These posts are going to be a day late, since we’re traveling. Bear with me. Cell phone coverage is minimal, regardless of what the commercials say.

MLH and I left Midland on Tuesday, driving towards Dallas. About 4 p.m ., we’re two hours into the drive, and Elder Son calls.

ES: Hey, Mom.


Janie: Yes?

ES: Younger Son just got out of work. Can you fly us into Dallas? That way, we’ll only have one car. I checked the flights, it’ll be cheaper than driving up and back in YS’ truck.

Turns out he was right. So, we flew the boys into Dallas, and after a short stop in Fort Worth to deliver some well files, we picked them up, and promptly went to eat a late supper at Pappas Steak House. It was great, and one of Elder Son’s friends met us there. She was a beautiful girl named Megan, with a great sense of humor. Case in point:

Waitress: Where are you from?


ES: I just flew in on a jet plane, and Megan came well recommended from an escort service.


Janie: ES!


Megan: Yes, rest assured, I’m the top girl at the agency. He’s paying out the butt, I promise.


All of this on our first meeting. Megan’s a sweetheart, from a small town near Dallas, and we all had a great time. (And no, she was not from an escort service – they met at one of ES’ gigs.)

Shortly thereafter, we went to our friends’ house to spend the night. We got up the next morning at 4:30 a.m., and made it to the airport by 5:15 a.m. – just in time to get US Airways to correct ES’ name on his ticket. (I had tried to get this corrected no less than 4 times on the great US Airways customer service number.) Finally, a nice lady helps us…and the minute she changes his name on the ticket, it puts him on standby. Craziness. Thankfully, she called ahead and cleared the way, we were able to board, and we arrived in Providence, RI yesterday afternoon at 1 p.m.




We checked into the Providence Renaissance Marriott, right downtown, and enjoyed the scenery for a while. The boys crashed, then went to the mall right next door. This was the view from our hotel room, and the building is the State Office in Providence, RI. Beautiful.


Our friends, Doug and Karen, wanted to go to Noank, CT, to find Doug’s great grandfather’s historic home. Noank is a small town, but we were able to find the house just by driving around. Every historic house has a name and the year on it – it was great! After we found it, Doug called his mom, who had never seen the house. She looked up some of her grandfather's paperwork, and found he had paid $400 for the lot in 1846, and built the house himself.









We then went to a restaurant called The Fisherman, and had appetizers and drinks. MLH and Doug were able to schmooze with the locals, which was fun. From there, we went to a place on the bay called Abbott’s Lobster In The Rough. And oh, my Lord. We ate tons of lobster while sitting on picnic tables overlooking the bay. It was awesome.
Yep, that was our order. Craziness. We had a lot of fun, but I was full and sleepy driving back.

Tomorrow, James Taylor. Oh, yeah, baby. I can hear him crooning now.


“In my mind, I’m going to Carolina…”