It’s All Relative

It’s that time again. Our annual trip to Carlisle Pennsylvania for the Corvette Car Show. But this time we decided to expand the trip to visit family we haven’t seen for a while. This will be the first Carlisle show for Shadowfax, and we’re looking forward to the parade. Shadowfax continues to be pretty rare, so Bob is expecting him to generate plenty of interest. (Unlike most cars, Shadowfax is a boy. A teenage boy, considering his insistence upon speed and his frustration at running in a lower gear.)

We left on a Monday, heading to Butler, Pennsylvania, where Bob’s son Kenny and his family live. But I hadn’t seen my cousin Ruanne in several years, and since she lives in Weirton WV, which was not too far out of the way, we decided to stop and see her before arriving in Butler.

Ruanne is 6 months younger than me and was the closest cousin as we were growing up. She lived near my paternal grandparents so when we visited them, we spent a lot of time together. My memories of time spent in Avoca PA are some of the best of my childhood. The neighborhood was close-knit and there were always loads of kids to hang with. My grandfather was a quiet guy, smelled of cigarette smoke, and was a handy sort. He taught us about cracker-sops for breakfast. This consisted of crumbled Ritz crackers, with milky coffee poured over and lots of sugar. Surely not approved these days. My grandmother, Ruey, for whom Ruanne was named, was everything one could want in a grandmother. Full of fun and creativity, she was responsible for instilling my wild imagination. She was great at inventing games and had a big backyard with a covered patio where we put on plays. Behind her backyard was a big, wooded hill with an unused railroad trestle. The woods had many birch trees, and we peeled the bark and chewed it, making our own version of birch beer. Those woods are where I first became a storyteller, spinning tales of wild-eyed murderers chasing terrified children across the railroad trestle. To my knowledge, no one ever fell to their death, but it was close. The times were different then, and we played outside until well after dark, and the entire neighborhood was our hide-and-seek tag field. Ruanne and I were good friends and complemented each other’s tastes. We would climb a tree with a pack of Oreos, and since she liked the cream filling and I was partial to the chocolate cookie, we shared well.

Ruanne is now raising her grandson, Kamoni, and is restoring an old house. At age 70. Very impressive. An ER and flight nurse for many years, I don’t think there is much she is afraid of. Not very long ago, she was attacked by a dog, shredding her dominant hand and arm, but it hasn’t slowed her down. I have seen pictures of all the home improvements she made, but I really wanted to see her and Kamoni. We got there around dinner, got a tour of all the changes, and went to a local Italian restaurant. Kamoni rode to the restaurant with Bob in Shadowfax and was as excited as a young boy in a hot car would be. It was great to get to catch up with her and she is proof that you only age as much as you want to.

We then headed out to Butler, making a gas stop at a local Costco. Shadowfax likes his premium gas, so we look for the cheapest available. We had reservations at a SpringHill Suites on Main Street and were able to stay on points. Bob becomes a much younger version of himself in Butler, as it was the big city to Chicora where he was born and lived until he started nursing school. He loves to walk around and remember how it used to be. The area has suffered from some economic depression, but it is pulling out and there are several nice restaurants and a local brewery where we had some good meals. There was one fly in the ointment, as our granddaughter Cameron had come down with Covid, so we couldn’t hang out with her, but Kenny, Jamie and Brandon tested fine so we spent some time with them and also with Bob’s brother Dean. Dean is Bob’s younger brother and is a fine chef. He likes to go to farm auctions, buy lots of fruits and vegetables and can them for winter. We scored some great pickles!

Then it was on to Carlisle. We always try to stay in a local Airbnb, where we have designated parking and walking distance to the town and fairgrounds. Normally, I spend at least part of a day walking around with Bob while he peruses the oily car parts and talks everything car with all the other aficionados. But this time I decided to rent a car and head to Harrisburg to visit another cousin, Alan.

Alan is the youngest son of my mother’s brother, Bud. I credit my mom and Bud with my belief that siblings should always be close. Their dad died when they were very young, and my Nana, their mom, had to go to work, a fairly unusual thing in those days. My great grandmother and grandfather were home with mom and Bud, but only two years apart, they remained close their entire lives. Alan’s mom, my Aunt Margaret, passed away from Covid complications a few years ago, but Alan still lives in Coatesville PA, and I wanted to get to spend some time with him while I was so near. We spent a lot of time with Nana when we were kids in Moosic, PA which was actually within walking distance of my other grandparents in Avoca. While Moosic didn’t have nearly the many kids that we enjoyed in Avoca, it did have something equally interesting. There was a small stream near Nana’s house, and we spent many hours playing in the stream and fashioning boats from whatever we could find. We weren’t really supposed to be playing in that stream, but somehow, we always managed to do so. Also near Nana’s house was a small local market called Berlew’s. I’m sure it had been there for many years, and I have a picture of a horse and carriage parked outside. We could walk over to Berlew’s and get penny candy. What a treat! They had a large glass display case of every penny candy you can imagine, and we loved laboring over which candy we would get with our hard-earned pennies. My favorite was the Goetze’s Old Fashioned Caramel Creams. But the candy cigarettes and wax pop bottles ran a close second.

Alan and I decided to meet for lunch at a restaurant called the Tomato Pie Café in Harrisburg. It was a favorite for my Aunt Margaret, and my cousin Lisa to visit when they got together. The restaurant was great, had a nice and unusual menu, and of course I got the tomato pie which was delicious. Alan brought his friend Kim, who was lots of fun and the three of us had a great lunch and chat. Alan actually mentioned he found something he thought my family would be interested in, and it was definitely a blast from the past. He was going to send it to my brother in Bremerton, but since I will see him next month, I volunteered to bring it back with me. I can’t talk about it because I’m keeping it a surprise for when my sister and brother come for Morgan’s wedding next month. I did have one anxious moment when I wasn’t sure it would fit in Shadowfax, but Bob is excellent at Jenga, and he figured it out.

Of course, the highlight of Carlisle is the Corvette parade on Saturday night. We aren’t supposed to throw candy since it encourages kids to run out on the road, but I decided my arm could get it on the sidewalk and I bought a bag with 65 individually wrapped pieces of Skittles and Starburst Chews. This proved to be woefully insufficient, and I needed at least three bags. Next year. And I only threw to children! There are 500 Corvettes in the parade, and they have to cut it off at that number because the town can only handle that many! There are thousands of cars at Corvette Carlisle. It really seems that the whole town shows up for the parade, lining the streets in the late afternoon. The cars make their way through the town and then park on Main Street and the surrounding streets so that everyone can get a look at their favorites. Shadowfax is a rare one, as GM has only made so many 2023 70th Anniversary C8 Z06’s, so he got a lot of attention, and so did Bob. The weather was cooperative, and we had a great time.

Our final destination was Bridgewater, NJ, where our grandson Truman is staying with his girlfriend Catie and working at her stepdad’s car wash. Chris is the manager for several car washes in the area, and Truman makes good money and gets to hang out with Catie. Catie is adorable and will be starting Community College later this week. We checked in to the AC Hotel Bridgewater, a newer hotel just a few miles from them. We went out for dinner that night with Catie, Truman, Chris and Catie’s mom, Cindy, and got to catch up. Cindy is a nurse and will be working at a new middle school this year, and Catie’s sister will be teaching there as well. Catie is thinking of becoming a school counselor and maybe one day they can make that school a trifecta! We got to go bowling with Truman and Catie the next day, and then went to one of their favorites, Buffalo Wild Wings, for dinner. It’s always fun to hang out with Catie and Truman, and we are looking forward to seeing them again in September for Morgan’s wedding. One of the things I learned from my Nana is that grandmothers always have to cry at departure, so I misted for several miles as we headed home.

The drive was uneventful, just a little rain, and Shadowfax seemed to enjoy the trip. We have about a week to turn things around and then we will be flying to Las Vegas Nevada, renting a car and on to Parump, where Bob will be able to drive a Z06 on the Spring Mountain Motor racetrack for 2 days. I plan to relax in the 100+ degree heat at the hotel. We are flying Breeze airlines, a new one in Norfolk, so fingers crossed. See you then!