I don't really have much to say today. I'm packing up to go away for the weekend. My Family always spends Father's Day weekend in West Virginia, visiting the relatives of My Mother's First Husband. He was the Father of my Brother and Two Sisters, although my Dad (Mom's Second Husband) fully adopted the three of them before I came along. My Brother, the oldest, was only five when Mom & Dad married, so my Dad is really the one who raised them, and he's the one they call "Dad". I grew up considering all these folk in WV my cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and Granny, as well, although technically, i'm not related. If you've read my comic Unshaven CHI #4 ( see a preview ), then you know about my odd family structure, and my FOUR GRANDMAS.

I don't always go along now that I'm grown up, but since I'm not working now, and I don't have a comic show, and I'm pretty much caught up with my new book and new toons for my next site update, I decided to tag along this year. Otherwise I wouldn't get to be with my Dad on Father's Day.

Right now, for lunch, I'm enjoying a Turkey and ham sandwich on a Pretzel Roll. They make them, along with bakery-fresh soft pretzels at a local place called Epex (formerly Smittie's) Soft Pretzels, not too far from my house. I wish they had a site that I could point you to. If you've never had a Soft Pretzel before, that is reason enough to visit Pennsylvania this Summer. We have many local and regional business devoted to Pretzel baking.

I never liked Smittie's growing up, because they were the ones that you got at Softball Games, or other Sporting and Community Events, and you rarely got them fresh. Often they'd been cold-stored over night and thawed, causing condensation around the salt crystals, and ruining the texture. But when they opened up the shop nearby, and I tasted one FRESH, I became hooked. For a while, their sandwiches were a well kept secret for lunch. For half the cost of a nearby deli, they gave you twice the meat. But word-of-mouth has spread, and now if you wait until noon to go over, you'll be in a line that stretches out thru the door.

And I said I didn't have much to talk about today. I'll be back Monday Night, and I hope I have something to say then.