Thursday, July 12, 2012

At the other end of the road

Rebecca & Rachel: The Remarkable R's

It dawned on us, on Judy and me, that our 40th year of friendship was remarkable in another way, too. We met each other on the day we began our lives as college students, and now, 40 years later, we're preparing to launch Judy's daughters on their own new lives as college students.

Rachel and Rebecca are 18 years old, so they've been a part of this friendship for nearly half of its existence. And they've spent a good part of that time in a car with us. We drove them to sleep when they were babies. We had adventures, trips to Maryland, drives "up island" to shop, excursions to Montauk and the Walking Dunes. We traveled to Western Massachusetts to see Hancock Shaker Village, their brother Michael along for the adventure. We've done errands, gone shopping, and just driven around.

The four of us must have spent thousands of hours together in the car, just going someplace.

But by far our favorite road trips have been the treks we make every year to the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. We began to go when the R's were still in diapers, and before long it was A Tradition.

When we get in the car on that third Friday afternoon in October, we settle in, begin our treasured routine. We laugh, the girls pretend they'd rather listen to music, we think we're going to make a wrong turn on our way to the Saw Mill River Parkway. We are comfortable, happy, excited to be together and having this adventure again.

We love it so much that every year, as we turn to head home, we're planning what we'll do next year. And every year, Judy and I are a little surprised, somewhat relieved, and extremely happy that the girls still love it as much as we do.

So here we are, getting ready for another kind of road trip. Come August we're going to pack the car, not once but twice, and deliver these Most Remarkable young women to their new schools, where — who knows? — they just might meet their new best friends.

Monday, July 9, 2012

The beginning

Philadelphia, PA, September 1972 —

Judy: "Hi."
Jane: "Hi."

A humble beginning for two people who haven't stopped talking since. The on-going conversation.