West vs. East - South vs. North

Today was the day. After nine days on the road we returned home from our Virginia exploration. However, after Colonial Williamsburg we did make one last stopover in Richmond. Basically it granted us an opportunity to visit a city that we have never visited and it got us an hour closer to home.

We left the lodge in the early afternoon yesterday and almost immediately ran into traffic… the shift back to reality was already taking place. After unpacking one last time at our final hotel and taking a moment to breathe we walked across the parking lot for a quick, and early, dinner before getting back in the car and heading into the city. Now that we have been there once I am not sure that I will be visiting any time soon unless I need to get some family research done as it is the capital of the Commonwealth.

While most of the museums were closed we were still able to walk around a few minutes once we found an open spot in the hospital parking lot. It wasn’t much but at least now I can say that I have seen both White Houses as the Confederate White House is still standing in the middle of the city (in the middle of a hospital campus actually).

With limited space around the structure, there was still room for the preservation of a small garden in the back…

…and the front of the house looks to be well maintained.

Given recent events in this country I couldn’t help but think about the importance of these places still existing. Many of you may not like it but it is a part of our history. Many of us whose roots are in the south may even have ties to this era. I know for a fact that, given our genealogical geography, my family fought on both sides. It is a part of our past that needs to be remembered, the good and the bad, the victories and the defeats, the right and the wrong.

So that was basically the extent of our time in Richmond. From there we got back on the road and circled around a few detours before returning to the highway and the hotel where we put our feet up for the first time in over a week. And I am glad that we had the chance to do so because the drive back home today was one that I would rather forget. Just another reason why I prefer the Mountains in the west over the urban coast in the east. Back to reality and back to work tomorrow.

Spelunking Down South

After our busy day yesterday walking around towns and cemeteries, we decided to explore a little further out. While there was another cemetery and another drive down some gravel roads, it was a relatively light agenda. With a loose schedule in our minds, we got on the highway and drove further south down to Roanoke. Actually, we drove past the city and pulled into the parking lot for Dixie Caverns. That’s right, no matter where we are, there is always a cave to be explored.

With the sky looking more temperamental than usual, it was the perfect day to walk through a cave in order to stay cool and dry. While we were thrown off a bit by the cats wandering around the property (which complicates things due to my wife’s severe allergy) they kept their distance from our small tour group allowing us to walking up an into the weathered entrance. As soon as we walked through the threshold, we knew this was going to be a lot of climbing… more than any other cave we have ventured into… as the stairs and moss covered lights lined the carved path.

While most people see all caves as basically the same thing and wonder why people explore different ones wherever they go (my father is one of those people), having been through a number of different caverns I have noticed the slight differences in the landscape. In this particular instance, the ceiling…

…and the walls…

…were a little more interesting than the other caves that my wife and I have toured over the last few years. This is especially true when the tunnel began to open up…

…our eyes adjusted, and some of the interesting formations were pointed out to us like the wedding bell…

…the sharp teeth of the T-Rex…

…and, later on in the tour, the large turkey wing.

However, what I really find impressive in each space that we explore are the places where people aren’t looking.

I usually find myself turning around and looking the opposite way sometimes falling behind the group just to find a different perspective, a different cavernous veranda. That is when I am met with images like the one at the beginning of this post and this one looking down at where we were once walking.

It is all about perspective in these spaces regarding both the environment immediate surrounding you and the lens through which you view it. Just as all landscapes above ground consist of the same elements, none of them are exactly alike. Each landscape is different… some more than others… and sometimes there are little surprises when you adjust your eyes to take it all in like seeing the sky in the stillness of a lake or, as was the case today, seeing the colors, shapes, and patterns of the cave reflected in a pond. These are the images that make us want to explore underground just as we explore above ground.

Pennsyltucky Bonding

During our trip up to Williamsport, Pennsylvania this past week we experienced an interesting phenomenon unfamiliar to most in the northern states. While geographically we headed north in the commonwealth, with regard to demographics we headed south. This great commonwealth has an interesting dichotomy in that Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are politically and culturally northern while everything in between is southern in character and, in some places, dialect hence the term Pennsyltucky.

During a very nice trolley tour we observed a clear cut example of this contradiction when, while exiting the vehicle, a southern family of three bid their farewell to the driver and thanked them for a wonderful tour. In response, he said “hope y’all have a good time.” This immediately stopped them in their steps and prompted a conversation that was more akin to four old friends catching up and talking about the good old days rather than between some tourists and a tour guide.

Obviously they didn’t expect to hear the sounds of the southern twang in Pennsylvania which is a common misconception. People seem to assume that as soon as you venture north of the Mason-Dixon Line the southern drawl magically disappears. The same can also be said of those who head south expecting the dialect to change as soon as they pass this cultural line of demarcation.

There have been multiple studies to map out the different dialects throughout this country and the one thing that has remained constant in each and every one of them is the fact that man made boundaries have no noticeable impact on the way people speak. This is not surprising. However, what is quite interesting is the influence that accent and dialect have on human relations.

Basically,studies have concluded that people more easily connect with those they share a commonality with and one of the most profound connections people experience is in regard to accent and dialect. These are the two most telling attributes that help us determine where and when someone might have lived and, therefore, can establish an immediate commonality and certain level of trust (or distrust in some situations). Inflection, enunciation, and pronunciation are all telling factors that have a tremendous impact on the impression we leave on others.

Sometimes it all comes down to one word. Sometimes that is all that is needed to create a bond between four people. Sometimes “y’all” is all that needs to be said.