I think i shouldn't wait another 4 years until i see my grandparents again. I went to see my granddaddy john and grandma Wendy today up in Galax, VA. I've noticed a trend in cities that are close to Galax. "Hillsville, 10 miles" "Statesville, 40 miles" "Wytheville, 70 miles". Then of course there's High Point, Low Gap, and Fancy Gap. They're pretty amusing to talk to (my grandparents)... i don't know why I’ve been avoiding them for so long. My grandpa is stuck in a time warp. He talks a lot about politics, but most of those politics involve Richard Nixon. "Well you know it was all those damn liberal lefty's faults...” A phrase he uses with almost indecent looseness. It was a miracle my sister didn't jump up and start ranting about gay rights and other such "liberal lefty" topics. I guess a main reason for avoiding them is the fact that whenever I see them I am subject to eating at their favorite restaurant, "The County Line". In Granddaddy John's words, "just simple southern cookin'".

...They use freeze dried beef to make the hamburgers. It comes in a package that looks very similar to dog treats. I'd rather eat a mayonnaise brownie.

One of Galax's great attractions (apart from the first-class eating establishments) is the community museum of Galax. It's got a lot of stuff of my grandpa and great grandpa's. They were big hunters.
Among the various elk/moose/bear/mountain goat/ram heads, there is also:

Stuffed bald eagle (currently endangered)
Stuffed 11' tall Kodiak bear
Baby seal hide
Skull from a whale + a black and white photo of the proud hunter and his catch
Leopard pelt (currently endangered)

There are also local donations, such as:

Ninja stars (label: "dangerous objects to be thrown")
A spiky goth bracelet (label: "a dangerous bracelet")
Nazi propaganda/pins
Small glass bottles filled with amber liquid. Bottles labeled "poison".

...I could spend an entire day there and never get bored.

Olivia informs me that it will be a year this Christmas since the tsunami. It seems like such a short time ago when that happened. It's not a good feeling to know that entire years are passing so fast with little significant change... pretty soon I’ll just live alone in a house with 20 or 30 cats and talk to myself. No, wait. That will be Olivia.