BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG

While the bombs fly just to the north, and in all directions around here, it's time to pick up the sorry tale of the Great American Saga. I'll go right back to the very beginning and use notes I took along the way.
My flight to JFK was at 0100 or so on the Saturday night. Why don't we use Saturnight? Orna and I got me packed in good time, only forgetting one outfit which isn't too bad. I was outside waiting for Shmaryah to pick me up, and he arrived spot on time. I got to airport in plenty of time. This after going through the whole procedure of telling El Al that I'd be coming down from Kiryat Shmonah at the end of the Sabbath-which could be dodgy as it's a good 2 &1/2 hours away. As it turned out we got there early. Shmaryah got me and the bags inside and our airport's member of the International Wheely Pushers Union took over and I was zoomed through all the stuff and found myself upstairs at the gate with time to spare.
I rolled over to the duty free store where I bought 2 5 packs of cigarettes-1 5 pack for me and another for Jeffro. I used the time before boarding to put all 200 of the packs into my hand bag and the small black back pack. I got that done in the nick of time and was boarded first. The flight itself was uneventful and I played Scrabble on the lap top and managed to get some sleep.
The nightmare started at JFK. Their International Wheely Pushers Union guy somehow managed to steal my wallet-the one with the cash, credit cards and drivers license. There I was in JFK without a penny and no way to get to La Guardia for the flight to Maine. I knew that if I could get to Maine I'd be able to regroup. El Al lent me $ 20 to get there, which I did. The Delta flight was supposed to leave at around 1045 and I sat waiting patiently only to be told the flight was cancelled. The Delta people found a US Air flight leaving right then and got them to hold it for me while yet another Wheely Union guy ran (literally) me over there. I made them leave a message in Portland for Jeffro. We landed in Maine about 5 minutes after Delta was supposed to and I looked desperately around for Jeffro and Susie who was supposed to be there. Robbie, Vicky's best friend had been drafted for Airport duty along with Jeffro's oldest, Jessie. Robbie found me and we found Jeffro outside having hysterics because Delta cancelled and they never got the message to him. There were many tears at the brother-sister reunion and then, we went to car rental place but it was non starter as they need a credit card and drivers license in the same name and mine had been nicked. We all piled into Jessie's car and headed for Auburn. Jeffro and his sister had a cry/laugh fest on the way.
I was in Maine and all would come right!
Jeffro's apartment house has the worst set of stairs it's been my bad luck to encounter. Of course I got up them, and into their apartment which should be condemned if for no other reason than the stairs. Never mind that it's a mess. It's a clean mess and Vicky can't exactly clean. She's even more disabled than I am and Jeffro is not a big one for spic and span. Then, there's the bathroom with the trick toilet. It almost went over with me on it. Bad, very bad. Jeffro had an airbed which Susie used and I took the trainwreck of a sofa. Jeffro had made a pot roast with veggies and it was delicious. We stayed up pretty late and I was tired enough not to care about the sofa.
On Monday, Vicky, Susie, and Buster (Vicky's brother) and I went to the bank to withdraw the $ 3000 Jeffro was lending me to replace what was stolen. We then went to the local branch of the bank I'd once upon a time had an account in at a different branch. The gal who opened the account kept looking at me oddly and finally said that I look familiar to her. Turns out she used to work in the branch where I had an account back when and she knew Dad and the business well. We got the account open, a credit card ordered, and with the cash I held back, we went on a shopping spree. I got US current chargers for my phones and a Bluetooth for my razor. It's lilac and only $ 30 in that store. Got Susie and me calling cards, and then we went to Walmart where I bought 2 new airbeds that were high, and a few other things. We arrived home to find Jeffro having hysterics about where we were and why we didn't call. Hells-the girls were out shopping, and he expected us to call?
Jeffro and Buster went to get lobsters and steamers and we had a feast. It was Susie's first ever lobster and she liked it! We blew up the beds, and went to bed late. My cell wasn't letting me call out and Jeffro's phone is incoming only. They wouldn't even let a calling card be used for overseas call. Dumb phone company. I could only wait for Shmaryah to figure I was having phone trouble and for him to call, which he eventually did. We finally managed to conference call with my credit card company and sort a new card by UPS. Then, he went to work on a replacement drivers license so I could get the already paid for car.
While waiting for all that to sorted, I decided to get new living room furniture for The Rosses of Auburn and Robbie took us to the store Jeffro works in the warehouse of. I got them a new sofa bed and two nice chairs. When I say his old stuff was falling apart it's an understatement of colossal proportions. Vic and Jeffro's son, Joe came over with a friend and took out the old stuff and Robbie and I went to get the new in her pick up. Jeff was not pleased because it meant he had to help carry the new stuff in, but after a loud growl from his big sister he did it, cussing all the way. It was funny how everyone disappeared while I was chewing him out.Vicky to the bathroom, Jenny to her room and Susie was off playing Bingo. They only reappeared when the stuff was in place! They all loved it once it was in, but baby brother wasn't having any of it. He just muttered dire imprecations, but settled down soon enough.
Next up was Jenny's graduation. She was very nervous but went through it with flying colors. Of course it was raining-Maine-in almost summer.
At some point my credit card arrived, as did the license and after 9 carless days we went back to Portland and got the car.
Free at last, we went to Brunswick the next day and had a nice if too short visit with Alice. I rescued my Chemex from her basement and collected the only bumper sticker that survived her husband's cleaning spree-the Maine Guide one. We tried to find the house I built in Topsham but they changed all the streets and of course Fat Boy was closed, so we had KFC and decided to do Fat Boy the next day.
The next day we took pictures of all my old homes and found the Topsham one. We went to Lands End at Bailey Island where we bought some post cards and souvenirs, a small lighthouse and Maine playing cards. We stopped by where Alice works, drove around town, then back to Auburn.
Memory fails as to which day we went to LL Bean, but it WAS raining. I was determined to buy a pair of boots and did, after trying on every single pair they had in the store in my size. We finally found one that fit my idiot left foot just right. Got a pair for Susie too, then picked up a purple LL Bean cap, a fleece jacket, a purple and white boat bag and two rain ponchos and a few other things for Susie and Jenny. All in all a most satisfying shopping spree. Of course I could have gotten even more stuff, but I got what I really wanted and enough is enough.
Tuesday morning arrived and it was time to leave Maine. 9 days were gone because of that creep thief at JFK and I didn't get to see most of the people I'd planned on visiting. On the way from Auburn to Brunswick (an odd route out of Maine from Auburn) we stopped in Lisbon to get some Moxie and a Moxie T shirt, then managed to find the Times Record and have a much too short visit with Jonathan. Poor guy stood out by the car in the rain, but it was lovely to see him. Heading south from Brunswick we took old US 1 to Cumberland to see Ellen, who was out when we got there, but we had a nice visit with Jack until she got home. Words fail to describe how great it was to see them again. I don't remember a time without Ellen. Eventually we left and I decided that I needed a picture of my grandparents house in Portland. I found it with no trouble and after taking pictures we headed south again and by accident drove right past the street Dad grew up on. I do wish I'd caught it earlier. I would have turned in, but, alas....
We stopped for dinner at Hilltop Steak House in Massachusetts, then pushed through to Attleboro Mass. In the morning we pushed through to Susie's in Cumberland, MD and I finally met her mom who is a great lady. Poor Susie. She called Smoke, her dog, to go to bed with her, but he decided to stay with me to protect me from the cats. Susie left a bunch of stuff at home and brought a pile of CDs to use in defense against my non stop Don McLean CD.
Being on tight schedule, we left Cumberland and headed off towards High Point North Carolina. Finding the Interstate hypnotic and boring we went down the west side of Appalachia which I promptly named Bubba Country. It's beautiful and looks exactly like I imagined it would. There were at least 4 houses that could have been the Waltons and I had a great time making smart ass remarks.
We found High Point and Jag's house easily. After a super visit with Jags, her twin, and her mom, we checked into a crazy Days Inn not far from her house. The Days Inn was crazy because even though they had WIFI for the laptop, when connecting it said the the connection was from Days Inn employee use only not for guests. So why did the receipt come with user name and password? Nuts.
I don't know how they did it, but Jags and her mother managed to make business cards in Hebrew, and neither of them knows so much as one word of it. The cards are beautiful and Shmaryah loves them too. For some strange reason not connected with the *war* up here, the computer hasn't been connected for most of the day. It just came back, so I'll post this now and continue tomorrow.