Are we there yet?

Road Trip to Texas

The trip from New York is typically slow as we drive south on I-95 toward Woodbridge, Virginia to stay with Aunt Nan. Both sides of the interstate to Baltimore are brim full of cars and annoying traffic traveling not more than 20 miles per hour and counting at least two horrific accidents certain with fatalities along the way. We arrive to Nan’s a good two hours late missing cousins who waited for us as long as they could. Though disappointed at not seeing the cousins, we are greeted warmly and affectionately by Nan who had a pot of homemade ragu and pasta ready with our name written on it. Following dinner, the kids find the downstairs family room’s couches and quickly fall asleep from exhaustion. Larry, Nan and I retreat to the living room with California Chardonnay in hand as she eagerly catches us up on the family’s latest stories and tribulations. It is after midnight and the intimate talks about the family’s "dirty laundry" comes to an end. Sleep is short and we are back in the car by 5:30am...and our Ford Windstar’s battery is dead. Needing jumper cables, we dare not wake Nan at this crazy hour. So we sit. And wait. 15 minutes later still in the early morning dawn, Larry is startled to hear the sound of a revved engine. He hollers to a Nigerian man named Francis with his yellow cab to ask if he owned any jumper cables. (Are we in NYC?) Yeesssss!!! The nice cabbie refuses our offer of money and we are happily on our way. (Hopefully, this leaving the car lights on all night does not happen again!)
It is Day 2 of our road trip to Texas for the much anticipated wedding of Lyon & Kristen.. The interstate through Virginia is long and feels like it goes on forever. But the sky is magnificently clear and blue and the highway is sprinkled with vividly colorful wildflowers for miles and miles (Prairie Roses, Black-eyed Susans, Coreopsis, Heathe, and Poppies as identified by Miss Sydney!) 13 hours into our trip we take the expected exit to a Cracker Barrel off the interstate for the necessary routine: a break to the nice, clean bathrooms followed by the always enjoyable swift survey of the country gift store stock full of interesting and affordable knick-knacks. As we search for a gift for Granny Alice, a very polite store clerk clearly in charge of the floor offers to show us some nice gift items in the clearance section. I make my choices for the granny as well as a cool toy called a Magnetic Whirl O for a certain bored and chocolate- obsessed 10-year-old who is disappointed that I instead didn’t buy two very large chocolate bars. As I check out, the polite store clerk then asks Larry, who is dressed in black clothes and sportsjacket, if he is a preacher! This opens up conversation between the two of what Larry really does. And she is clearly pleased with herself as she talks about her own son’s singing talent.
Back on the road, Larry turns on the radio and we listen to our first dose of country music. This in turn inspires the kids to practice their "southern" accents. This playful exchange between father and his two country bumpkin children turns into an improvised skit full of wit and silliness. I am cracking up as the antics in the car escalate into hard belly laughs between us all.
ARE WE THERE YET?! Ahh! We have made it into Tennessee and Larry is determined to make it to Sherman, Texas by morning.