I was back in Pittsburgh for the weekend to hit Pap's birthday brunch. The party begins at precisely the amount of time it takes to get Pap and Grandma from St. Alphonsus after 8AM mass in Wexford over to Aunt Pat and Uncle Rob's house in Ingomar.
I walked to my Aunt's from my parent's place almost a whole two blocks, a distance in the suburbs usually traveled by car. This amused my mother.
Most of my Aunts and Uncles think it's pretty ridiculous that I live in New York City. They generally say they couldn't imagine being surrounded by so many people, especially strangers. But my younger cousins think it's pretty cool. One of them is off at college now in Slippery Rock. Man, I'm getting old.
After the party I drove Pap and Grandma back to their place in my mom's car. My assignment was to help them open Pap's gifts. Between his arthritis and her Alzheimer's, it's hard to peel open the envelopes and keep track of who gave what. So I opened everything and made a list of offerings by name. Grandma will properly write a thank you note to everybody. That list will help her along.