Off to VA we go

We all fly out tomorrow to Virginia (where I lived until I was 12) for my grandfather's 90th birthday party. He is sharp as a tack, fit as a fiddle. I am looking forward to celebrating with him and all my extended family. I will mourn the day that his generation has died out...he remembers the Depression, WWII, Elvis Presley, and all other strange phenomena of culture here in America. To hear his stories is truly amazing. He received an orange for Christmas one year in the 20's and he thought that was such a special gift. Can you imagine if our kids received a piece of fruit?

I love history and sometimes I wish I had experienced American life from 1914 until now. How many changes I would have witnessed! I wonder if he is aware of how different life is now or if it is just a sort of gradual thing where it isn't as dramatic as "we used blocks of ice to keep our food cold and now we have the internet".

I am looking forward to showing Eli and Dan the city of Washington and all of its beauty. Architecturally, it is gorgeous, and I grew up with so many fond memories there. We would take field trips to the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, Civil War battlefields...it was such a great place to "feel" American history. Somehow, I feel connected to that city and I wonder if someday my life might take me back there for good.