Along the way we stopped at Dingman Falls... we made our way through the laurel bushes, along a creek, down the path, past a smaller water fall.
We climbed up a short way to Dingman Falls... and then climbed to the top for a better view.
From there we continued south until we came to the Delaware Gap, a deep gorge in the mountains. The mountainsides were covered with their autumn glory. My mom and I laughed... we stopped at every overlook, but they all seemed specifically designed to block the magnificent view of the mountains!
The drive was a beautiful detour on our way to Reading, Pennsylvania to see my mom's parents. It has been about six years since I saw my grandparents, and the last visit to their home did not end well. So, we were a little anxious as we made their way to our house.
The visit, though, went very well. My grandfather is not very encouraged by the current state of the world... I suppose that is the best way to put it, but the last time I was with him I began asking him questions about his childhood and young adult years. I have never seen him happier. On this visit he talked a bit about his time in business school, working in the steel mill, and then in the mail room. He was thrilled with his new XM satellite radio which had a station dedicated to his favorite music from the 1920's. He drove us by the house my mom grew up in and took us to one of his favorite places, the Daniel Boone Homestead. Both he and my grandmother love the horses. They bring carrots with them every week or so to feed them.
Apparently my grandfather was quite into horses and rode a lot when he was younger. As my mom pointed out, when he is more gentle and peaceful than ever when he is with the horses. My grandparents did not have the happiest of marriages when they were younger, but they have been together for over 60 years and they have come to a place of companionship with one another, a true partnership.
I don't know when I'll see them again. I hope I'll see them again. The following day my mom, grandmother, and I made our way to the Barnes Museum. It is fantastic, by the way! The museum was built as an art school. Mr. Barnes wanted to teach art to the masses. The walls of the museum are packed with paintings. Most are from the Impressionist period with an overwhelming number of Renoirs. Barnes, however, wanted to teach about themes and method and so each wall shows art from a variety of time periods and at times from a variety of cultures all illustrating different aspects of color, perspective, and light. Amazing. My grandmother and I share several passions... world travel, broadway musicals, and art museums. I hope that we will have a few more years to share out passions with one another.
As we were returning from the museum, we drove past the house of one of my mom's cousins. While my grandparents are quite conservative, some of the rest of the relatives are quite radical! We found Barack Obama waving from the front yard of her cousin's house and she just had to stop and take a picture. It's nice to know that my own political leanings are not entirely outside the realm of my family context! I have to admit that finding connections with my relatives is important and meaningful to me. It gives me a sense of rootedness. It helps me to know that my identity is not all a matter of my own choosing. To have no roots for who I am leaves me with an overwhelming number of choices. Honestly, I prefer to live within some limits. I think perhaps there is something biblical in that... living as a created being rather than trying to be the creator.
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