Ohio to Kentucky

September 13

I woke up late this morning in the van to find that Razelle had already been up a while and had gone into the house. I must have truly been exhausted to wake up later than Razelle. That has almost never happened on this trip. I found Razelle sitting with Deryl at the dining-room table, discussing the political and socio-economic matters that she has such a passion for. I was afraid this would happen. But, to my pleasant surprise, their discussion was being conducted in a friendly manner. That also was a rarity. We have found as we cross this country that discussions on these topics tend to degenerate into arguments rather quickly, but that was not the case here between Deryl and Razelle. I saw that my services as a "moderator" were not needed so I gathered up the soap and shampoo and my towel and took shower.

After I was dressed in the brand new clothes we had bought in Toledo and was feeling truly renewed myself, we piled into Deryl's Aztec and went to the same Waffle House for breakfast that Deryl had taken me to during my previous visit in 2009, when I had passed this way after Ruth Weiss's funeral. We went through the historic center of Troy, OH to get there. The civic institutions in this part of Troy look so stately, erected here in a bygone era. Troy has a picturesque "time-capsule" look about it, but the fifty- to one-hundred year old wood-frame homes we passed also had a look of fragility to me, were a tornado to pass through here. Pictures of tornado-devastated Xenia, OH from the 1970s went through my head. I couldn't help but remark to Razelle about this.

At the Waffle House I had grits, a glass of milk and renewable cups of coffee. We've gotten used to renewable drinks by now – a perk that US consumers almost take for granted, but for us "Israelis" this is always a wondrous thing. Deryl's Aztec is an unusual vehicle. Razelle sat in the back seat and studied its features and was duly impressed by them. She compared them to our van's features and as we were returning to Deryl's place she said, "Next time we go on a cross-country trip here we should get ourselves an Aztec instead." Wow, the seeds of the "next trip" are already germinating in Razelle's mind. Very good, Razelle! 

Back at Deryl's we deliberated about what might be worth seeing in the Dayton area while we could. Aviation-related museums did not appeal to Razelle; she had left aviation-related things behind when she retired from her job at the Air-Force School. So we just hung out at Deryl's a while until Carol was due to get off work. We then followed Deryl in our van to their new place in Centerville, OH (part of Dayton) to meet Carol there.

Unlike Troy, this part of Dayton looked like the rest of America. The whole aspect was brighter. The construction was newer, but Deryl pointed out to Razelle that newer did not necessarily mean sturdier or longer-lasting. Razelle absorbed a lot of knowledge and wisdom from her exposure to Deryl. I've always appreciated this about him. That's why Deryl and I were best friends in high school and why we have remained so very close all these years.

While we waited for Carol, Deryl fished a can of Vernor's Ginger Ale out of the refrigerator. I haven't tasted this brand of ginger ale in more years than I can count. It was such a nostalgic treat! I've got to get me some of this while we travel, if I can find it. Carol arrived and we piled into her car and went to a restaurant she had always meant to try out, called the Chop House. I had a large lettuce salad with blue-cheese dressing and was satisfied by the portion size.

Back again at Deryl and Carol's new house we said our goodbyes. It was a relaxing visit with good friends. I'm glad I could get Razelle together with Carol and Deryl in their home environment. It truly helps to understand who they are when they are in their own comfortable surroundings. Razelle came away from this meeting of friends with a good impression. I look forward to more meetings, perhaps in our own home environment some day.

We got gas near Deryl and Carol's then entered the Interstate highway and drove through Cincinnati, across the Ohio River and into Kentucky, our 19th state. The sun set on us on our way to Louisville, our next destination, and cast Kentucky in a pink and purple glow for a time. We reached Matt and Kathy's home in the dark. They live on a long residential street in a part of Louisville that has a very nice rural suburban feel to it. Arranging this visit with my musician friends took a bit of keyboard virtuosity of my own. I used the Internet to find his mother's phone number and called her. She was delighted to hear from me. It was she who provided the contact number I used to call Matt. He was, likewise, delighted to host us when we got to Louisville. Our timing worked out perfectly and Matt accompanied us into his home when he heard us arrive.

Kathy treated us to her own home-made ice cream (peanut butter-mocha) while Matt and I reminisced about old times and Kathy listened intently. Matt and I were boy scouts together in the same Jewish boy scout troop. We were supposed to walk the Appalachian Trail together, along with my brothers and Bill, but Matt wasn't able to join us. Kathy was excited when she realized it was I who Matt had talked about when the topic of the Appalachian Trail had came up in their past. This made our visit even more significant for her. Razelle was excited to learn that their TV was tuned to CNN. She sat in front of their TV absorbed in what was being broadcast. She sorely missed CNN. It wasn't usually viewable at the motels we'd stayed in.

We were surrounded by Matt's handiwork. Matt is an accomplished carpenter, as well as a professional (and accomplished) bassoonist with the Louisville Symphony Orchestra (which is currently in financial limbo). The cabinets and chairs in his kitchen as well as a number of other items of furniture throughout the house were a testament to Matt's talents and love of this craft. Kathy excused herself and left us to practice her flute. She is a professional flautist with the same orchestra. She and Matt will be accompanying a professional operatic performance of Carmen tomorrow. They try to keep their hand in while they wait for LSO funding to get straighten out.

Before we went to bed Razelle asked me if I had seen the soap and shampoo. That's when I realized I must have left them at Deryl's this morning. I hate when that happens. There are so many ways to forget things when traveling around the world. At least this was something we could replace easily. But it’s the principle of the thing. I had had a momentary mental lapse and now these were gone. It was not the first time this had happened because of me and with trepidation I anticipated that this would not be the last. It ended what had been an excellent day of visiting valued friends on a sour note. I shrugged it off this time as a minor thing, though, as Razelle and I slept soundly in a bed in Matt and Kathy's home.