My daughter and I embarked on a week-long road trip the day I finished school, just over a week ago. I packed my classroom, finished my grades and left school for the summer. Next day, we headed off to make a loop, the bottom of which was Columbia, SC where my niece is living and attending college. We had a wonderful time, reunited with old friends, delivered a few baby gifts in person, occasionally struggled to find radio stations we could both agree on, ate great food, but especially, lingered over many meals with people I love! We stopped in Burlington, NJ, Petersburg, VA; Columbia, SC; Greensboro, NC, Washington DC; Briar Cliff, NY then home; 2009 miles!! I discovered a few things, especially that my daughter is a very good driver!!! We haven't spent a lot of time on the highway together, and if so, I usually drive. I learned that grits are a vehicle for whatever you want to put in/on them. I learned that Mount Vernon now has a monument commemorating all the slaves who are buried there and that they are conducting archeological digs of these grave areas, which I look forward to revisiting when the work is visible to the public. I learned that, despite my concerns about the current political climate in DC, the city doesn't carry that pall. It is even more vibrant, multi-cultural, exciting, and beautiful than it was when I lived there decades ago. We were blessed with two days of uncharacteristic dry, clear weather in the mid 80s, lovely for sitting outside, walking among the monuments in the evening. I carried a sketchbook with me, and used it a few times during the trip. My daughter was in charge of of the Airbnb portion of the trip and she did a tremendous job!!! More to follow as I convert a few more ideas to the sketchbook.
My daughter and I embarked on a week-long road trip the day I finished school, just over a week ago. I packed my classroom, finished my grades and left school for the summer. Next day, we headed off to make a loop, the bottom of which was Columbia, SC where my niece is living and attending college. We had a wonderful time, reunited with old friends, delivered a few baby gifts in person, occasionally struggled to find radio stations we could both agree on, ate great food, but especially, lingered over many meals with people I love! We stopped in Burlington, NJ, Petersburg, VA; Columbia, SC; Greensboro, NC, Washington DC; Briar Cliff, NY then home; 2009 miles!! I discovered a few things, especially that my daughter is a very good driver!!! We haven't spent a lot of time on the highway together, and if so, I usually drive. I learned that grits are a vehicle for whatever you want to put in/on them. I learned that Mount Vernon now has a monument commemorating all the slaves who are buried there and that they are conducting archeological digs of these grave areas, which I look forward to revisiting when the work is visible to the public. I learned that, despite my concerns about the current political climate in DC, the city doesn't carry that pall. It is even more vibrant, multi-cultural, exciting, and beautiful than it was when I lived there decades ago. We were blessed with two days of uncharacteristic dry, clear weather in the mid 80s, lovely for sitting outside, walking among the monuments in the evening. I carried a sketchbook with me, and used it a few times during the trip. My daughter was in charge of of the Airbnb portion of the trip and she did a tremendous job!!! More to follow as I convert a few more ideas to the sketchbook. 
