Heading East

Looks like I'll be heading east again this summer to visit my son. Though I love visiting him and I miss him terribly because he lives so far away, staying in hot hot Quantico for the whole two weeks has no appeal to me whatsoever. If I want to be THAT hot, I can melt outside my own home in my own town's heat and humidity. 

However (if I had a mustache, I'd be twisting it now) I have a plan: He wants to take the kids somewhere fun – hopefully NOT in Virginia. I'd rather go north, far north, than stay in that hot and humid state. One very hot and humid summer day last year, we went to an amusement park in Virginia and I had to jump in the kids' water play area to prevent myself from dying. 

Seems we can never enjoy a perfect temperature. One holiday season we went to New York City and took a horse and carriage ride through Central Park, shivering the whole time. We had fun, but I'd like just once to have really nice weather when I visit him with his kids.

This time, because it's so hot this season, I'd like to visit some place a little further north. Woodbridge, New Jersey, is only about four and a half hours from where my son lives if we go through the New Jersey Turnpike. The kids would enjoy Kids Village, the Children's Museum of Somerset County, or (and this is the one that appeals to me the most) the Crystal Springs Family Aquatic Center in East Brunswick, which is the same distance from his home. 

Central New Jersey offers so many places to visit. If the weather is cooler, we can visit the Bamboo Forest at Rugers Gardens or Carteret Waterfront and Veteran's Park. Keeping the kids occupied won't be a problem. And who knows, maybe we'll run into Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi, both New Jersey guys. Or John Travolta strutting to Staying Alive. 

OK, reality check here – I doubt we'll run into any of them, but because we will be so close to Central New Jersey and because they offer so many attractions, getting out of Virginia greatly appeals to me. And I love those Jersey accents!

As I write this blog, today is the day before Memorial Day. I'd like to wish my Marine son, who has served his country for a decade now, including four tours in Iraq, a Happy Memorial Day. I honor you for your service, and I pray for all those families who, like me, suffered through years of torment, but who, unlike me, don't have a son or daughter to visit. Semper Fi, Greg! I love you!