Well, party people, I have made my triumphant return from the East Coast. The wife, kids, and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves while we toured my old stomping grounds of Halifax County, Virginia. I come from an extremely rural area that would make your average boondock appear metropolitan, but we managed to have a good time even without accessible internet.
It was difficult to find the time to visit everyone who wanted to see us while we were there, but we tried to go on tour and shake enough hands to pacify the troops. My parents were actually happy to see me (I haven’t been home since June, after living in their presence for the majority of my life).
My stepkids had never met my parents so it was interesting having my peeps addressed as Grandma and Grandpa. I lived for that moment. The kids didn’t even complain (too much) about the lack of internet at my old house (I’m not footin’ an internet bill for someplace I ain’t livin’ at anymore). 
After we hung out with the folks for a few days, we journeyed north to visit my alma mater. Yes, I did indeed graduate from college with an art degree (although you can’t tell by reading this mediocre comic strip I create). We went on an impromptu tour of Virginia State University. The place had changed a lot since I had last visited in 1996 (I’m a ’94 graduate).
My kids were able to witness some of the fraternities “coming out” with their new Spring Line of inductees. They also were able to enjoy a real, live college block party complete with a fish fry and live, bass-thumping music. They practically didn’t wanna leave. 
Most of my former professors had retired, but I did run into a couple of people I knew from school (boy, have they gotten olllld). We hung out for a little while, I ordered some transcripts, and we decided to continue making our way north.
I-95 is a formidable stretch of highway, but it’s nothing compared to the mean streets of the California Freeways. We were mega-late in meeting my best friend and his wife for a specially-prepared dinner, but that didn’t stop us.
We stopped for a spell at my wife’s aunt’s home in Alexandria, VA ( which is right at the DC border). I had met her previously in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving, and she was as kind and gracious as ever. I do believe I battled the kids for dibs on the tastiest homemade brownies this side of the Mississippi. After catching up with her (and calling my boy to clarify the GPS direction to his new crib), we departed for Brandywine, MD.
3/4 of Da Skwadrun
My best friend, Shaun, and his wife, recently built a marvelous, palatial home in Brandywine and this was my first time seeing it. It was dark when we got there, so there are no pictures from me of the place, but I was pleasantly surprised when I crossed Shaun’s threshold to find one of our oldest, dearest homeboys lurking in a corner. It was my second-closest friend, Jessie Mayo (who has just completed his PhD in astrophysics or something like that, might I add)!
I hadn’t seen Jessie, nor his wife, since 1996, so it felt really good to encounter them after all this time. They had brought their children, so I had the pleasure of meeting Big Jess’s offspring too.
Faye (Jessie's wife) and Tonia (Shaun's wife)
Our wives had a good time meeting one another and talking about us like weren’t there. Our kids took off like they’ve known each other for years and got along fabulously well. We stayed for as long as we could, but we had more places to visit (and everyone wanted/needed to see us). I gave my boys a pound and a man-hug and we were off thru the back roads of Maryland!
Our next stop was Columbia, MD to visit my cousin Jade, her kids Jalen and Ricky, and my Uncle Alvin. Jade’s wonderful husband, Rica, was heading out of town early that morning on business so, unfortunately, we were unable to see him this go round. 
My cousin Jade is one of the coolest females on the planet. She does not hesitate to tell you like it is and her tongue has no regards for your feelings. If you don’t wanna know who you are, don’t go see her. Her honesty is just as abundant as her love, which is why I couldn’t go on an East Coast excursion without going to see her and her family.
I don’t have any photos of all of us together, but my daughter did manage to snag a shot of my son and cousins horsing around in the backyard with some of the neighborhood boys.
My cousin Jalen towering over everyone in white tee and blue jeans, and my son CJ in the wife-beater running thangs.
After we left MD, you just know we had to go partake and revel in the sights of our nation’s capitol of Washington, DC! I’ve been to DC numerous times (and I believe my wife’s been once or twice), but the kids have never set foot on DC soil. All they knew of Washington was from books, TV, or movies (sorta like my previous California experience).
We got lost a few times trying to find the best place to park our car and venture forth on foot, bus, or taxi, but we finally made it to a recognizable landmark. My wife called her Uncle Leo, who is an authority on all things DC, and he instructed us on the best methods to take when touring the capitol.
I won’t talk ya to death about each and every place we visited while there, but I will let a few photos tell the story. All in all, even with swollen feet and the cries of the mentally wounded, we enjoyed ourselves in Washington.
The Washington Monument
U.S. Department of Commerce
My daughter & I (and TJ making big moves in the background)
At The Air and Space Museum
As you can see, by the end of this marathon trip, I began to grow a little fidgety and restless. Thankfully, we began to make our way back down south towards Virginia (with a looong line of crawling traffic to accompany us). We’ll be sure to share some of our family pix during our next vacation! Thanks for reading!
