No Sleep Til Princeton

This has been an August like no other. At the end of July, we packed up all of our things and left Albany. Some came with us, the rest was put into storage.

I got to pretend to be a trucker, as I drove the U-Haul out to the farm in Pennsylvania which would be our base of operations for the month. We went to the lake near the farm and rented paddle boats. I spent the better part of a week in East Hampton. My family even got me to the beach once. We got to experience a Waterfire in Providence, and stay a delightful few days at my mother’s studio there. There were lobster rolls and full belly clams too. Oddly I also ate a lot of tres leches in Rhode Island too.

I drove right past New Haven without any pizza, but saw my Aunt N and Cousin A for a short impromptu visit in Connecticut. There was one night in New York City which included a stop at Joe’s Shanghai for soup dumplings.

But those travels had to end as we were called back to the farm for a family reunion of sorts. My father-in-law’s aunt was turning 99, and it was quite a party. And there were all those Pennsylvania things to do, like drinking Pennsylvanian beer, eating frozen custard, and enjoying farm fresh eggs. The local peaches, backyard tomatoes, and meat from the nearby butcher were all highlights too.

I had hoped to get a few days in Brooklyn this month, but those went by the wayside. Instead I did get to catch up with a very old friend at her new house in Virginia. On the way I got to drive through West Virginia for the first time in my life. That trip also marked the first time I’ve ever seen a bald eagle nest – it was gigantic. In Virginia we caught some rays by the pool, soaked up a little culture, and enjoyed some fabulous home cooked meals from a great chef who has moved on to other professional horizons. Talking food with chefs, even former chefs, is always a good time.

Just last night we had an early family celebration for Young Master Fussy’s birthday. He discovered a love for pulled pork in East Hampton, thanks to Chef W. And we’ve been slumming it in Pennsylvania with a local version of the form. But that with bread salad and everyone’s new favorite bacon corn saute made for a great end of summer soiree.

So what’s next?

Tomorrow we get another truck and we’re going to reload all of our things on it. Apparently, there is also a pig roast happening nearby, so I really really really hope I can take a little pork break. If I’m lucky I might be able to get some of the fatty belly or carve out a rich and succulent cheek.

But come Sunday I’m going to climb up into that cab again and drive into New Jersey for ten months of Jersey living. Well, maybe a little less, since there will be more travel once we’re there.

Then we’ll have to unpack like the wind and get the kids ready for the upcoming school year. Hopefully the stores aren’t sold out of all the good pencils. And I’m going to have to do a mega grocery run to get the pantry stocked. Hopefully Wegmans is everything people make it out to be. Still, I might stop at Trader Joe’s first and get a few of the staples.

And that would be challenging on its own, but Wednesday night also marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. I don’t think we have quite come to terms with our prospective new temple, so I’ve got to hammer that out. Plus we’ll have to try and do something for Young Master Fussy’s actual birthday. Fortunately, I don’t think school starts until the following week, so there is at least a little bit of breathing room.

Still, we have visits scheduled to both of the kids’ new schools to check them out.

And once the kids have started school, Mrs. Fussy and I have to pack for our trip to France. It’s good that I don’t feel the need to over plan for this trip, because frankly, there’s just no time. Hopefully I can relax once I get there.

When we do get back to Princeton, I’m finally going to get started with eating New Jersey and exploring my new surroundings. And it probably goes without saying, but I’m going to need to find a mechanic to give the car a tune-up.