Harmony Weekend with Doug

By all rights, we should have taken a picture of Doug this weekend.  But we were so into just the visit, that all we got was this picture of Benjamin at the New Harmonies exhibit. harmonies exhibit.

The last one I got was at our recent trip to Atlanta, when My Three Sons posed for the this picture at Turner Field.  Doug is in sun glasses on the....left.  Well, he's wearing shades.

And now he's off to California, leaving September 1st, just four days from now.  Doug will be living near San Jose, and my oldest son, Greg, has been in the L.A. area for years.  

Doug married in November of last year, and will by finally moving out to join his beautiful bride.  He just finished up his Master's degree at Georgia Tech, and has wrapped things up here to facilitate the move.  He has no job lined up out there yet, but he is an environmental scientist, and I hope that bodes well in a state like California.

Doug came in late Friday, and was gone early Sunday morning.  So everything was concentrated on Saturday.  We did go to the New Harmonies exhibit of the Okefenokee Heritage Center, where as you can see Benjamin considered taking up a new instrument.  Doug had a choice of any area restaurant for his last Waycross meal in quite awhile, and he chose Wong's.  We even saw Paul Tang, who even though he only sees Doug on rare occasions, remembered his name, who he was, and details about him that exceeded my own memory.  Wong's is one of Waycross' great treasures.

But most of the day we spent with each other, doing things the Strait boys liked best.  Playing video games and outdoor stuff like Frisbee with Benjamin, board games with the whole family, watching a movie (X-Men:First Class this time), and of course, long conversations.

Doug has meant a lot to me over the years, and to Benjamin and Alison.  After my divorce to his mother, he accepted us whole-heartedly.  We don't use terms like step or half brother in our family.  Benjamin has only been his brother, plain and simple.  He has been a tremendous positive influence on Benjamin, including Benjamin's desire to someday go to Georgia Tech, and his interest in science.

Yes, you say to yourself, we can do this.  We can plan trips to California.  We will see them both again.  I keep telling myself this,

But it doesn't stop my heart from catching.