From Dahlonega to Nova Scotia

Luckily, I did not have to travel the distance from Dahlonega, Georgia, to Nova Scotia, but my brother Simon, the storm chaser--also known as "Crazy Uncle Simon" to the boys--did have to drive from Norman, Oklahoma, to Topeka, Kansas, through Dayton, Ohio, across to New Jersey and then up to that Western Canadian town. His prize? Hurricane Bill.

Apparently, he was even interviewed live on the Weather Channel. But what else is new? I hope he had fun with that drive.

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I'll get to Dahlonega eventually. (You don't just name-drop Dahlonega for no reason, you know.) But first, let me catch everyone up on my weekend with Tammy and Will (Reese was having a "Daddy" weekend).

On Saturday, I spent the morning working like some obsessed mathematician on those crazy XSLT style sheets. I've made it about a quarter of the way through them, and received confirmation just this morning (Monday) that I did them correctly. Go me! Not bad for an English Lit major. A little bit of Shakespeare, a whole lot of programming.

Tammy saved me from myself by getting us out of our apartment and over to her parents' house. We visited for a bit, and then all four of us ventured over to watch the Gwinnett Braves (or G-Braves as we call 'em down this way) play the Charlotte Knights in some AAA minor league baseball action.

Grandma Linda bought Will a little G-Braves shirt, Grandpa Ed bought us all dinner, and the G-Braves delivered us a win (3-2). The evening was perfect, and so was the atmosphere. I've been to a few different minor league games in different cities and at different levels, but they all share one thing in common: The minor leagues always rock the socks off the major leagues in how family friendly their games are. Sure, you don't know anyone on the roster (and if you did, you wouldn't know if they'll be there from one game to the next), but the games are just fun. From the mascot hijinx to the kid races around the bases, the minor league games just make the spectators feel more involved.

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Anyway, we got home in time to watch Tammy's favorite Saturday night show on RTN: Midnight Monster Hop. This time around, it was the black & white version of Sweeney Todd.

I don't think there's a time or place that has been or ever will be spookier than late 19th/early 20th Century London, England. From fogs to top hats, it's just a spooky place.

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Sunday was the day we drove up to Dahlonega, GA. Apparently, the first U.S. gold rush happened in the Dahlonega area in 1828. So yeah, them thar hills is filled with those touristy gem stone places where kids sift through big clumps of dirt for gold and diamonds and rubies, but they end up with a tiny piece of quartz or some little green stones.

Anyway, we didn't go to any of them thar places. Instead, we visited the downtown historic district, which is just beautiful. They even have a horse-drawn carriage that can clop-clop-clop you around the square if you're into that kind of thing.

Big surprise: Tammy and I found some great stuff in the chocolate store, and I even purchased a peanut butter milkshake, which I can usually only find in Ohio at UDF. (In Ohio at UDF, though, I usually order a peanut butter and marshmallow milkshake with chocolate milk. So rich. So good.) The drive thar and back was totally awesome.

As we drove the hilly and winding roads, we listened to the soundtrack for Night of the Living Dead, because that's how we roll.

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Today? I got a bunch of stuff done, despite losing my Internet connection for a few hours in the middle of the day (Charter's been doing that a lot lately). Watched the Jets and Ravens play their Monday night preseason game. Had a caramel pudding cup for dessert.