Back on the East Side

I am in the middle of a trip back to my homelands on the East Coast. Been a good trip so far, though I find as time goes on, more and more familiar sights are gone or altered almost beyond recognition. I feel more at home in the snow and cold at Christmastime than I ever could in the moderate temperatures and fog of the Bay. It just doesn't feel like Christmas ever comes there, but then, I suppose if I had grown up that way it would seen natural. The cold, gray, diesel-y rest stops of I-95 just kind of put me in the mood for good times with family and friends. Yeah, I'm a kook. What else is new...