A few days ago, I drove back to Morgantown, West Virginia to visit friends and family and pick up a lamp that had been left behind when I moved in August to Washington, D.C. It felt good to be back for a visit — almost as if I had never left, like slipping on a comfortable old shoe. The weather was gorgeous and one of my friends had just brought home a puppy, part Bermese mountain dog, part German Shepherd and he was adorable. I had a great time, especially knowing I have my own apartment back in Washington, D.C. There isn’t a lot to do in Morgantown, if you’re not working or raising a family, and I love living in D.C. where there’s always something going on, an interesting talk, a concert, a new museum exhibit. Last week, for instance, I hopped on the Metro to see the new John Singer Sargent exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. It featured paintings Sargent had done during his frequent trips to Spain and viewing his art was a trip down memory lane, since Sargent painted some of the same indelible sights I visited while in Spain, like the Alhambra, the magical Moorish palace in Granada, and Santa Maria La Blanca, the 12th century synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Toledo, the oldest shul in Europe, which was converted to a church after the Jews were exiled from Spain. It was a wonderful exhibit and I was able to walk in without waiting and see it for free. I also love the fact that I live only 15 to 20 minutes by Lyft from National Airport and a 35-40 minute ride from Dulles. And there are nonstops flights from both airports to the cities where my sons currently live — in San Diego and London.
Even so, it was good to be back in my old stomping grounds. For the first few days, the weather was unseasonably warm and my friend and I took long walks in the woods, with a playful puppy skipping at our heels. I also arranged to see Jody, the woman I call my step-mother, even though my father and she never married. He passed away three years ago at the age of 95, but Jody, who is now 88 and growing frail, still has her crackerjack wit and winning smile. I caught up with other friends as well and even managed to squeeze in a massage from a masseuse friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while. I told him that I had moved to D.C. but was very much enjoying my week in Morgantown, and he commented, “You have the best of both worlds — you love living in the city but you will always have friends in the country. Lucky you.” He was right. I am truly blessed.
This blog is also posted on medium.com.
