Thanks, Dad

First of all, I would like to announce that I am typing this on a fancy new laptop named Violet. Jeff bought me a fancy new touch-screen laptop and we shall see if I can figure out how to work it the thing before my children graduate from high school. The reason her name is Violet is because I had to choose a name and a color for it and the art nerd in me flared up.  Alas, that is not what I am here to ramble about. On to more interesting subjects!

My dad...he has bestowed upon us various gifts, such as a demented sense of humor and a love of learning (Mom had a lot to do with that too). I have also inherited his squarish hands and obnoxious nose-blowing sound effects. But the thing I am here to talk about today is history, as it relates to every dang landmark from here to California. You see, I have this strange propensity for blurting out every bit of history I know about a place, mostly while we are driving. A short road trip might include commentary about the house that 'stored fabric for the soldier's coats during the Revolutionary War' and the parking lot that 'used to be a pig farm'. Half the time, I am not even sure how I know the things I do. I suspect that years of reading everything in sight, even down to the ingredients on the shampoo bottle, have something to do with it. It wasn't until a few months ago, when we went to the Farm Show with my parents, that I realized I got this from Dad. As we drove, he pointed out an apartment high rise that he remembered driving past in the 60's when going to visit his Grandparents. He remembered where they parked when Mom had her exam, and various other tidbits along the turnpike. I found it to be quite amusing that this is some sort of inherited trait...now I can blame some of my weirdness on Dad! he, he! Fast forward to last week, Jeff and I went down to the city to hang out with my bro and his wife. Nate began to launch into the history of his neighborhood, telling us which famous people lived on his street (Grace Kelly) and how his apartment building used to be a bar, and how there is a hidden hatch to the basement under his carpet. And I had to laugh. I also had to inform Nate that we both have the same trait, inherited from Dad. So if you ever need to know what really did happen on this sight in 1798, what color that house used to be painted back in 1953, or just exactly which tree it was that George Washington stuck his bubble gum to on that fateful Christmas Eve just before he crossed the icy river and tromped into modern day Trenton, NJ to defeat the Hessians, you know who to ask!