Over the Hills and Through the Woods

It was sad to leave Virginia Beach. We had such a good time playing in the sand and reconnecting with family. We had another 8-plus hour car ride to share our favorite stories from the past week and to get ready for our arrival in Pittsburgh, our second half of a two week vacation.

As we began our trip, it was pouring rain. It was hard to continue my photo-journal through this kind of weather. After an hour or so, we drove out of the storm and had sunny skies for the rest of our trip and I clicked away as the world passed by out my window.

We soon had to make a stop to stretch the legs and get some breakfast. We were in the western part of the state by now and about an hour away from West Virginia. We pulled off the highway to head to the nearest McD’s and drove through a very foo-foo part of town. Nice hotels, nice landscaping and over the crest of the hill, we drove through car-dealer alley. Both sides of the road were flanked with car dealers offering Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Land Rover; you get the picture. We pulled into the McD’s parking lot. The building was nice outside, brick with brown rooftop, however, when you walked through the door, the only thing reminding you it was a McDonald's was the smell of the food. This was by far the nicest fast food place I had ever been in. Wooden tables, flat screen TV’s, a fireplace and a conference room. Where the heck am I? Then the Twilight Zone experience happened. All the clientele, excluding the staff, had one tooth. That’s right, one. An order would be put in, the cashier would say thank you with a smile and the customer would turn around with a grin showing off the one tooth protruding out of the top gum area. Alrighty, then. Apparently, this part of town is catering to professions that do not include orthodontic backgrounds. So Bizarre!

Back to the highway we went and made our way to West Virginia. This is the first time I have driven through this state. Unfortunately, the battery in the camera went kaput and I was only able to soak in the beauty through my eyes. Wouldn’t it be cool if your eyes were a camera and you could capture what you see on film? Maybe someday. We made our way through the Shenandoah & Allegheny National Forests and the scenery was breathtaking. Our car was soon filled with occupants that were turning a bit green from car sickness. The switchbacks on the mountains were quite extreme with some of them almost having the road fold on top of itself like a squished “U”. Just when we thought we were clear, the GPS would show what was ahead and a collective groan would be heard. We all decided that this would be the first and last time we would travel this route!

The Pennsylvania border arrived and also the cell phone signal. My phone began to buzz as messages were being received. A few of these were from my in-laws who were wondering when we would get there and what we would like to eat. That’s when I closed my eyes and a small smile graced my face. The thought of the smell of my mother-in-law’s Italian kitchen filled my senses. It’s the smell of sauce, garlic, bread, cheese, olives, cake and coffee all mixed together. It’s very hard to explain in words, but it is like no other and when I walk through the door, my stomach knows it will be eating extremely well for the duration of my visit and starts to growl.

I can’t wait to walk through the door, receive warm hugs and kisses and sit around the table sharing stories. This is the place where I experience “Soul Food”. I mean that in a way that touches so many levels. I’m nourished in body, but I am nourished in heart as well.