Newark, NJ

This road trip is a chance for Jim and me to connect to friends we have not seen in a very long time. The first friend we stopped to visit was Alexander Schliep, a friend of Jim's. We had a lovely time with him and his family: they opened their home generously and we enjoyed great cuisine and conversation.

The Schliep family is lovely: they have two twin three-year-old boys and they live near a high school with a full sized track and field racetrack. We had a blast running our legs off (and theirs) around the track in the balmy afternoon and early morning. Visiting them was a wonderful way to recharge, re-connect and ground before heading into a buys three days in NYC. Although we only spent one night with them, it was difficult to say goodbye and we hope we see them soon, either here in New Jersey or north of the 49th!