Seein the fam - part 1

Finally took a trip back east, got the kiddies all packed and away we went. The flights were nice, thanks to the DVD player on the computer the boys were entertained through both legs. We landed in Providence on Friday night, to rain, lots of rain. So, we picked up the rental, unfortunately it thought it was well dressed, wearing a bowtie. Fortunately it had a built in DVD player, kids loved that (do you see a motif going on here, DVD players on long trips with kids = good.) So, off we headed to my aunt’s house in Wareham, Mass, where we were staying. She has a great little place, a half mile from the beach, more on that later.
We used Streets and Maps program to find our way, which told us to get off SR-25 on exit 1., Unfortunately we realize just as we pass exit 2 that it is the exit we needed, turns out there really is NO exit 1. Five miles later, the next possible exit, the road ends and splits into SR-28 and US 6. I have been to Wareham enough times so I knew I could just take US 6 and backtrack. That worked out just fine and only added about 15 minutes to the trip. Arrive at my aunt’s house, she’s waiting with others and food, damn good food. She ‘threw’ together this fry of sausage, peppers and onions. Anyhow, as far as the eating went, we spent four days visiting family who were either immigrants from Italy or first generation Americans of immigrants from Italy. Great eating.
Next day we got up and it wasn’t raining (yay) so we took a trip down to the beach. Checked out the shells and the hermit crabs and just got our feet wet. It was nice to be that close to the beach, could have walked, but with the threat of more rain didn't seem wise.
Next stop was the family reunion in Needham, MA, our main purpose for this trip. If you have ever spent any time driving in Mass you will understand this. Yes, we got off track. When we went from SR-24 to I-95 we headed north (after all we were south of Needham). Turns out that was the wrong way, but from the looks of “south” I-95 traffic was too backed up. So I got off and thought I could backtrack like I had in Wareham. Ok, so now I remember, Mass roads are NOTHING like driving in SL. Getting from point A to point B is easy in Salt Lake, everything is on a grid. Ended up doing a lot of winding through several towns, but got there about 45 minutes later. Oh, did I mention, it was raining again. Spent the afternoon with close to seventy or eighty relatives. Most of them I didn’t really know, but what the hell. It was a blast. The biggest event at the reunion was the 100 year birthday celebration of my great aunt. All of the kids got on stage and sang happy birthday to her. Then they brought out a cake for her. The woman amazes me, she is 100 years old, doesn't have hearing aids or glasses, and still walks without the aid of a walker or cane.
Her mind is as sharp as a tack, and she can still cook up a helluva meal. Cooking is her passion, and she hasn't lost her touch. After the reunion we headed back to Wareham, in more rain in the dark.