Places I have been. in Whey and Sonic Screwdrivers.

I keep a giant USA map, and a giant World map, on my wall. I am sure there are those that are more traveled than I am. And those that have never left their home state or province. I will try to keep the anecdotes brief, so I don’t wander into tangent-mode.

This won’t be a complete list - one thought per state, mostly. Just a highlight reel.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Oh, I have visited a number of other Caribbean islands. And while obviously designed for tourists, highly recommend Señor Frog. I’d have to check my logs for what diversion Wifey and I had planned that day.

Miami, Florida: Wife and I took an Uber to see a movie. Nice night on the town after our cruise. Or was it before.

Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico: Another tourist trap, and that’s okay. Lots of kids selling gum. Chiclets, specifically. Had a chance to get a wooden chess set. Ah, but haggling. Dad and I didn’t want to carry it around. Came back later, and geeeeee, the offering price increased. I was around 16.

Los Angeles, California: My Uncle Eshwar lives there. (Dad’s brother.) Weird how there are no plants.

Yuma, Arizona: Dad had a work trip and took me along. Think I was 16. Might have been 17. Got to relax in a motel, La Fuente. Means “The fountain”. Nice pool. (Had to be summer.) Got an entire medium Pizza Hut pizza to myself and ate the entire thing. (Okay, I cheated and didn’t eat the crust. These days, I always eat the crust. Food cost.)

Something else is coming back to me. That was the trip when I met a girl. I spent a lot of time in the pool, and so did she. We ended up just kinda talking. She was a year, nor more than two younger than me. So, age-appropriate. Her little sister was a pest at times, and obviously wasn’t clueing into teenage romance.

Nothing physical happened between us, if it needs to be said. Just innocence. We tried exchanging AIM information, but when I got home, it didn’t work.

I don’t remember her name, but I have not forgotten.

(Also been to Tucson with friends, but that’s another story.)

Owasso, Oklahoma: Current base. Moved here to marry mah Wife. Please don’t stalk me too much.

Dallas, Texas: Saw a Stars hockey game with Wife and kid. Devils lost 0-2, but otherwise a nice experience.

Missouri: Pass-through state, but it still counts. After all, once made some wrong turns in St. Louis on my way to OK. Still a story.

Quad-City, Iowa: Another dad working vacation. The time I accidentally locked the keys in the car hours before we had to catch a flight. WHOOPSIE. Dad was pissed, but didn’t yell.

Twin Cities, Minnesota: Grandma.

Wisconsin: Pass-through state, though I may have visited a Harley=Davidson factory.

Chicago, Illinois: Swear I visited the Sears Tower as a kid.

Indiana: Paige lives in Orleans. My sister lives near the Michigan border.

Michigan: Dad has some relative that lived North a bit. Couldn’t tell you which Great Lake I’ve dipped in.

Ohio: Pass-through state.

Arlington, Virginia: That’s where Paige was living in 2004.

Maryland: Pass-through state.

Delaware: Pass-through state.

Pennsylvania: Driven through too many times to count. I believe it was after Hurricane Sandy when Candi and I left Jersey to stay with some relatives on her dad’s side. All things considered, nice people.

New York: Grandma lives upstate. From my old home, I could get to her in 4 hours 15 minutes.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Christmas with Candi’s relatives on her mom’s side. This is the incident of the Italian/catholic tradition… of seven courses of fish. (I don’t like fresh fish.) I was so hungry afterwards, and somehow didn’t complain.

Vermont: Boy Scout skiing trip. Lots of fun.

Boston, Massachusetts: Visiting Elissa’s cousin. We were COLD. I brought my fuzzy pajama pants, and my pink blanket. She clung to me for warmth the entire night. The next day, I quietly turned the heat up downstairs. Shhh.

Connecticut: Pass-through state.

Rhode Island: Boy Scout camping trip. I may have whined at the time, but was a great experience.

Jersey: [No elaboration required]