Day One: Complete

Back home after this the first day of our orientation. Already full of stories, but which to tell, and how to tell them in such a way that do them justice. Perhaps a little free-form, grammar-be-damned narrative. First rule of thumb: "spicy" food in Athens, or perhaps the South, is not really "spicy". Peppery, maybe. Pungent, sure. But not spicy. Second rule of thumb: if you don't wear boat shoes, deck shoes, "Sperries", or any variation thereof, you probably won't fit in so well. Consider me an outcast. Third rule of thumb: Georgia folk drink cheap beer. Should you value your lower digestive system, you will limit the amount of said cheap beer you imbibe.

You all ought really to go and download the song "The Valley Road" by Bruce Hornsby. But, for true effect, you have to find the live version with Bela Fleck. Blue-grassy goodness at its very finest. Good Lord, just download the entire "Scenes from the Southside" album. You can thank Bruce later.

I am still full of fear and hope. That's a funny little mixture, eh? But, so it is. Fearing failure or a season less satisfying than I yearn for. Hoping for fullness, two years of memories as intense as these Georgia August nights. It's difficult to sit in orientation, torn between the clutches of fright and the bursting open skies of hope. Ah, but I'll take it gladly, for it truly fits that adventure I so claim to have wanted.

A few more pics for your enjoyment. I'll keep 'em coming.