The house seemed a bit cool when I went to sleep last night but the heat must have come on during the night - I was feeling very comfortable until I woke up at 0600. Wanting to maximize my opportunities for staying away from using PTO, I began teleworking by 0630. About 30 minutes later, I got to chat with Steve before he left for work. Meanwhile, the weather outside was excellent again (70s, sunny, light breeze). Kelly had mentioned that she usually walked for about an hour near her house and I asked if I could go with her - our 2.5+ hike included passing through the woods from her neighborhood to Buckingham Park. There were plenty of birds and lots of interesting things to see - after yesterday's "step count fail", it was good to log such a nice bit of exercise before the work day really got going... Back at the house, Kelly made me something for breakfast that she called a "North Jersey Delicacy": a Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese sandwich. It was good! Once I finished that (0830), though, it was almost non-stop teleworking for the rest of the day. I did manage to do some laundry and get a short break (between meetings) for lunch (leftovers from Frank Pepe's) but, otherwise, it was a hectic and busy day. There was a nice feeling of accomplishment, though, and it felt good to close the computer. Even though I'd been working all day, there were several point where I went to the bathroom or got some water or a snack - in every case, I found everything to be very organized and orderly. The wall decorations, family photos and ambiance that must result (how would I even know?) from living in the same house for 20 years were so homey and loving and practically perfect. It seemed like such an idyllic place to live. At 1630, I plunked down in a comfortable chair (in Kelly & Steve's wonderful den) and relaxed for about an hour. Steve got home just before 1700 and we visited for a little while before Steve & Kelly's son, Patrick, arrived (1745). It may have been sort of a surprise that his wife (also named Kelly) and newborn baby (Sophie) also were able to visit for dinner but it was clear that this was a special kind of treat. Kelly made another delicious meal (steak tacos and a sort of roasted potato casserole) and the "Family Dinner" atmosphere was quite enjoyable. Before I arrived, I had no idea that I'd get to meet any of my friend's kids but this was the third of three) and now I was getting spend time around one of their grandkids! Patrick turned out to be a civil engineer who was working on an extensive bridge project on I-95 and we (along with Steve, actually) geeked out on the technical details of the project and others that he had already done in he career. We also talked about Cape Cod (where the younger Kelly's family vacations), Notre Dame Football and family stories. Overall, it was another wonderful dinner and, just when I thought the party was ending, we adjourned to the den for some more visiting and TV (live quarterfinals of "America's Got Talent"). Brownies with ice cream were again offered (and, of course, I accepted). At some point, Patrick offered me a chance to hold Sophie - she had been eating but, apparently never likes to sleep during the day. It may just be a fluke but she was soon snoozing away in my arms. I'll also admit that it had just gotten dark (2030) but Patrick and Kelly seemed relieved that their daughter was resting - they didn't attempt get up from their own chairs... In fact, it wasn't until almost 2130 that anyone made a move towards the door - by then, my arms had almost fallen asleep. Still, it was wonderful to have such a great opportunity to hold a sleeping baby (I later shared photos with my daughters). Once the fun part of the evening was over, I suddenly realized how tired I was and that I still needed to finish getting myself ready for the following day. After saying goodnight, I went upstairs and repacked my suitcase and laptop bag, did a bit of walking outside, cleaned up stuff in the car and then (with no time really remaining) read one of my books. Before I knew it, the clock said 2330! Heading off to bed, I began psyching myself up for the next phase of my Nomad Life: NYC!
