and then went back to find my family. Everyone (except me, who hadn't gambled at all) was out of the gifted money by then (1615) and started digging deeper into their wallets. Mercifully, we had a dinner scheduled at 1700 in Johnny Longo's (an Italian Restaurant on the premises). It was quite a fancy place and everyone enjoyed drinks and food for the next hour. Almost everyone was acting sad because they had lost money all afternoon. Fortunately, my sisters had created some activities to uplift us! We went through "is Dad older or younger than X?", scratch tickets and a box that looked like a gold bar that included specially made poker chips that featured my dad's face. Actually, I won some prizes! After the main dishes were consumed, we all made toasts for my dad and described funny stories we recalled about him - I think he enjoyed the attention. I'll admit that I kept looking at my watch because I had a three hour drive left to do... Fortunately, I got to sample some of the cake that Dad/Beth had brought (it had a picture of his dogs). All the food was good and I was glad I had been able to be a part of everything! Leaving the casino (1855), I got on I-495. Google Maps initially offered several options but all seemed to be taking me east towards Boston; the amount of time in transit would end up being shorter but the distance would be more than I had gas to accomplish. Somehow, I found a different route that seemed more direct and would keep me below the remaining miles limit (so I wouldn't have to stop on the way). Once I chose that, Google Maps was quite creative to finding a "crow flies" track and I was also limited to about 40 miles per hour for most of the way. Still, I was glad I used the alternative, which included MA-119, MA-225, MA-111, several back roads to cut over from Pepperell, MA to Brookline, NH. From there, I got on NH-13 and followed that road for quite a while. Passed through Mont Vernon (looked interesting)... Later, I was on NH-77 and that later joined NH-114 as I passed through the town of Weare. Taking NH-77 to Sugar Hill Road, I intercepted I-89 in Hopkinton. From there, my drive home was fast and easy. By 2010, I was at my condo (only about 15 minutes later than the "fast route" would have taken me and still with gas in the tank). Afterwards, I got everything out of my car but went straight to bed]
