10 May 2004

(I’m in Virginia now, at the end of a weekend at home with the family. The text below was written by me and by Peach.)

It’s hot and humid here, and the air is full of insects. They used to say that the best thing about living in Charlottesville was that there were no mosquitos. Well, they must have been imported sometime in the last five years, because this weekend they are out in legion. My sister and I were driving along Skyline Drive for a hike up Humpback Rock: a childhood favorite. We watched a tractor-trailer kick thick swirls of orange dust as it drifted onto the shoulder, and the dust mixed with the bugs and the haze and it seemed to me that the air in Virginia is different because it’s alive.

He’s wearing a Wheel of Fortune hat.

Nat’s brilliant plan was to run up the trail. Um. Now I am pretty fit and I knew there was no freaking way this was happening, but the thing you do with big brothers is appease them. Nat got very sweaty. When we made it home he fell asleep in our little sister’s princess bed and woke up two hours late for dinner.

Peach on the trail.

Well, okay. So, we didn’t end up running the whole trail. There were long stretches of brisk walking, and stretches of running also, but the sign at the bottom said “40 minutes” and I’m pretty sure we did it in 20. Maybe even 15. I mean, we hauled ass up that trail. And sure, I was pretty tired at the end, but I swear I didn’t know it was a princess bed I was crashing in.

Me at the summit.

The coolest part of the weekend was realizing that we both listen to crappy pop and like that room key song, you know, the one where he goes, “and I wanna get wichoo cause youse a cutie.” That and hearing Nat introduce himself as “Natty Boom Boom” at a bar on Saturday night. I was ready to go home at 11:00 and bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but Nat made me stay out till 2.

Peach and her friends.