I traveled north this weekend. I used to state that  I was heading “back home”. But the outer reaches of Pittsburgh proper is no longer home to me. My home is where “the Rev” sits on any particular day. We are children of the wind and sun now, calling no specific place our origin. I flew this time, to revel in the retirement party of a friend and neighbor. But it was more than that. I travel to change myself – to trust bright impulse, with the hope of receiving the gift of the sublime, life-changing encounter somewhere on the road. The guest of honor was surprised beyond belief. Donna’s children, along with husband Neil, were able to pull off a Copperfield – like stunt, deft of hand, without her knowledge. We befriended Donna and Neil when we moved into our last stix and brix abode some eight years ago. We meet by accident, our lives touched briefly, fragilely — and then we continue on our own private journeys. It is always good to visit western Pennsylvania, despite the damp and dreary cover of clouds. Seasonal Affective Disorder was invented here. Full sun days are a stranger to its inhabitants. But it does provide the opportunity to reminisce with my younger sibling sister and trade travel stories with friends from the ‘hood’.  But it’s even more than that. The encounters transcend time and space and the ethereal visions conjure up talk of ‘back in the day’. There is no voyage without a spiritual, even religious impulse.

It’s been a week of ups and downs to say the least. Daughter Erin was able to shift her work schedule, get some coverage enabling for a long weekend. Instead of using this selfishly, she flew down here to spend some time with us as an early birthday treat for me. We made the jaunt to Jascksonville International on Saturday morning and spent the remainder of the day catching up on her life, her work at the casino, and her excitement about moving into a new apartment at the end of the month. We, in turn, happily showed her the upgrades made in the coach the past week. She absolutely loved the new and expanded shower. The weekend was spent at a slow pace, with Erin being content just to enjoy our company and conversation. Shopping was held to a minimum with only one visit to Point of View, Robin’s favorite chotchkie store. It just seems like yesterday that our young adult would be more interesting in partying and crowds. A Sunday spent watching the Packers and Steelers prove victorious was more than enough excitement for all of us. On the downside I notice some water dripping near the rear tires, just under the shower area. Oh my, my worst fears were realized. The new shower facility had fostered a bountiful amount of water leakage. Upon closer inspection, I see the grouting around the drain was not well set. There was also a “pumping effect” on the floor tiles themselves, going down a bit when pressure was applied and then rising when weight was removed. This was not a pleasant sight and the woes of depressiong quickly set in. The past two weeks has seen a bevy of bad luck. The shower has been off limits, however, the renovators, Classic Coach Works is not open for business on the weekends, so nothing could be done prior to the new week. Hopefully, a phone call today will provide an appointment time to fix yet another January problem. Hopefully and odd numbered year will not bring more oddities of life.