I would never go back to Virginia now, but I miss some things;
I hate Winter, but I miss not having it -- kinda weird statement, I know.
I miss my backyard garden and the anticipation of Summer, and very thankful for its brevity.
I miss lakes where your only concern is the random snake or a slip on rock.
I miss the cool evenings returning in the Fall and the kids getting excited about Halloween, Thanksgiving break, and Christmas Vacation. That whole track of time is probably my favorite from Virginia.
I miss the culture of people in Virginia -- people loved soul food, breweries, and Jazz, R&B, and country. Richmond was an embarassment of riches in regards to festivals and dozens of southern and soul food restaurants. Where is the the soul food, where is the fried fish shack, and where is the chicken joint that puts KFC to shame. I can't find any of that here -- I've asked the locals and they shrug at the questions.
Sometimes, even living here, in a pennisula state, I feel like the north had more water activities -- the rivers, bays, and ocean. Yeah, I know, weird though again. But there, if it was warm enough, and the Jellyfish were light, you could jump in any body of water and would likely survive.
Maybe the anticipation of the seasons, when you couldn't do certain things, made the times that you could, more special. Waiting on Winter for the slopes to open, waiting on Memorial day for the first dip in the pool. Waiting feverishly, to put that new fishing pole you got on Christmas morning to use on a cool stream or a sunny lake.
All that said,... I will never go back. Too many things have changed, and I'm in a different place in life. Maybe I'll start to vacation in that state I couldn't wait to leave.
Florida was a passion as a vacationer for many decades. Now that I'm here, meh.
Virginia was meh for much of my life, and now it seems so much more vibrant a year later, huh.
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