I have been back from vacation for a few hours now. I have some relatives (grandparents and aunts and uncles, and a cousin or two) living near Philadelphia, city of brotherly love, the Liberty Bell, and a baseball team that actually wins games.

Here are some things we did while there:

* We visited the Constitution Center in Philly. The main exhibit hall is impressive, and they also have a large diorama of the Constitutional meeting place with statues of all the delegates.

* We went to the beach at Wildwood, NJ. Aside from a few mouthfuls of Atlantic saltwater, a sunburn on my shoulder, and blisters on my heels from walking up and down the boardwalk, I had a lot of fun.

* My uncle took us to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Outside of an ending that appeared to be rushed in order to resolve some backstory, it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the factory scenes and the musical bits, as well as how evil the other children were portrayed (Violet Beauregarde and Mike Teavee especially).

* On Saturday night we went mini-golfing. Proving once again that miracles never cease, my younger sister, who normally never wins a game, was victorious.

* If you should find yourself in Bucks County in southeastern Pennsylvania, I highly recommend you visit a small town called New Hope. They have some very nice shops along the Delaware river.

* I learned how to play Mexican train dominoes, and even purchased a set.

Adam "I wish the drive out there wasn't so long" Bomb