Field Trip!

About a month ago, I mentioned that Moker and I are Empty Nesters. We've definitely turned a different kinda corner in our lives together.

The house is silent--or, at least more s0 than it has been in years. We get to watch the TV where we want--and there's hardly ever an argument about which channel to switch to. We've had salmon more than once in a long, long while in recent weeks. And we never hear the Pitter-Patter of Little Feet ever--unless it's one cat chasing the other around in circles. No midnight calls, no Shrieking Mee-Mees, fussing over clothes, the car, or Who Has to Empty the Dishwasher Today.

That said, we do miss College Girl and The Wild One. CG is finishing up her last year at Larry U. in Appleton, Wisconsin. TWO is a little froshie at the same venue. We hear good news from the Freshman Front. TWO's made a lot of friends, and is challenged enough by schoolwork that she spent most of Thursday in the library studying for an Art History test. Good for her!

And their Parents? The Parentals are getting to know each other again. Last weekend, Moker suggested a Field Trip. I had to pause for a moment to figure out if I had time to get away. Did I have to take anyone to practice? Nope. Did I have to pick up anyone from work? Negatory. Did I have to fold someone's laundry, feed someone's cat, yell at someone to make the bed or clean up the bathroom? A Definite No. So, yes, I was free to get away. And intrigued, as well.

Back When the World was Very Young, we used to go over to Maryland's Eastern Shore to eat steamed crabs. There's a cute-as-a-bug Chesapeake Bay burg named St. Michael's, which is home to 19th-century houses, oystermen, antique and craft stores and a fab seafood place called The Crab Claw.

Moker and I headed out to St. Michael's. We ate crabs. We watched the ducks act all goofy in the inlet by the restaurant, as ducks are wont to do. We strolled around town, remarked on the variety of boats pulled up at the dock and sat on a bench on the main drag, eating ice cream cones. We took our time, and got to know each other again.

We love the girls. We really do. But I suspect we're going to love our time apart from them, as well.