My last stop of the entire trip was visiting with my relatives living outside D.C. They have been there for almost 50 years and this was my fifth time to go there. Since they have been in that same house all these years, it is a familiar place. My aunt passed away in just the prior month. When I had planned this trip months in advance I had hoped to see her for what at the time I thought might be the last time. But I did get to see my uncle and some of his descendants, my cousins and their families. They always make me feel so at home. And even though we do not see each other that often, it always feels like we just pick up where we left off. That family has long been some of my most favorite people to be around.

I will return here in October to celebrate one of those BIG-Oh birthdays for my uncle. Since my aunt and my mother were sisters, I will bring my mother along (incredibly, to the great surprise of her kids) along with my sister. My sister's husband, who has never been to D.C., might also attend that birthday party. That time I will get to see a cousin from San Diego that I have not seen in over thirty years.