We start our trip with hearts filled with sadness...

We started our road trip on a note of heartbreaking sadness.  We learned last night that Riley, our beloved Goldendoodle and only five years old, was very sick with a large tumor on his spleen. This was just devastating news coming so soon after we had helped Riley fight off Lyme disease only a month or so ago.  The vet advised that our options were limited and the prognosis for his recovery, even with surgery, was not good.  We decided to put Riley down, and our doing so was one of the hardest and saddest and most brutal decisions I have ever made.  Clare and Conor were filled with unrelenting sadness and sobs and tears, as were Suzanne and I.  Riley was a happy and fun-loving dog, and in a ball-fetching mood to the very end.  We took him for a last ball throw and squirrel chase in McMichael Park one of his favorite places to go. He was happy to chase the tennis ball, but no squirrels showed their faces.  He lived a full and vibrant life if a short one.  He was always full of energy and loved to meet new people, almost always with a tennis ball in his mouth. Our fond and loving memories of Riley, the squirrel chaser and ball fetcher and loving companion, will sustain us in the tough days and months ahead.

We hope that continuing on with our planned road trip will be a therapeutic salve and help with the healing and grieving for our immense loss of Riley.  We left Philadelphia about 6:10 pm and arrived in Ellicott City, Maryland, about 9:00 pm, where my sister Monica and my brother-in-law Bob welcomed us with their usual heartfelt hospitality, some pretty good pizza, and Breyer's Vanilla Caramel Gelato for dessert.  Tomorrow we're off to tour the Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park.