Weather Report: Unfurled Umbrellas Jousting into Wind-Driven Torrent

Comcast's passive aggressive approach to customer service has at last yielded reconnection to Marge's Internet which was down for over two days. The tech was a good guy not-withstanding. I do wonder sometimes if Comcast gets away with treating their techs the same way they treat their customers. Poor things.

If ever I wished I had a picture it would be Cousin Jim, his wife Nancy and I bent into our umbrellas braced against the wind and rain as we hurried across the parking lot to the SEPTA Regional Rail Station...

Jim and Nancy

...to take ourselves to Philly for some historical visiting at the Independence Hall complex which is otherwise known as Independence Mall in Center City. I'm qualifying this because, from the sounds of it, Jim rightly thought the latter was a shopping place and I've no doubt he'd have thought very little of rain-jousting for such a goal. But with the clarification that it was the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and related structures, Jim's enthusiasm returned. He and Nancy are so game. They said, "Oh well if the weather gets too bad we can just come back."

So, that attitude brought us through to access all of Independence Mall's historical site nearly devoid of tourists and the National Park Service wasn't charging anything that drenched day.

Rocky Balboa helping out.

Jim and Nancy with the Liberty Bell.

The docents were all on duty and quite relaxed as only a handful of people gathered for tours. Since Justice Scalia's death only was only two days before, it was grounding to see the Supreme Court's chamber...

1791-1800 the Supreme Court met here in Philadelphia. Since a new justice is now to be considered, here is a page from the .gov site if you want to brush up on the Supreme Court FAQs:
Supreme Court

...where all six justices presided. That and the House of Representatives meeting room and upstairs the Senate chambers put a perspective on our current times that felt encouraging that we are somehow going to get through the mess we are now facing. There was something collectively stronger going on that got this country's ball rolling than I think we realize. When we finished touring, the rain stopped for our walk back to Reading Terminal Market and the train station.

It was a distinct pleasure to host a supper with Jim and Nancy, Wendy, John and Aidan all at the Harleysville Hotel restaurant for a Philly Cheesesteak sampling by Jim and Nancy and H. Hotel's famous wings for the rest of us. Plenty of common ground conversation was found and explored, including Jim, Nancy and John's discovery of their mutual computing foundations in the languages of cyber-world history which didn't sideline Wendy with her online business history nor Aidan's young experience growing up in our world of cyber communication. Far-ranging conversations developed and it was as satisfying as the food was to hunger.

There was time the next day for a tour of Rhapsody Ridge. Wendy was home to show us around the place.

Jim and Wendy after the goat inspection. It was the goats' and horse's first day out in the pasture after the recent crazy weather.
Toby is hurrying to assist the tour.

Shoutout to Marge: Thank you, for sharing the comfort of your home to these traveler's who'd "frozen their butts off" in the minus 27-degree wind chill experience of Boston's Amtrak station waiting for the train to Philly.