Day 11 (Auburn, AL + Tallahassee, FL)

A bit slow start for the day. Chis and Joy were scheduled to tour us around Auburn University's campus. Chris is a brilliant scientist from our University of Virginia days. He even knows how to use pH paper (which I am still learning). Joy and Maaret were pregnant at the same time with their first ones and we lived 100 meters/yards from each other in Charlottesville. In addition, Chris and I were both offered positions at Auburn last summer. Had I gone there, we'd have had offices two room apart. Speaking of eerie similarities. However, they were probably itching to hear from us and get going. We finally made it to our rendezvous point.
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The town and campus were very nice and neat, close match to UVA. We had a chance to feel the southern warmth, the temperatures were close to 90F/30C. The sweat was pouring from every possible body orifice. It is funny how fast you forget what the heat feels like when you live in the north for a while. My old bones loved it though. No creaks, no aches, all loose and limp as a yoghurt in a cup. People mostly stayed out of our way and we had all the sidewalks to ourselves. The only congestion we met at the Mellow Mushroom (restaurant) where the lines were 15 minutes long. (I am not going to tell you what we ate, it will be a secret.) We had a chance to rid the boys of extra energy in a nice park with nice climbing/sliding possibilities. Liam and Wilmer even stopped to smell the flowers! Come on, how often have you done that? Try it, take a minute of your busy day and stop and smell a flower. It gives you a nice warm feeling, or a stuffy nose...

We were feeling the time crunch and Florida was calling our names. We finished the Auburn tour with an inspection of Chris' Lab in the Chemistry Department (see Wilmer demonstrating a correct lab technique with his gloved hand) and a visit to his house where Maaret and Joy ended up swapping some pregnancy horror stories. The boys played with their toys, the smaller ones mainly with trains and cars and the bigger ones with their tech gear to download the pictures of the day. Thanks to freelance photographer Chris for the pictures you see here. It was great to see our old neighbors. Goodbye, take care, go Tigers!
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Our final destination, the final frontier, Tallahassee, the capital of Florida was reached after a painfully slow driving through Georgia peanut farms. We made it just before the nightfall. Despite their growling bellies and hunger pains, Mike and Christelle were kind enough to patiently wait for our arrivel before they served their grill feast. It had been advertised containing the local delicacy, alligator tail, but I think it was dropped off the menu by our cautious chef. Man, a cold beer had never tasted so good after a long hot drive!

Day 10

"Wake me up before you go go..." and so we went to the lake that was known as Tennessee River in the tune of WHAM! (Remember them, huh?) It was the first completely beautiful day for a while. Rains were gone and the sun was out at full force. We pointed the Demon Deacon caravan (coincidentally everyone over the age of 6 had graduated from Wake Forest University at some point) to Andrew's parents' gorgeous house where Grammy-Huck had a warm welcome for us. The boat had been waxed and the "special" brownies baked the night before. Andrew went to get the boat (see picture) while we lathered the sunblock on and hit the waves. Man, that felt great! Wind caressing your hair and the sun toasting your skin. Oops, a bit too poetic if you consider my full locks of hair flapping in the wind. You get the point.
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Lunch was organized in Hucks' special place. So special indeed that I forgot to even check the name of the restaurant. Few hungry kids and adults will do that to you. Regardless, it was a very nice place on a tall hill overlooking the lake and marina. The patio included a perfect little fence as a bonus for our 2-3 year-olds to climb up and try to break their necks. The brick-oven pizza that some of us had was so good that we actually smuggled few leftover pieces across state lines to Georgia and Alabama later in the day. Also, the Grammy-Huck's special brownies shared the same fate and were quietly consumed in great secrecy in the hotel that same night (why hasn't anybody thought of the idea of combining solid chocolate inside the brownies before? Brilliant!!). Do I hear the Biggest Loser, anyone? On the way back from the restaurant, vice-admiral Wilmer got to be at the helm.
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The five-hour drive to Alabama went surprisingly quick after only one wrong turn at Beals Chapel Rd. (The biological compasses where still jumping the waves.) People drove on average only about 20 mph over the speed limit. We drove past the KIA Motors US assembly plant and it was about a mile long. They probably make lots of cars or perhaps long cars... At one point, Wilmer summed up the last few days quite well from the back seat: "Wilmer had a great time. He had very much fun with Turrrrnerrr and Ellekate. Wilmer liked the elephants." We did too.

Day 9

We slept like ants on a birch leaf. (If you have no idea how that happens, go out to nature and observe, it is fascinating!) Probably because some of us didn't really have their daily naps and others did something else that exhausted them. Regardless, the day was reserved for a zoo (http://www.knoxville-zoo.org), which happened a bit spontaneously. Emily tapped her magic wand and came up with a great deal for the tickets. Wilmer finally had his chance to see all the animals live from the Madagascar movies. Let me tell you, his eyes strecthed to new dimensions after just the giraffes, elephants, and zebras that we saw first.

W, as we ironically call our house president, also made friends with Turner and Elle Kate quite fast. They had been sharing the toys already the night before and were running together around the zoo in no time, like they had known each other for all their short years. Turner was the the big boy who kept the younger ones in line. Elle Kate and Wilmer, however, hit if off and toys and snacks were shared, hugs and kisses exchanged, rides taken together, and finally on the way back hands held in the car. Reminded me of my courtship with my dear wife...
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The rest of the day kind of disappeared with eating, shopping, napping, soccer, couch tennis, baseball, and grilling with the kids. The night was capped off with some NBA playoffs, computer surfing, and securing Andrew's wireless access. All you hackers, come and try us now! (Says Andrew).

Day 8 (Unicoi and Knoxville, TN)

Packing was a breeze when you had slept 6 hours the night before. Everything fit in the trunk, it almost looked like Camry had gained some space in the rear (or because we left half the stuff at our hosts' house). We left the central North Carolina only 30 minutes behind the schedule. We had a great week back "home". Thank you McC:s! You may rest now...
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The first pit stop was scheduled in the NC mountain community of Boone. Home for the Appalachian State University, one of the places where I applied for a job last year. We had to make up for the lost time so we changed to a one pit stop strategy and to the medium soft tires (more grip) since it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. We took gasoline for another 2 hours and were on our way in 9.2 seconds due to a speedy pit crew (see picture).
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First stop, Unicoi, was just across the border in Tennessee. We drove through the grand and beautiful Appalachian mountain ranges on some pretty curvy roads. Timo and Laura looked like they had not aged at all, incredible! The secret was their own garden in the backyard, no steroid grown lettuce or additives other than chicken poop. We even ran some quality control on the lettuce and sweet peas that passed with high marks, along with a nice lunch that was timed perfectly for our hungry bellies. We also had a chance to meet the kids for the first time, Janey and Richard. Very loving and sweet siblings who would give you the best bear hugs on the western side of the Appalachians. Wilmer had another chance to get to know his new buddy, the trampoline. After his calf workout it was time to pose for a picture and say good-byes. Too bad we did not have more time allocated for Timo and Laura. Enjoy your vacation!
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Knoxville was quickly found through the interstate, although they closed it off in downtown and made us find our own rest of the way. The tires worked great but the downforce could have been a bit better in turns, I guess the same problem than what Ferrari has been struggling with all season in F1. Another great timing, Andrew and Emily were waiting with pots and pans full of food and table set. We could get used to this kind of service. Another Tennessee miracle, they hadn't aged a bit either. I am starting to question my eyesight or my memory... Andrew even proved his mad physique by dragging me to a tennis court in the middle of the night after all the 4 kids and 2 wives were tucked in their beds. It wasn't just a friendly slap or two on the ball and 45 minutes of heart to heart. It was rather a full blown practise session that produced a nice set of blisters in hands and feet to show to the skeptics!

Day 7

Time to pack, fun time in NC is over. We will turn our thoughts to Tennessee tomorrow where we have two scheduled pitstops. The first one is in the center of the universe, also known as Unicoi. That's right, have you ever heard of it? We'll briefly visit the famous Finn, Artsi Harkonen and his family. He will surprise us, no doubt, and will be forced to come clean with where he has been hiding the last few years.

The second stop is a bit longer in Knoxville, a city named in honor of the first Secretary of War, Henry Knox.

"Knoxville was once also known as the Underwear Capital of the World. In the 1930s, no fewer than 20 textile and clothing mills operated in Knoxville, and the industry was the city's largest employer. Knoxville is also the home of the University of Tennessee's primary campus. The university's sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols", are somewhat popular in the area."

Yep, we have a sort of family reunion in Knoxville. We will be meeting two other Wake Forest alumni members, my long-lost BoyToy and his wife and kids. The fitting name comes from a time when we all lived in Charlottesville, VA, and used to play some tennis. I quite frequently "toyed around" with my faithful practice partner on the court and his quick but short legs had to cover so much of the court after some wicked short backhand crosscourt shots that he fittingly received his fancy nickname, BoyToy. He also goes by his second name Andrew. I think I get him a rubber duck.
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Lunch at Msala in High Point. Great heavy Indian food from a buffet, will put you to sleep for hours. Matt, you will have to keep us entertained later this afternoon or we'll just snore away! We have a date at Bermuda Run Country Club, hopefully the thunderstorms do not interfere with that reunion because W is determined to have some quality swim time at the pool (he needs to burn off his big lunch and the two pounds of water melon he ate prior to it).
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Tennis, swimming, steak, and trampoline. There is nothing else you need for a balanced diet and healthy body. We had great time in Clemmons! Somehow the packing for tomorrow did not happen tonight. (Note to myself: Upgrade the luggage to a self-packing model.) Instead, Danny and I witnessed the Lakers take a command in the series and beat Denver in the fifth game.

Day 6

Ok, the backs are snapping and the wills are being broken. No, I am not talking about what happened in Abu Ghraib. Rather, what it feels like to wake up in the morning when you realize that you are not a Superman (anymore). If you were, you would not be sore, tired, tight and exhausted. In other words Danny's bootcamp has worked!
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We went down the memory lane and drove around Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University campus. Ended up spending a fortune in the Deacon Shop. Why don't they give a discount to alumni?? It feels like we were gouged rather than given a nice warm welcome back greeting.
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Lunch at Coppola's in the footsteps of Dave Odom and Skip Prosser (famous Wake basketball coaches). Lots of food, bellies full again. Time to hit the Hanes Mall on this shopping spree. Maaret did her thing and we boys got dizzy in the escalator. It was fun until I lost the count and got nauseated after the 11th trip up and down the two levels. Let's just say that Wilmer knows how to ride an escalator now.

On the way back we almost had our front third of the car chopped off by some nutcase North Carolina driver that thought he is entitled to cut across three lanes without any warning or sigal usage. It must be the heat and humidity that makes people drive like they had a chipmunk in their brain.
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Missy got her files and wireless connection working after the brain trust of Danny and myself went through some heavy frustration, crappy manufacturer support, and some unwavering belief in our IT skills.

Day 5

Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25 in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

We did not have a chance to participate in the festivities but enjoyed the official day off work, as anyone. Also, barbecuing did not quite work due to a thunderstorm that soaked the town. However, that did not stop the bravest of us who decided to do "rain dipping" and then eat themselves all too full. Earlier in the day Danny had kept the whipping to a maximum by dragging some of us to the Gold's Gym and forcing us to lift weights until there was nothing left in the tank. (See the pic below in which he is afterwards out cold on the patio. Also, note the baby monitor next to him. He was on call...) Luckily he had a nice stock of Margaritas (that we had to mix ourselves) waiting, along with some great food.

After the kids were in their beds and Margarita tanks dry, we chose to reformat Missy's laptop hard drive (without the driver disks). That fun lasted 'til wee hours and, boy, did she have a funny face when all her files were gone and the wireless network would not work in the morning!

Day 4

The day got a great start, live Monaco Formula 1 race. Wilmer and I watched the comeback of Ferrari. He was giving his full support to our own Kimi Raikkonen. See the picture on the left of Wilmer sitting in "Kimi's Ferrari". He raced that thing around the house so much that the rest of had to fear for our toes. Supposedly, he needed more downforce and would have appreciated the double diffusor in the back.
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Next was up some "stupie" action. Danny, Maaret, Wilmer and I set out to conquer the local track and do some 400 m sprints. Why? Good question, will let you know the answer once it becomes clear. Regardless, we managed to do enough to be sore the next day. Wilmer showed to us that he is no wuss and completed 2 full laps without stopping! He was sweating and panting and so proud that he ran with daddy and Danny. While walking out from the track we noticed that we were surrounded by probably 150-200 Mexicans who had congregated at the High Point Athletic Complex to play their Sunday league soccer games. Couldn't help but think about the swine flu.
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We are here to party! Don't have to ask Wilmer twice, whether he wants to have one or not. Colyer Lab congregated again at Missy's and Danny's and Wilmer ate his burger with a big smile and a great appetite. He capped his dinner with a huge piece of strawberry cake made from yesterday's pickings. Of course, it was fun to play hockey, soccer, and games with Ethan, Luke, Zoe, and the big boy Eli. Wilmer got popped on the wrist with a hockey stick and after a short cry promised to come back with a tackle! That's the spirit, son. The more adults of us talked about strollers, diapers, how time goes by so fast, sports, cars, flower business, little chemistry, and how to pick the best snow mobile for Cathy and Frank for their move up to snowbelt. Great night, as usual. Mike was even dressed in his trademark suspenders.
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French Open! Day without sports, what's that? We shared some quality late night time on the sofa by alternating between NBA semifinals and Roland Garros highlights. Now, half past midnight I look around and I seem to have been left sharing the quality time with two cats and a remote. Hmmm... good night.

Day 3

Alarm goes off 6:45 am... 6:46 am, 6:47 am, 6:48 am... THE RACE, everybody UP!
Based on the enthusiastic responses, there was no excitement about the race. Nobody wanted to get up, even our regular alarm clock Wilmer did not do a thing.

Well, we all got up, had a half a banana for breakfast and made it to the starting line around 8 am. What a lovely morning, sunny, upper 60's, and 100 sweaty people next to you, getting ready to sprint 5K like madmen out of the asylum. The anticipated mano-a-mano race with Danny did not take place (since he wussed out and chose the stroller division) and we all did our own version of the race. Points go to Missy for doing her first ever solo race. Of course, some of us had some silverware to bring home. Well, we are all winners in this game called life, just in our own way. (That quote should be included in the "Famous Quotes" book.)
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What's up with Danny and the grass, you may ask. Me too. He finished the day last night with cutting his lawn and he's at it again. This time with the trimmer. I can hardly wait for tomorrow! Probably some chicken poop to fertilize and then some watering perhaps on Monday. Why don't they just come up with the invention of the 21st century and design a grass that needs to be cut twice a year and looks as magnificent as the White House lawn??
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Wilmer had a great day today. He did some strawberry picking (mostly eating) and got to run buck naked outside to neighbors' horror, and swim in the outdoor pool. Later in the evening, he had a chance to cross off one item from his "10 Things I want to do before I die" list. Number 2 on the list was to play golf on a real course, on a green with a hole and a flag in it. The evening included soccer practice, some eating, guitar playing, some more soccer and golf, dessert, and more golf. Thanks, John and Shannon, for making this a big day for Wilmer. He literally fell in his bed and most likely won't move for another 10 hours. Man, we really packed a bunch of activities in one day. I wonder if we can keep going like this. Tomorrow is the yearly Colyer Lab reunion from Wake Forest and it involves another set of outdoor activities. We also get to play with "Uncle Mike". Let's hope he is ready for the mental torture. Bring it on!

Day 2 (Kernersville, NC)

We slept like kings in our king size bed. Hmmm, there must be a connection. V-a-c-a-t-i-o-n-! Leisurely breakfast and a dip in the hotel pool, Wilmer was in heaven. So were we, he would be tired enough for the rest of the drive to NC. Driving was speedy and weather sunny, until we hit an accident on I-77 where a beer truck had overturned and they were cleaning up all the broken beer bottles and cans off the road. Such waste, all that good beer… We spent an extra hour on the road as a courtesy of that truck driver who had probably enjoyed a bit too much of the contents of this truck. Winston-Salem, NC, hello and goodbye, is what we said as we passed the city on the way to the neighboring mighty Kernersville. We made it, with 490 miles in the odometer and 2 collective gallons in the bladders. Now off to get ready for the 5K race in the morning, oh dear...

Day 1 (Mount Hope, WV)

Preparation
Three full straight days of workshops, what better way to prepare. So, of course packing took place mostly in the morning of the take off. Wilmer had packed all the essentials days in advance in his backpack, to name few, his baseball bat and ball, couple books, Lightning McQueen, formula one cars, binoculars, camera, water cup, and a frying pan. What else could you possibly need? Well, yesterday morning the rest of us got ready with a few more useful items. Maaret had herself checked at the doctor’s and she was given green for the trip. Meanwhile Wilmer and your humble captain, fed the cat, watered some tomato bushes and packed the car to the brim. Why do you always have more stuff than space for it? Eternal paradox.

Take off
The trip commenced just after lunch, Maaret behind the wheel, not because of her race car experience but rather being the only one licensed to drive legally. I had tried to renew my license a week prior only to find out that some bright individual in the government had managed to feed a wrong birthday for me in the computer and I had to wait for a confirmation from the Pennsylvania capital that I am not trying to be a terrorist by supplying false information to the authorities, which was out of my control in the first place! As Murphy’s Law would say, of course the confirmation arrived in the mail 20 minutes before we left for our trip. So, the first stop was south of Pittsburgh at the last Pennsylvania DMV. Come on, can you think of anything better than to spend an hour in the line at DMV when you only have 1200 miles to go? Can you really?

First pitstop
The goal for the first leg of the trip was to make it to our tribal home land, North Carolina, where Missy and Danny would anxiously be waiting for their godson and hopefully for our yearly migration to the South for the Memorial Day. North Carolina has and always will be our home in the US, no matter where we live. That is the place where we grew up and became adults. Well, some of us at least got a little closer to that stage…

We spent the first night in the wild and wonderful West Virginia. We happened to have a hotel next to all of the world-class whitewater rafting that we did once in the same place, oh so many moons ago. To work on the appetite we embarked on a brief excursion to see the seco\nd highest bridge in the Western hemisphere. It was still as grand and high as the last time we had seen it. O cap the evening off we had the pleasure of enjoying some local authentic food. We had the best Grande Burritos ever, full of white chicken and as large as Arnold’s bicep. To cap the day, we watched some NBA playoffs in the hotel. Well, Wilmer and I saw the Lakers lose to Denver in a great game. Maaret appreciated the game by turning to her side and by some snoring few minutes in to it.

Language switch

Due to a public outcry, we are switching the language of this blog from Finnish to English. This way, a wider audience can enjoy reading about the goofy things that we do, or don’t do. To recap the first two posts, this is our first attempt in blogging. What better time to do it than our summer trip, which we aptly named East Coast Farewell Tour. Reason for such a sad/happy title was that we will be moving across the continents, to the other side of the Atlantic in exactly a year from now. This more than likely will be our last trip to this deep south and will give us a one more chance to see some of our friends scattered in different places. No doubt the emotions will run high and the bellies low once you consider that we have spent almost 16 years in this country. My god, doesn’t that alone make you feel old…


So, I myself will be the captain of this trip, Wilmer being the assistant one, and Maaret the passenger on our luxury liner that is known as our old faithful Camry. This will be the final voyage for the Camry, she has served well but the time has come for the greener pastures (please do not start giving us troubles now). For the next two to three weeks you will have a chance to follow our quest from a somewhat rural Western Pennsylvania (45 minutes north of Pittsburgh where we have lived in a pocket surrounded by the Amish) to Tallahassee, Florida, and back. We will have several scheduled stops on the way and probably many more unscheduled ones. We will see where the road will take us.

West Virginia

Batmobiilimme suuntasi vihdoin kohti etelaa lounaan jalkeen. Kaikki oli tankattuna paitsi tietenkin auto mika selvisi muutama sata kilsa myohemmin. Maaret kavi aamulla laakarintarkastuksessa ja sai puhtaat matkapaperit. Wilmer ruokki kissan ja sanoi hyvastit takapihan mansikoille joita kovasti olisi mieli tehnyt syoda jo taysin raakoinakin.

Matkustushuuma nousi kun naytti sille etta olimme lahes ainot tiella liikkujat. Lomaliikenne ei siis todellakaan ollut alkanut. Sita hupia kesti tasan 45 minuuttia kunnes paasimme Pittsburghin kulmille. Johan alkoi kuhina kuin Laukkalan kesamarkkinoillla. No ei siina kummempia nokka tuhissut kun ratissa oli ainoa laillinen kuski raskaine kaasujalkoineen. Maaret luovi meidat paikallisen DMV:n (valtion pulju joka vastaa ajokorttien myontamisesta ja joka yrittaa tehda kaikkensa etta prosessi olisi tavattoman hankala ja tuskallinen) pihaan silla matkan kapteenilla ei ollut taskussa muita voimassa olevia kortteja kuin kirjastokortti, American Express, ja oma kayntikorttinsa. No, sehan on oikein mukavaa loma-aktiviteettia perheen parissa kun saa istua ajokorttijonossa ja tuijottaa seinaa lampimana kesapaivana, muistaen etta matkaa ei ole kuin himpun vajaa 2000 kilometria maaranpaahan.

Ajokortti tuli! Ja kuski vaihtui…

Kolme, nelja tuntia myohemmin olimmekin jo ensimmaisen etapin paatepisteessa, West Virginiassa. Paikka on suhteellisen vuoristoinen ja tunnettu lampimista ihmisista leveilla hampaattomilla hymyilla. Toki kaikkea mita voi rinteista kaivaa tekee osavaltion melkoisen kuuluisaksi. Kaivoksia riittaa. Ohitimme myos paikan joka toi mieleen kuinka joskus hurjassa nuoruudessamme 11 vuotta sitten kavimme laskemassa koskea. Illan kruunasi paikallinen ravintola johon kiivaan etsinnan paatteeksi paadyimme. Grande Burrito oli niin suuri etta paasimme puoleen valiin ennenkuin napa alkoi paukkumaan. Ei muuta kuin hotelliin ja katsomaan Lakers-Nuggets playoffpelia. No siis kapteeni ja Wilmer katselivat samalla kuin varakapu kaansi kylkea ja alkoi kuorsaamaan.

Ensimmainen etappi

Tassa sita siis ollaan, lahes valmiina kesalomamatkalle. Uhmaamme sikainfluenssaa ja kaikkea mita se merkitsee ja pyrimme valloittamaan Amerikan itarannikon seuraavien viikkojen aikana. Tarkoitus on kayda katsastamassa kavereita (kenties) viimeista kertaa ja nuuhkia vanhoja seka uusia tuulia matkan edetessa.

Keulan pitaisi suunnata kohti etelaa huomenna iltapaivalla, torstaina, klo kahden kieppeilla. Tosin pakkaaminen hieman uupuu ja nakojaan younetkin silla kello on yli puolen yon ja matkan kapteeni, allekirjoittanut, paatti alkaa vasaamaan tata blogia. Varakapteeni Wilmer makaa ja kuorsaa samanaikaisesti sohvalla vieressani. Matkan kolmas pyora seuraa poikansa esimerkkia, tosin makuuhuoneen puolella. Eli tunnetusti hommat on hanskassa ja hanskat runsaassa kurassa. Jannittaa...