Venice Diaries IV

Hi!

I thought I would let you know why you haven't heard from us since we arrived in Venice. It is quite an epic.

First, as we tried to leave NJ on Rt 80 in the midst of a blinding rainstorm on January 27th I needed a rest room. We left 80 on the road to Blairstown and the car went dead!! Thank God we were off of 80 or we might have been also.

We called AAA who took us to a good garage where we sat all day waiting for a new alternator. It came so late we had to stay over in Newton. Mind you, we are traveling all this time with Tippy so we have to find Motels that will take dogs. Newton didn't.

Next day we drove to visit Laurie and the day after to visit Allison and see our new Great-grandbaby, Raven, who just delightful!

We then drove down to Jacksonville and thence to Venice where we arrived on Feb.1.
Claire wasn't quite ready for us and spent the next two days removing her stuff from closets,etc.
Monday we drove down to the Venice Post Office to see why I wasn't receiving my mail. We parked at the PO and the car went dead! Again! We called AAA and were towed to a local shop who said it was our alternator. Three days later we got it back and decided to get rid of the Hundai as it was 10 years old and becoming unreliable. We think it was the computer causing the problem. Anyway we started looking at cars and found a cute Hundai Elantra Touring car in bright red. We bought it on the spot, or so we thought until Massachucetts wouldn't let us register it. We drove it for a week with out our knowing it was unregistered. Finally Hundai let us use their dealer plates until the car got properly registered in MA. My insurance agency person finally got it set up, but because of the holiday couldn't get it registered until today, Tuesday. Mind you we bought it on Feb. 9th. today is the 21st.

Besides all that, we just got down here and I came down with a serious allergy attack and had to go to the Emergency room for medication. Three medications later I thought I was recovered, but yesterday it came back with a vengence and I am now on an antibiotic for 10 days. I don't even know what I am being allergic to. This never happened on the Cape!

Then, at the end of the first week Patrick started having urinary problems, so back to the Emergency room and he was on an antibiotic for a whopping urinary infection. He's OK now. But thank goodness the hospital is just across the highway from Claire's house and they are very efficient and fast.

Actually, we love the location of the house, it's walkable to the Publix, the hospital is very close, the Episcopal church is just behind the hospital and is very nice and we are only blocks away from downtown Venice. They even have a Paw Park for dogs right on the beach. Tippy loves it here!

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln.......

So that is why you haven't heard from us. The only friends we have seen at all have been Roger Rockefeller and Maria Rosa (who have become quite the artists) and who came down from Sarasota to visit for an afternoon. We will be going up to go painting with them next week.

So, brother, that is my tale of woe, which was actually only a lot of inconveniences, and I hope that we will be able to get together with you and Sue sometime in the near future!

Love,

Barbara