This trip took me to upstate New York for a press check for Hectic's biggest project yet. The first run of the project didn't quite hit specifications so I'm on press to make sure that version 2 comes out better. It's been a long and painful day during which I've been an extremely difficult client to my vendor, but we came out of it with about half the job done.
My print vendor, a broker from NJ, actually grew up in this town and has friends here. I've been invited to stay overnight in an old farmhouse with his friends, his wife and kids, and a very, very large black dog. The house dates to the 1800s and is beautiful. Some of the original decorative woodwork survives, covered by layers of paint. Ginny pointed it out to me when she took me on a tour of the house and the gardens, and detailed plans to restore more of the home.
Did I mention Ginny must be in her 80s? But she manages her enormous farmhouse, her dog the size of a Shetland pony, her garden and her life with admirable energy. Charlie is a fascinating guy with a wealth of stories to tell. He moves more slowly, but gives the impression that he's simply taking his time - he doesn't want to miss anything.
The vendor brought his family and I've really just been wishing for a chance to play with the baby, but instead have retired to what must have once been a sitting room to try and catch up on work. The walls of the house are creaking a bit as it goes though its daily routine of cooling down for the night.
When I'm in a hotel or traveling to a bad meeting or stuck in a terminal somewhere or enduring any of the many things that can go wrong on a business trip, I hope I can remember my bedroom in this house and how I was adopted into this world, if only for a day.
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