Saturday, August 8, 2015

August 8-9, 2015: My Virginia



[If it’s August, it must be time for my annual pilgrimage to my Virginia homeland with my boys—and my annual series AmericanStudying the Old Dominion. That has led up to this special weekend post on the people who really signify “Virginia” to me!]
A handful of past posts that help define my Virginia.
1)      Public teachers: My whole life in Charlottesville was spent in the city’s public schools, and I wouldn’t change a thing about those experiences. The folks on whom that post folks are the main reason why!
2)      Camp Virginia: I think that post says it all!
3)      Friends: As I wrote in this post expressing thanks for Facebook (seriously!), I graduated high school with a truly exceptional group of peers. They, and especially my lifelong best friend Steve, are hugely constitutive of my Virginia, now as then.
4)      My sister and her family: From her Martha’s Vineyard wedding to her newborn (well, 9 month old, but who’s counting?!) twins, my sister and her growing family have played a prominent role in this space—just as they did in every one of my Virginia years after she joined our own growing family way back in 1982.
5)      The Railtons: Some of the Railtons highlighted in that tribute post have lived for more than four decades in Virginia; others have only visited, brought there by yours truly. But they’re all part of what home means to me, and so is the Old Dominion for sure. Virginia is for Railtons!
Next series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. Virginia connections (or meaningful people) you’d share?

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