A Roadtrip to Nashville

High time to visit Helen and William! And for the timing there is a very important reason. William has a birthday and he is turning 16!  

Thursday May 14 we tackled the 600miles drive again. Always starting without breakfast but having a thermos cup with tea each. After 2 and a half hours we usually reach our breakfast stop. McD's Sausage MacMuffin (which used to be just one dollar each) is our favorite. And a "senior coffee".

When we needed to fill some gas we also combined it with getting some "Subway". A state park was just the right place to enjoy it later.

We were too late to pick William up from school but we could unload. Helen has done a great job to make the guest room suit very comfortable. (Hope she doesn't think too comfortable. Just kidding!) She even coordinated a comforter to the "Biber quilt", which was made "in honor" of the biber who had cut down a few trees next to the creek behind the townhouse they had moved out last year.

While we were unloading Helen took the birthday boy to the DMV to pick up his driver license. This was a "selfie" kind of situation. He was holding a big poster to put his face into.

One of William's favorite restaurants is the Thai Samurai in Mt. Juliet. We met his father Ben there and had a very nice dinner. 

Helen, James and I each had "Tempura Udon". We were surprised what we got. It was a huge portion. And very good. Thank you, Ben. He insisted on being the host. William was very happy too.

Helen had been trying to make the day special for William too. He woke up to a lot of balloons in his room. And they kept floating around for quite a long time.

James and I like it when we can help. On Friday (Helen's only day off) she wanted to assemble a pair of night stands she had purchased. We congratulated her about this find. They are a lot like our teak wood bedroom furniture we had ? years ago, gave up part of it because we got a waterbed (and regretted it later) but still have a really nice chest of drawers very similar to this.

Next day on Saturday we went to pick up her basket of veggies. I forgot what it is called but it is a system where you give farmers (organisation similar to a coop) seed money and during the summer you get your veggies every week. It was very interesting and very nice.

They could pick which basket they wanted to take. Of course they are very similar but still...

I volunteered to make tomato sandwiches on Helen's whole kernel Russian bread with the farmers tomatoes and one of the basket onions. So much fun.

Helen had also picked a purple cauliflower and talked me into my cauliflower and egg salad for a later meal. That was also a lot of fun.

Sunday William, James and I went to the Church of the Advent Episcopal on Franklin Pike. We had been there on our previous visit and found the people very welcoming. It is a very old and established church.

William was very stressed at this visit. He just had a few days left until school was out but had very difficult texts every day. He was studying every minute. Still, we needed to find his birthday gift. He wished for a suit. I had asked daughter Sarah were to go and she had questioned friends which recommended Jos. A Bank. Goggled told us were to go. Quite convenient. I knew my way because it was on the other side of the street from his high school. # 278

I forgot to take pictures in the store but he was kind inough to show his mother. Papa and I felt happy and old. Our grandson was a young man, so handsome and so nice. And quickly back to studying.

Another great find of Helen's. We all kept looking for a smaller round table which can be expanded in auctions or estate sales but could not find anything. This was new and needed to be assembled but we were so impressed about the quality and mechanism. This is the larger version. She also had bought a matching lazy susan. 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were William's last days of this school year. We picked him up at 10:35 am on the three first days because Helen was still teaching at that time and the Public Library he previously would go to when she had to be a little late was under renovation. Of course we were happy to have some time with our "first grandson". 

We witnessed how every day he got a little bit less stressed when one or two of the tests were done. On Wednesday we went to "Sushi Train", a restaurant which is another favorite. All you can eat!

He wasn't quite as hungry as he usually is. And I had way too much. Sigh.

Besides tests he still had other work to do at home. Here is a poster he was supposed to design for the next day. I am at awe about how much work these students have to do. The work for this poster was so specific.  I can't quite remember but there had to be a border, a statement about last year, goals and improvement this year etc etc. 

We think he did a great job. 

And finally most of William's stress was gone and he started smiling more. 

Since we were leaving the next morning Helen also wanted to change the table size too. James and I were eager to see it. The new chairs were also stackable. 

We had been so lucky with the days we had been visiting. When we left Thursday May 21 the weather was not that nice. Actually it rained almost the whole 600 miles home. Sometimes in the mountains it rained even so hard that we needed the emergency flashers going and go really slow since we neither could see the cars in front or back of us. 

We have gone this way so often that we have certain habits. Going home it is always breakfast at Strawberry Plains. This time we were too late for the usual Sausage McMuffins. James had the very last they had. I had to have a Sausage Burrito. 

Rain had (almost except for a sprinkle) stopped at the halfway Bristol welcome center.

We had to enjoy some goodies from Helen's guestroom bowl. Thank you, Helen, I enjoyed that chocolate stick. 

And Papa savored his special chocolate and managed to still get half of it all the way home.

It got so late that we could not see ourselves manage dinner at home and decided on some Wendy's salad.

The next day though we boiled the eggs we had been given from William and Ben's hens. Soft-boiled eggs for breakfast ...

... while having the flowers in view Helen and William had given me for Mother's Day. So much fun!

Unfortunately we brought the cold and rain with us to Virginia. I don't want an excuse not immidiately having to work in the garden. But enough to do inside.