Our two zero days in Allentown were mostly good. We got to see most of Bear Bell’s family as we all celebrated her 90th birthday.
On Saturday morning before the party, we took a drive into Allentown to go to the big market there. It was a hikers dream with food everywhere. I went around and sampled donuts along with some iced coffee. I still love the fact that I can eat anything I want and not gain weight as long as I’m still hiking. We picked some stuff up to cook later, some sausages and veggies, then headed back to grandma’s place, where we then headed to the party. We had a nice time at the party, and of course the food there was great too (catered by Wegmans!). After the party we joined some of Bear Bell’s cousins at Funk Brewing in Emmaus, PA. I had a flight there, and to me the standout was the stout that evening. I know it’s not typically a summer beer, but it was tasty. We all had some nice conversation before returning to the rest of the family.
Unfortunately on Sunday afternoon , I received sad news… my own grandmother had passed away. It was a bit of a shock, as I had known my brother and parents had just visited a few weeks prior. After a few phone calls back and forth with my parents i got the details for the services, which were to be on Cape Cop this week. We decided that we could stick with our Monday and Tuesday hiking plans, and then get picked up in Connecticut on Tuesday evening. With that, I knew I’d get to see my own family this week, the silver lining to the unhappy situation. I’m glad we’ll get to hike for a few days before the funeral, as I’m hoping the trail will provide some therapy. We’ll see how the rest of this week will go.
Our deepest condolences to you & your family over the loss of your grandmother.