#atozchallenge20...J - Jill...My Cousin

When I went to Washington DC I knew I wasn't going to just go up and back. Why go that far and not continue on into Pennsylvania and see your cousin Jill that you had not seen in sixty years.  That's a long time to not see a relative. Yet there are some relatives I have never met.

I was six the last time I saw Jill. We played chase through her rooming house. Played in the park, went to the local watering hole with our dad's and played shuffleboard on a big long table. I had a sip of a drink of something red that burned the fire out of my mouth while all the men laughed. I cried!  My cousin's Jill, Judy and I played chase at a tennis court nearby,  we went to the country to see cousin's Fern and Harriett and saw a big red barn and horse. Oh so long ago.  I vaguely remember my grandmother and grandfather. I remember my grandmother didn't want me to call her grandmother, but Aunt Lovey. Strange.

Jill and I had not stayed in touch through the years however her sister Judy came to live with us for 6 months when she graduated high school. Jill married and worked in a bank. Our lives went on. About 4 years ago Jill lost her husband. Judy contacted me and let me know.  I sent Jill a sympathy card to let her know I was sorry to hear she had lost her husband.  She called me after much trepidation. I loved talking to her. She was a blast. We vowed we would stay in touch with each other.

After I lost Dave, I went on with our plans of retirement and bought the motorhome and decided on the Washington trip and knew since I was going to be in the area I had to see Jill. 

We met up Saturday morning at the McDonald's and I knew her on sight.  She had not changed in 60 years except to get older. She still had that cute quirky smile and twinkle to her eyes. She looked at me and said "Susie?" to which I replied "Yup it's me Jill, and you haven't changed a bit!" We decided we didn't want to eat at Mickey D's and had breakfast 

Cousin Jill

at Michael's 24 hour restaurant in Douglassville.  The food was real good and plentiful.  Afterword's we toured downtown Reading.  She showed me where my dad grew up. Where she lived. Where she and Judy grew up. Where she went to High School. She told me about her husband, how he was a musician, how he passed away from diabetes.

I have a feeling we could
get into a lot of
trouble together LOL

Sunday we met for breakfast again at Michael's but she had to work as she is a security guard for a company, so I was left to wander on my own.  We made arrangements to meet cousin Harriett and her

Harriett and Sue

daughter Sue on Monday for lunch at a restaurant in Reading.  It was very good I had the half taco salad. If that was the half size what did the full size look like! Then we did a little shopping at

Half a Taco Salad

the local Walmart for a few items. I then took her back to her car and I went home to the motorhome.  

The next day Jill and I went out to Harriett's Boyer's Meat market in Pottstown, PA and got a full size Lebanon bologna the most wonderful stuff in the world to bring back

Jill and one of the
butchers

home. Jill got some, she never had had any and thought it was wonderful. Even went out a couple of days later and got some more, so she told me. The building was built in the 1700's, there is an area of the market where you can still see the original floor. It is

Front of Boyer's Market
 in Pottstown

fascinating. I then went to Harriett's house and we talked for awhile and had a piece of her lemon pie.  It was delicious. I hated to go as I knew it would be some time before I would get to see her again.

The original cash
register

The original
Meat Scale

I had to go find a library to pay my bills and found a charming one in Birdsboro,PA It is the hub of the town and very friendly as well.  I was able to get

The town hub, the Library!

The Librarians,
wonderful assistants!

Great layout for
young minds

Layout encourages
teen readers

online and get all my bill paid and then have a look around the library. The staff was very accommodating and let me take their pictures to boot. After school the place was abuzz with parents and students. I've never seen so many people use the local library like this one.  

Early Wednesday morning Jill and I had breakfast and she  followed me out to the motorhome to see where I was staying. She had never been to French Creek State Park.  We said our goodbyes. All of her life Jill had been told she was slow, therefore not worthy. I did not find that to be so.  I found a very funny, bright, intelligent woman who simply marched to a different drum and I loathed the people who put her down all these years.  I hated to see her go but I needed to get on the road as I still needed to take a shower and dump my tanks. 

My dogs were raising a fuss of course and the park ranger came and told me I would have to leave if I couldn't get them under control and stop them from barking to which I told him I was leaving anyways. 

Sorry but dogs bark when people they don't know walk up to the motorhome, they are protective of me. 

At 11:30 a.m.  I had the wheels on Izzy rolling down the road to my next destination. 

I was sad to leave and wished I could have stayed longer, but I had doctor's appointments I had to get home to in Oklahoma the following week.