All of us on the deck eating dinner and using the self-timer on the camera

Bill with Gigi on a hike

On a boat ride throgh the St. Lawrence River

Uncle Harold and Bill having a nice chat in Montreal

Vacations come for us once a year, and we really look forward to them. This year we did things a bit differently than normal – We went on vacation with my good friend, Patty’s brother. Bill was at our house last Christmas for a party and commented on how he rented this place in upstate NY for a couple of weeks but had no one to join him. Bill had just gotten divorced, and he and his wife had been to this house several times together in the past. When he mentioned the house to me at our party, I jokingly said, “Hey! We’ll go with you!” And 6 months later, we were on our way together.

The planning part was fun, and we did a lot of talking over the phone. We rented a fabulous Honda Odyssey minivan, packed it to the max and loaded ourselves in it. (This was the best vehicle ever for a long trip!) This car was filled with Bill, my husband John, my daughter Rachel, huge standard poodle, Gigi, and me, plus a lot of STUFF.

Thinking back, it was a risk taking our only vacation of the year with my friend’s brother. Sure, I’ve known him for 18 years, but I didn’t really know him. We could have discovered that he was annoying, hard to get along with, moody or difficult to please. That could have ruined our entire trip, leaving us wishing we had gone alone.

But NONE of this happened! Instead we had a blast. Bill has a hilarious sense of humor and just plain likes to have a good time. Many times during the 60 or so hours of car travel to and from Montreal, we laughed so hard, we were crying. We enjoyed seeing all the sites together, hiking together, eating together and just hanging out. He got along famously with my family in Montreal. And he loves our dog!

We learned some interesting things about Bill:

  1. He packs lightly. (We don’t!)
  2. He has 5 cats at home and talks about them like they were his children.
  3. He has great neighbors who invite him over for dinner almost every day.
  4. He is immaculate, hates clutter and likes to put everything away.
  5. He watches the stock market like a hawk.
  6. He eats constantly and is stick thin. He says he is feeling “peckish” every 20 minutes or so.
  7. He knows 2 different women named, Gaynelle. How is that possible?
  8. He did not think my different voice characterizations were that wierd, just funny.
  9. He introduced us to a couple of interesting people in NY.
  10. He is never late for anything.

So the next time you are thinking about a family vacation, consider bringing a friend along. It just might add some spunk to your adventure.

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