Notes from a 1400 mile trip to Virginia with my father in law and Joann


I now know every "Country Western" song every recorded

The people in the south are very friendly helpful and cordial

I get cramps in my leg if I drive more than 3 straight hours

Why cant I pump my own gas in New Jersey??..I have been pumping gas here since I was fifteen

It is fun to watch an older southern gentleman regain his rural drawl as he gets closer to his boyhood home.

Southern people going into Walmart,( most over 200lbs...even kids), move slower than the traffic entering the George Washington Bridge

Dogs run loose in the neighborhoods of the South

And everyone has at least five...and they all try to out bark each other

Beer on the porch at 11am is considered lunch

How does a waitress remember what somebody orders for breakfast when they only visit there home town a couple of times a year.

They eat more for breakfast than I do for all of my meals of the day...combined

Everyone knows everyone and all of their personal business...at least the waitresses do

Bacon, eggs, grits, ham, bacon, sausage, white toast, bacon, coffee ( no lattes), bacon  and chewing tobacco

Real men dont wear shorts in the south

They can smell a old Yankee commie hippie coming a mile away
, especially if he is wearing shorts.

Nobody walks in the south...the sidewalks ( if there were any) roll up after 8pm

They smile and wave a lot in the south

It was a great trip...you always go the extra mile for your family