My vacation will dominate this week

loch-ness-monster

Starting at 3 a.m. today (this post is set for 9:30, so technically we’re on the road now), my family and I will be heading out on the road for a trip to Virginia first, and then, Massachusetts. We’re planning on spending five days in Virginia, seeing Williamsburg (and particularly, Virginia Beach), our old neighborhoods in Hampton and Poquoson, Virginia Beach, and hopefully a Norfolk Tides game in there as well. Then we’ll head to Massachusetts, first to see my grandmother on her birthday, and then to spend a couple of nights on Cape Code in Hyannis and head over to Nantucket for a day.

There’ll be some quieter days than others, but I hope to offer a fun account and thoughts about this year’s trip as a way to break up the blog (and give me something to write about while I’m gone). Let me know what you think in the comments!

Rising sea levels and their effects on communities

jamestown

In a few short weeks I’ll be making a return trip to Virginia, which I last visited two years ago, to enjoy a few days in the area I first grew up. While a chunk of time will inevitably be spent at Busch Gardens, we’ll also spend time exploring our old neighborhoods in Hampton, Newport News and Poquoson, as well as likely taking a trip over to see Norfolk and Virginia Beach, all areas against the water with beautiful views. Continue reading

YouTube has everything: Haynes Furniture commercials

haynes-furniture

Before moving to Connecticut in 1993, I was born and raised for the first 11 years of my life in Tidewater, Virginia. Here in Connecticut, we grew up knowing Bob of Bob’s Discount Furniture and his crazy mix of catchphrases, talking and dancing furniture and low-budget advertisements, but it of course was incredibly effective, given how much the company’s grown over the years. Virginia’s equivalent is Haynes. Continue reading

I miss Busch Gardens

loch-ness-monster

Busch Gardens was like a second home for me growing up. Because of my family’s proximity to the park for a number of years when I was little, season passes, and monthly or so trips, were pretty much inevitable. It was impossible to get tired of the park; it was always immaculate, organized, clean and entertaining. Continue reading

Being a kid vs. being an adult

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I’m woefully behind yet again with the blog, but I’m getting better in some ways; I used to forget about things I wanted to write about; now I have drafts of topics that just aren’t written. But they’ll get there. One topic awaiting a write-up, but relates to a recent trip, is seeing things through the filter of memories, and of childhood, vs. today. Continue reading

Marking a set of anniversaries

jamestown

Yesterday, I noted that I moved from Virginia to Connecticut 20 years ago this month. It occurred to me earlier this month that a number of personal milestones fall in June, for whatever reason; not just graduation from high school and the obvious stuff, but bigger things. Continue reading