Returning under a shimmering rainbow and the blood red moon of a lunar eclipse, my sojourn to the South concluded around 5 a.m. on Friday. It was a fantastic trip! A nice mix of adventure, hedonism, reflection, and interesting sights. Most importantly, it offered me a welcome chance to get reacquainted with some of my seldom-seen friends and family. It took me 2275 miles physically, and several places emotionally I really hadn’t expected (whew).
I’ve got pages of hand written entries to digest and scores of pictures to sort, so it may be a few days before much of it finds its way up onto this site, but hell, the pictures of Elvis, the Sunsphere, and Heritage USA (the former evangelical empire of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker) are worth the wait. Until then enjoy a best of list.
Oh, and thanks again to all the folks who put me up for the night and fed me such good food and drink. It was greatly appreciated!
Index
- Norfolk
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennesse
- 1982 World’s Fair and the Sunsphere
- Graceland
- Headed Home
List of the most:
- Reverent – Visiting my Grandmother in the nursing home.
- Humorous – Telling Kevin that his couch, which came from Brian and Phil’s old house, was the very one where I’d first had sex with a guy. “DON’T TELL ME THAT YOU MONKEY-PRIMATE BASTARD!!!!!”
- Surreal – Exploring the Ruins of Heritage USA.
- Shocking – “Matching rings, you didn’t tell me…”
- Scenic – Rock Hill South Carolina and Charlotte North Carolina.
- Envied – The Sunsphere! As my new base of operations. I do believe the death ray would work just fine thru the tinted glass…
- Saddening – Seeing a parking garage standing where all of my old college hangouts used to be.
- Hedonistic – Having drinks bought for me all night at the Garage, getting hit on by lots of nice guys, and then literally staggering back to Kevin’s place in a word-slurring stupor.
- Anticipated – “Call me and we’ll get together tomorrow night” says the hunky boy from Mississippi in an irresistibly thick country accent.
- Disappointing – Being stood up by aforementioned country boy…
- Beautiful – My Grandmother, the mountains near Ashville, the Sunsphere (the country boy might have figures somewhere in here if he hadn’t been a no-show…).
- Tasty – Channello’s Pizza – Extra sauce, extra cheese, extra Mmm.
- Shagadelic – Graceland. Nooo contest…
- And finally, the most complimentary statement said to me: “Your just the bell of the ball!” – Diamond the drag queen. Hmm…
Norfolk – Monday the 5th to Wednesday the 7th
I felt my trip had really begun when I crossed thru that ole’ traffic stopper: the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I was back in Norfolk, back at college, back down memory lane. I was lucky enough to have a place to stay with Kevin and his brother Stuart. They lived on a relaxing street in an apartment with Killer water pressure and a memorable couch.
The area has changed a lot since I lived down there. For one, there are all these mermaids decorating the area. The darn things are everywhere and I kinda liked them. They look a hell of a lot better than the elephants and donkeys that litter DC. O.D.U. has also changed, and not all for the better. To make room for campus expansion, they are demolishing the entire strip of bars and shops that comprise the social scene for the college. Its sad and a mistake. Yes, yes, parking and a fancy convention center are nice, but watching cool bands, socializing, and dating are every bit as important to the college experience and that experience is now greatly diminished.
A lot of thing hadn’t changed though. The squalid shack where I lived before moving back to DC was still standing, as was my old watering hole: the Garage. I spent a fair amount of time there on this trip. Also unchanged was the old Campaign Headquarters were many a college dollar was wasted on RPG distractions.
Norfolk stirs up so many mixed memories for me. I can’t help but feel that I made so many, many mistakes when I lived there. Painful mistakes. Mistakes that cost me many years of my life. There are so many things I would do so differently if I had the chance to go back. But still, along with the guilt, there are all the good times. The warm summer nights with my old friends. The parties, the drinking, the lazy days, the skinny dipping and the laughter. And the sex, for the first time… twice. There were times were it would all wash back over me. I’d pass a familiar building or see a forgotten street and suddenly feel the presence of that 19-year-old me again. The one who had nothing but time and hope for the future…
 Bridge Tunnel |
 Kung Fu Kevin |
 Stuart imbibes |
 Mermaids Everywhere |
 McDonalds Destroyed |
 Many a drunken night… |
 Old gaming store |
 My old house |
 The couch of love… |
 Peaceful afternoon |