Wow am I behind

Hi all,

It's great to sit down and get caught up on everyone's lives! Matt, I didn't know you were looking for a new job--has Boise lost its luster? Dave, all your trips sound great, but you didn't say how the fish tasted when you cooked it up for supper!

I'm still in a daze from driving to Poughkeepsie and back in 4 days. We got Domino situated in her very cool futuristic dorm, although we arrived about 6-7 hours late. Get this: we got through Chicago just fine Friday afternoon, then when we got on I-80 east into Indiana, we were suddenly bogged down in stand-still traffic, four lanes across. We kept thinking it was a lane closure or accident, but time crawled by and so did the traffic and nothing changed. After 90 minutes we were sure something was very wrong, but the traffic alerts alongside the road weren't flashing, and the AM radio station with traffic info was pure static. We tried Chicago radio stations and all we got was baseball. So that means there's nothing out of the ordinary going on, right? Still no movement-- I mean, people were getting out of their cars and walking around. It was just surreal. Finally, nearing the 3 hour mark and still no closer to the border, Domino found an AM station in Indiana, and we heard the DJ say "NONE of the Chicago radio stations are talking about this, but folks, if you're on I-80 crossing into Indiana, GET OFF THE HIGHWAY NOW!" You wouldn't have believed the joy in the car at that moment! It turned out there was a stretch of the interstate in Indiana that was flooded out and the road was closed. No detours. No information. No nothing. The DJ kept suggesting these really confusing alternate routes, but people would immediately call in and say "Nope, that road's closed too!" In three hours we hadn't seen a single law enforcement vehicle, not a single road sign telling us where to go or what to do, not a word on the Chicago radio stations... it was unbelievable. I really had no idea what we were going to do. What would it have been like if there had been a real national emergency? Sheesh, what a mess....

Finally, we realized that NO ONE around us had a clue what was going on, so we barged our way four lanes to the right, took the next exit, turned around, headed back for Chicago, then took I-57 south to Champaign, then I-70 to Indianapolis, and on to NY.

The whole thing set us behind by 6 or 7 hours, we figured, and we got Domi to Vassar late, but the people at the school were very nice about things--we were far from the last to show up. It was very hot and humid when we got there, and of course nothing is air conditioned! Domi was already missing some activities, so Capri and I sent her off to meet people while we unloaded the car and hoisted boxes 4 flights up.

The campus is gorgeous... lots of green space and water, and the buildings are all ancient and monumental. Notable exceptions are the new theater and film building and Domi's dorm, which was designed by the guy who designed the gateway arch in St. Louis. Anyway, because Domino had to just jump right into the orientation activities, we had to say a pretty quick goodbye. Capri was very sad and upset, and as we drove back to our hotel I was worried that we might have a long, tearful night ahead of us. But she surprised me; within minutes she had decided to get herself thinking of other things--her future career choices, in fact--so the conversation shifted gears and everything was ok.

We did get to see Domi briefly Sunday morning, before she went off to diversity training. Then Capri and I headed home. The little Kia had never been on a road trip before, and did just fine (with new tires, fuel pump and A/C blower!). We got to Youngstown OH on Sunday night, stayed at a hotel, then made it back to Fort by 5 yesterday.

Driving home, I got over my sadness at leaving Domino so far behind and started feeling good that her life has brought her to such a fine and wonderful place. Made me feel pretty great as a parent. Now I know how mom and dad must feel when they think about us :) I've had lots of email updates from Vassar, and it sounds as though Domino is figuring things out and having a lot of fun.

Love to all... see some of you on the 15th!

Mark