Saturday, 29 July, Rockville, brunch (near but not quite) in Washington Grove

Written 30 July 2017

Saturday morning, Rachel and I ran last-minute errands in the morning before we all adjourned to number-two son Daniel's new house for brunch. Carolyn, Jeff, baby Kay, and Dan's brother-in-law Robert were also there. Dan and his wife Helen grilled sausages, scrambled eggs with cheese, and cooked up (well, dragooned Ev into cooking up) stacks of challah French toast. Strawberries on the side.

The house is just outside a very sought-after area called Washington Grove and less than 10 minutes from Rachel and Ev. After we ate, Dan and I explored the large back yard, so that I could identify some of the many bushes, trees, and wildflowers that flourish there. Come spring, they should have a virtual carpet of violets.

In the afternoon, we went with Rachel and Ev to see Dunkirk, which was great. I'm becoming a real fan of Mark Rylance. Also helpful was having David along, who knew all the history. On the way home, he answered all our questions, like "Why didn't the Germans just close in earlier?" and "did the small boats make more than one trip?"

Because the Sinnetts have had such a tough week of it, healthwise, Rachel is far behind on her preprations for the trip, so she declared that we weren't cooking dinner in her kitchen, which she had finally gotten clean, so we enjoyed a feast of take-out sushi, and Rachel and Ev finally got around to packing.

Now, at 11:30 a.m., Ev is off to the electronics store for a "europlug" electrical adapter, David's sleeping as long as he can in preparation for the long flight, I've repacked everything, setting aside those things I'll leave here at the Sinnetts' until we get back, and Rachel is having her hair and nails done. Carolyn will be here at 2 p.m. tomorrow to take us to Dulles, and the adventure (as opposed to all the mere aggravation the Sinnetts have been dealing with) will begin!