Better late than never, right?

Ok, no. I never really believed that one either.

So, fine, I’m a little late in posting the last chapter in the great Historic Preservation Spring Break Fact Finding Trip of 2008. I hope you canb forgive me. If so, join me now as we rewind the hands of time to an era that passed almost a week ago.

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I just wanted to be home.

I had had a great trip. I’d spent some quality time in the car and satisfyed the gypsy in me. I had broadened my horizons; had listened to and spoken with some friendly and knowledgeable people. I had spent time with friends, had laughed with family, and had surrounded myself with my home lands.

But home wasn’t home any more. When you get married, you relate your sense of place less with a patch of dirt and more with a person and a smile.

My home was five hundred miles north. And I’d been away too long.

So, I cut the great spring break trip short by a day.  Ihopped in my car on Saturday morning and started moving. And I didn’t stop for ten hours unil I was in Vermont and next to Emily.

And now I’m back. Getting back in to the swing of the semester, thinking about assignments and summer internships, and summer trips, and life and etc, and etc, and etc.

A paper will follow from the great spring break fact finding trip. That, after all, was the point. But it’ll be later in the semester after I’ve had time to assimilate all the knowledge and organize.

Later – maybe this week, but maybe not – I’ll post some pictures from the trip and some final thoughts.

But for now, my work for the week is done. It’s a day of blue skies and a high sun. Time to go play.

Ok, I admit. I’m cheating a bit with this entry.

I’m writing it a day late and I’m not even in Adamstown anymore, but I committed to writing one post for every day of my tip, so we’ll just pretend that I’m not delinquent; k?

Friday morning, I woke up at Dad’s and was relieved to realize that for the first time in my spring break trip, I had no real agenda for the day. I just had to be at Mom and Cal’s by dinner time. I took my time getting in gear, and managed to knock out some laundry and a phone interview for a summer internship before I left Dad’s around noon.

I headed east toward Frederick, stopping at the toy store to pick up some gifts for the nieces (Spoilin’ the nieces: that’s the way I roll.) and then over to Grandma’s to visit for a while. I was at Mom’s by 3:30 and had a nice rest of the day hanging out and drinking beer and snacking and eventually falling asleep on the couch until about 2:30.

That’s also the way I roll.

I took my time getting up-and-at-’em on my last morning in Charleston. I figured I didn’t have to check out until noon, so I was going to take all the time I needed. I slept late, got up and showered, got dressed, packed, checked out, and was on the road by 11:30.

I drove north on twisty, hilly I-79 for two hours and then got off to get lunch. Oh, Arby’s, how I’ve missed you. Vermont doesn’t know what it’s missing.

While chowing down on both a Chicken, Bacon, ‘n Swiss (my favorite ingredient? the ‘n.) and a junior roast beef, I checked my map and saw I was only one exit away from US Route 50, so I decided I was tired of the interstate and would take the back roads for a while. I took 50 for 30 miles or so in to Maryland and then took route 219 north past Deep Creek Lake and hooked up with I-68 west of Cumberland. Pedal-to-the-metal, I flew the rest of the wasy and was in Hagerstown and at Dad’s just as dinner went on the stove.

I had a great night with Dad and Darlene, with Ann and the girls. I was tired and went to bed early and had a surprisingly good night of sleep on a bed that I previously thought was among the world’s most uncomfortable.

Today it’s on to Frederick and more family time with Mom and Cal.

I’m considering doing the entire drive home to Vermont in one day; tomorrow.

I love my family and I love my friends and it’s been a great trip, but I just want to be home with my wife.