It's been nearly two weeks since I left Seattle for my September voyage to the motherland and I honestly have no idea where the time went. I had all of these grandiose plans: drive up to Boston, visit Vermont with Chels, perhaps even visit our brother at his college in upstate NY and swing by my alma mater for nostalgia's sake. Alas, nothing (aside from trips to the beach, jogs, and some quality twin time) has transpired. We joke how coming home for extended periods of time is like falling into a black hole, a tear in the space-time continuum, entering a place where hours, days, even whole weeks pass with simply no explanation as to how those minutes were actually spent. And, in the meantime, as you puzzle the previous day, you find yourself happily fed, well rested, and completely relaxed (if not somewhat lethargic). While our current vehicle of choice neither runs on uranium nor is it a snazzy early '80's delorean (it's actually an older Volvo xc90, with Vermont plates and bumper stickers reading "My Other Car is a Bicycle" and "Namaste") when it's run the speedometer, odometer and gas gage all freak out, the needles spin around, and the lights blink on and off, somewhat resembling Michael J. Fox's time traveling automobile.
Moving right along... Ah. Long Island. Many, many folks in the Northeast (and now perhaps across the nation, thanks to MTV's cash cow The Jersey Shore) mock Jersey and Long Island, and the population that resides here. Even as a born and raised native of this colorful region, I too take cheap shots at the grating accents, often over the top style and copious amount of "pizzaz". It's funny. I can't resist. However, there are some simply wonderful aspects of this area, my favorite being the L.I. Sound. I grew up down the street from the beach, and I cannot imagine living anywhere permanently that doesn't boast some sort of coastline. As tweens pre-license, it was an escape within walking distance. As teenagers, a spot for carousing and consuming. Now, with only a few weeks to enjoy what I used to see every day, I'm in awe of how beautiful it is each and every time I go down for a jog, swim, or just to watch the sunset. A-mazing.
