Eclipse Vacation - Friday

I cooked up kale (fresh from a colleague's garden) with butter, raisins, and herbs for breakfast and packed most of the rest for lunch. My work day dragged on for what seemed like forever. My colleagues attempted to jovially express how much I would be missed next week, how could they survive without me? They do lean on me a good deal; it was hard all around to set aside the time for a vacation.
I floundered through my work; I was struggling through a challenging project, trying to put something together without having all the information I needed to paint the whole picture. I started taking the stress out on my fingernails as my confidence wavered. I kept at it until about 4:00 when I gave up the ghost and said my goodbyes.
I headed home and rounded up the rest of the things for the trip. Having packed my bag, there was also bedding and munchies to bring along. Leaving the house the way it was so we could get going, we began driving down 84 at about 5:45pm, Mike at the wheel.
The kids got tired of the tablet quickly (no wifi and they found out our 1-year subscription to the unlimited games and apps that came with the tablet had ended) and became silly, provoking each other to giggles and squeals. We set up the route on google maps, up over the Tappen Zee, circumventing NYC and skipping most of NJ by travelling through PA by way of Allentown, through York on 83, then as usual through MD.
Along the way, we stopped to pick up two medium handmade "pan" pizzas from Dominos in Bedford NY around 8 after we realized snacks wouldn't be enough. The sprinkle changed to a downpour while I paid for the food. A delivery guy ran in holding a pizza cover over his head. "Nice umbrella!" I quipped. I dashed to the car clutching our prize.
Doughy crusts, hot from the oven - one hamburger and pepperoni and one ham and pineapple. Wary about the ham and pineapple at first, the kids hungrily dove in. The pizza was enough for all with some left over.
We drove on, stopping briefly for bathroom stops and gas. The girls and I watched a few Dr. Who episodes. At the last stop about 2 hours from our destination we discovered Elinor had hives on her leg. Concerned, there was little I could do and the convenience store did not carry Benadryl so I slathered lavender oil on it and bundled everyone back in the car amidst dark, heavy fog laden with unidentifiable poisons.
The lovely smell of the essential oil and late hour soothed the children all into a deep slumber. I stayed mostly awake but drowsy the rest of the drive. We arrived at my sister Lydia's apartment about quarter to two in the night, swathed in fog. We all tumbled out of the car and brought our things up several flights of stairs. The door was left unlocked for us and with little fanfare we quietly settled in. Derek and Elinor slept on the couches and Mike, Fiona and I crashed on a blanket on the carpeted floor.