Athens to Hampton, GA --Apr 11th

Woke up quick at about noon, just thought that I had to be in Athens soon. :)
Woke up and got ready, headed out of my hotel room around noon, and headed down to the retail district right near the Georgia campus. I walked around and checked out a couple bars and shops as I looked for a bite to eat. There were people all over, as you know, the GU spring game was going on at 1. So there were all types of people hanging around, from the drunken frat boys, to the families with kids and babies. And it is true, the women in the South get all done up for games. Back home most girls look sporty and cute, but down here, they wear dresses and heels and get all done up. Interesting. I got myself a polish sausage and ate it walking down the street, then I bought myself a new GU t-shirt for 5 bucks and stopped into a bar and had a quick beer before I made the trek to Sanford Stadium. Got in and walked around for most of the first half just taking pictures, after that I sat down and hung out with a few guys, their wives and kids for the rest of the game. We chatted about GU, NU, Augusta and a variety of small talk, it was fun. The game was pretty boring mostly, until the last minute there were no touchdowns. The red team won 13-3, after scoring the only TD with like 16 seconds left. Headed back to my car after picking up a stray souvenir cup, and hoped my car wasn't towed, as I had parked in the "Holiday Inn Guest Parking Only." It was still there though. I called my father's wife, Kathy, and let her know that I would be there in about two hours.
I hit the road, stopped at a gas station to get some ice for my cooler and a Dr. Pepper. "I musta had me about seven Doctor Peppers on my road tr--ip." -Matthew Gump-
I was on my way. I've noticed in Georgia more than anyone else so far, there are more stubborn fast laners. The people who aren't going as fast as you, but want to pass a few more cars before they get over and let you pass. Frustrating. There were also a lot (two words) of people who varied their speed. Within two miles, in the fast lane, we would go from like 65 to 85 and back. I don't think I even got to use my cruise control the whole 2 hours. I didn't stop in Atlanta, but did drive right through the downtown area. If you weren't doing at least 75 in the 55 mph speed limit, you belonged in the slow lane. I drove by what looked like to be a speed trap going 20 over, and no one even noticed. The Atlanta skyline is very impressive. I've been to LA and Chicago, but I feel like Atlanta has more skyscrapers than what I've seen before. I hope to get back and at least get a few photos of it before I head to Savannah.
I arrived at Clint's (my father) home around 5:30. I hadn't really felt nervous or anything until I was sitting in the driveway getting ready to go inside, then I got a few butterflies. I rang the doorbell and Kathy answered and Clint was in the back yard and seen me pull up, so I kinda met both of them at the same time coming from two different directions. It was a warm welcome and the conversation was comfortable and relaxed. None of us really knew where to start, so we just did. Just talked,, for probably a half hour with no pauses until dinner was ready. Kathy made a roast pork loin, mashed potatoes with a dark mushroom gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, and we had some bread. It was a nice home cooked meal, the roast was tender and juicy and the potatoes were wonderful. We talked about many things that I won't necessarily share with everyone, but it was good. They both have a good sense of humor, and we had fun. I am taller than both of them, and I am 5'6''. Clint has to be about 5'3'' or 5'4''. So now I know where my height comes from. I can see some facial similarities as well. They showed me pictures of my half brother Robert, and he resembles me as well, they said we would get along very well. Both of them were in the military, and now Clint works for the census bureau and Kathy volunteers at an old folks home. Clint's mother died just a couple years ago, and Kathy had an intergral role in her last years. I had a couple of beers and the two of them drank wine a bit and I toured their house, we ran to Wal-Mart, and hung out with their two dogs and two cats. The dogs, Rewind and Tiny, are great, and the cats, Patches and (I forget) are pretty independent or shy, one of the two. Clint and Kathy gave me an early birthday/graduation gift and it was very generous of them. Then we decided to play Wii bowling. That was fun. Clint is left-handed. We played 3 games and I think each of us won one. Clint was originally interested in Design work, and printing and typesetting, and was told to go into the military and go for printing. It never really worked out, and he was mostly in clerical type positions throughout his career. He said it wasn't uncommon for him to be referred to as Radar, like the guy in M*A*S*H. It was funny, he kinda looks like him, and I'm sure the height lent to the name a bit also. I can definitely find more than a few similarities in our personalities, work ethic, appearance, and other things, which definitely gives credibility to genetics. Clint and Kathy stayed up until about 11 while I showed them photos on my computer, which was about 2 hours past their normal bedtime, and I have been organizing photos and blogging in the spare bedroom where I am staying since then. It is now about 2. Their house is very beautiful and they have done alot of work themselves, adding a sun room and several phases of what now is one deck. Their cul-de-sac is secluded, and feels rural and peaceful, but Wal-Mart and pretty much anything else they need is only 5-10 minutes away. I'll stop rambling now, but in brief, I'm glad I made the stop, and I am happy with my meeting. Goodnight. I'll put some pictures up tonight.