there, and back again

have i mentioned anywhere in the last few days my brother john's visit? he's here, now, as i type. john's curled up with a book in the guest room, my niece allie is curled up with libby on the couch, and my niece zoe is playing play-doh with Beloved.

as if i haven't driven enough in the last week, i zipped up to sturbridge, massachusetts today to rendezvous with my sister sheila. she dropped off my brother, i picked him up and voila, here we are.

tomorrow, john and zoe and allie and Beloved and i are all driving down to new york. we'll leave john and the girls at their hotel in manhattan, and then Beloved and i are going to see his mother in brooklyn. im not sure how long we'll be there... i know we'll have an early dinner/late lunch at the same italian restaurant we ate at last trip.

hot lobster was one of Beloved's incentives.

the other, which has me positively intrigued, concerns where we'll be staying. Beloved says it's the hotel of my dreams... whatever that means. my sense is that this could be very very good, or very very bad.