Atlanta, one might think, is a pretty farfetched destination. A long haul by car and quite unknown within the normal sphere of vacation for maritimers. Lots of stereotypes in regards to the "Old South" too... some not very pleasant! However, I remain the type that wants to find things out for myself... get on the ground and look at what's up!!! As superficial as a 10 day look at anything is... we've got some thoughts on what we saw. It was, for us, a great run. We were exposed to part of the world and a pocket of people that we had never encountered. This section reflects some of our ideas about our experience in the US Southeast.

... Atlanta is a hopping space. Great attractions, from Pro Sports through to National Historic sites. It was city, but still had that tinge of small town. Not sure what did that for me, maybe the people we met who took the time to find out more about us and worked to make a connection.

... I saw a bobble head Abe Lincoln in a store in DC. Now if it was a bobble head of Rob Ford... sure!!! But Lincoln? Who buys that? I can't put my finger on why. Maybe the idea of capitalism and a buck from just about anything is that much a way of life there. They sure love to have fun, as we witnessed in the spectacle of pro-sport we saw (especially the NFL) this visit. The louder, the flashier, the more cheerleaders you can put on the field, the better. Faster, stronger, higher. Regardless, you have to love the spirit!!!

... I was thrilled with our National Park visits this time. From the Civil War Battlefields to MLK and a special take on his life, they were organized, accessible, and with good learning value. I've watched the Ken Burns series on the American National Parks... it's an excellent take on how they evolved and some of the guiding principles that exist today in regards to their purpose and management. He calls it "America's Best Idea". A very astute title.

... History is meant to be revisited, tested, and exposed. This trip gave us a number of opportunities to judge how the South presents its history as former Slaves and Slave owners, as defeated Confederates and as civil rights movement participants.

... as a matter of geography, we saw some different things on this trip. I'd never seen cotton unless it was made into a pair of flannel PJ's!!! Interesting to see it as grown in a field... we actually picked a stem and brought it home. Savannah was neat... felt just on the cusp of tropical yet boreal. Palm trees mixed with "Old Oaks" fashioned with a scraggly moss. Lowlands and river delta mixed with rolling Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Oh... and of course we enjoyed the 15 degree Celsius on a sunny New Year's Eve afternoon in Savannah!

... I thought about the Mason-Dixon Line, the American Civil War, and what that all means today. I think those tensions still rumble near the surface, and remain in both reality and spirit. I wondered, when we said we were from Canada, whether they would lump us in a category as Northerners or even Yankees? You can sense the air of southern gentlemen and chivalry, but I also noted a sense of oppression in all. An American divide, both socially and politically, follows a route across the landscape not much changed since the advent of the blue and grey. I believe Lincoln's expression of a "house divided" still applies in the hearts of some southerners.

... The kids, although it seems cruel and unusual, seemed to have a great trip in the car. I'd have eaten the sides out of the back doors!!! Here some of the backseat conversation samplings as recorded by Janie:

• Peter... "Would you rather be the sun or the moon?"
  Monica... "The sun because they are always jamming flag poles in the moon"
• Peter... "If you could be any Star Wars character which would you be?"
  Monica... "R2D2 he always saves everyone
  Or a yookie... What is it? An ewok! Peter... "I would be Chewbacca, I would be big and no one would understand me."
• Monica... "If you had to have a tough job which would it be?" Peter... "The Chick-fil-a Cow"
• The ever amusing - "Shartlesburg, Pennsylvania"
• Oh yeah... and that big peach on the way into Georgia that screamed female anatomy!!!