The 352

It's funny -- sometimes when you visit a place when you're young, you can't imagine you'll be coming back many, many times. So it has been with Gainesville. I first visited in, I guess 1981. Some friends from college wanted to visit their UF student friends, and I tagged along. It was Spring, and we watched our baseball Canes beat the baseball Gators. We slept on the floor of my friend Mark's friend Debbie, and went to a country and western bar as well as Skeeters, a legendary 24 hour diner, long closed. Apparently I also spent an evening with my high school friend Sheila. We went out, talked of LI, and drank beer. When I became her Facebook friend last year, I told her I forgot any Levittowners went to UF for college. She reminded me of our evening together, and I felt quite senile for forgetting... After my first trip, I went up again for some football games, and also on an academic spy mission. The director of our Honors Program, Jim Ash, had requested UF and FSU's Honors Programs to give him info about their course offerings. They refused, for some silly reason, so Ash deputized me to make believe I wanted to transfer to each of the schools, and fly up on a mission to get their classes. It worked! I never transferred to either school, of course... Anyway, I would have figured I was done with visits other than football games. Then I tried a 2 week case with my old boss Frank, and ate in every single decent restaurant there was -- 3 times! OK -- after that trial, about, I guess 1990, that would be it. No it would not. Both Ds would end up going to college there, and in D2's case, getting a Master's degree as well. So this is now my ninth consecutinve year of multiple trips to Gainesville! I just booked a one way flight home in early January, and a one night hotel stay. D2 is driving down next week, after her boyfriend graduates with his MS, and then spends 2 weeks before returning for D2's final semester. I told her I'd drive with her. I really, really enjoy the long car ride with the Ds. Wifey misses out -- her back has prevented her from doing this for years -- but I savor it. We'll leave January 4 -- drive up, move D2 into her subleased apartment, and then have a final semester kickoff dinner. I'll fly back on the commuter jet the next day -- there used to be 2 daily flights, but it's down to one now. And if all goes well, we'll be there in May for D2's graduation. Maybe that will be it for Gville travel for awhile...you never know. In hindsight, it would have been nice if the kids chose college in Asheville, or Key West...