Nomad Life - Day 35

My day began early again (0530) and I was teleworking working in Kim's kitchen when she came down to turn up the heat for her condo (she was surprised to find me awake).  I continued my work day throughout the morning, including saying goodbye to David (he was leaving for work at 0730) and listening to one of Kim's piano students playing (0930).  Breakfast was yogurt, bread and fruit (eaten on the fly).  During one break before noon, I was able to pack up my car and get ready to leave Virginia.  There was also (barely) enough time for me and Kim to eat lunch together (very rushed) in her kitchen prior to her own departure (1230).  My meetings continued until 1400 and I then got in my car in an attempt to try to get in front of the DC rush hour traffic.  I did listen to another Telcon on the way but it didn't last long - after that, I listened to audio books while I made my way from Falls Church towards Beltsville, Maryland.  The weather looked ominous during my entire journey and the road construction in the northwest suburbs of our Nation's Capital were brutal until I finally reached (via the northern Beltway) the I-95 junction.  From there, I was able to reach the La Salle House (where I planned to spend the night).  It was much earlier than I'd planned to be there so I continued north until I was able to access US-1 and locate a small mall complex in the town of Laurel (MD).  With many options for eating and a large area to walk, I spent the next hour (1510 to 1610) trying to get to my 10K steps.  At times, there was some significant precipitation and I ducked inside (Shoppers and PetSmart) so I wouldn't lose walking momentum.  Eventually, I decided it was time to get some food and I settled on Longhorn Steakhouse after I realized that Chick-fil-A was closed for renovations.  I sat down at the bar and was pleased to find that they had a special margarita (not quite happy hour but close) - I enjoyed one of them while also eating my (early) dinner (the meal consisted of a half-pound Steakburger and some grilled Brussel sprouts).  By 1710, I was finished eating and noticed that the rain had stopped.  Resuming my walk around the complex, I somehow missed a call from Mollie and then played voicemail tag with her for the next 20 minutes.  Finally, I was able to connect and we talked for close to an hour about my upcoming visit to see her, some work challenges and other activities on the horizon.  When we were wrapping up the call, I got back in my car and returned to the La Salle House (arrived at about 1830) so I could meet up with Brother Colman (age 94 & 11/12).  Many years ago, I connected with him (via email) about our shared Coogan family roots and we've visited off/on since that time.  During nearly every visit, he's asked if I would like to stay at the La Salle House (home of many retired Christian Brothers); this was the first time I've been able to accept his generous offer.  By 1845, I was inside and he was taking me around the building, introducing me to the other residents.  Most of them admitted that they'd heard of me ("the OTHER Jim Coogan") before and were happy to put a face to the reputation.  During the next few hours, I helped Brother Colman with several IT (phone and computer) issues that had been frustrating him recently - we also watched a bit of the Philadelphia Eagles versus Dallas Cowboys game (opening night of NFL Season).  At 2115, Brother Colman admitted that he was quite tired and I said goodnight to him - at that point, I realized I too was feeling pretty exhausted and retired to the wonderful room that the Brothers had set up for me in the La Salle House.  There was evidence of monastic influence on their lives but I felt quite comfortable with the accommodations they provided.  Before bed (2215), I did some reading and Duolingo and settled into my warm bed.  Very glad that my Nomad Life is allowing me to visit with so many people and experience new things!