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May 26, 2008
Day Two: South Bend, IN to Utica NY
We made it from South Bend to Utica -- 12 hours; 638 miles; all freeway, complete with horrible fast food and lots of tolls. But the weather was good, and we arrived safely. The only casualty so far has been Mark's iPod.
We listened to NPR for most of the trip. Since it was Memorial Day, there were many programs about the military. Two were quite poignant. The first was an interview on the Diane Rehm Show, in which she interviewed a RAND Corporation research analyst, the director of behavioral health for the U.S. Army, and the executive director and founder of "Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America" about the alarming incidence of PTSD among active duty military personnel and veterans. I was rather surprised and very pleased to hear very little disagreement among these three people. They all acknowledged the problem and its degree, and they all noted that significantly greater resources needed to be directed toward military personnel and their families. Let's hope that these unlikely bedfellows can accomplish something significant on behalf of these families. You can hear the show by going here.
The second was on "Fresh Air," in which Terry Gross interviewed Marine Lt. Col. Steve Beck and journalist Jim Sheeler about their book, Final Salute. Beck's job is "casualty assistance" -- in other words, he informs families when one of their loved ones dies in service and then sticks with them physically and emotionally as they navigate the inevitable shock and grief. It was a powerful interview; hear it here.
The trip from Buffalo to Utica brought back many childhood memories. Many of my mother's relatives lived in Buffalo (including her mother for a time), so we shuttled back and forth on the NY State Thruway many, many times. The plan for tomorrow begins with a pilgrimage to my childhood home and my grandparent's home in Utica. I remember the addresses, and the town is pretty small, so is to take a round-about route to Amherst, since the moving van isn't there yet. We will be heading into the Adirondack Mountains, going through Old Forge (where we vacationed in the summers when I was a kid), and northward, crossing into Vermont via ferry at Burlington, and then stopping at Ben and Jerry's factory. Yum! Then on to Amherst. The past weeks have been so intense. It's fun to take a few days in the midst of it all and shift the schedule a bit.
Posted by hgroteva at May 26, 2008 9:07 PM | Moving