On Thursday morning I was still sick in the hotel room, but my four sons were super –letting dad try to sleep. At the time we did not know that Kathryn was sick over in the girls room, but we soon figured everythingout. The ‘cheap’ motel had a continental breakfast (toast), so we just hit the road — taking along a plastic ice bucket in case of vomiting. Continue reading →

Day Three (Wednesday). We left Maryland, armed with excellent driving directions, circumvented DC, and headed south on I-95. It was all too easy, I thought, but we gave thanks and drove on. The weather was fine, and the 7 kids were all “occupied.” It would be well over 400 miles before we stopped for the night.

That’s where the “downturn” comes in. Continue reading →