VISITING WITH THE MIDSHIPMAN


I'm just back from Parents' Weekend at the United States Naval Academy. I got to experience a great few days with Brendan. Although he wasn't allowed to leave the campus (or "the yard," as they call it) overnight, he was able to come and hang out with us during the day and early evenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tristan and Collin were able to come also, and this was a huge bonus for Brendan. It was great to be with him. He seems happy and very healthy. Those 6:00 a.m. workouts appear to have agreed with him. Plebe summer has been a big challenge, as it is supposed to be, but he seems to have made his way through it very well.

My dad and his wife, Linda, were also able to come to the academy from their home in Virginia on Saturday. Brendan was able to give us all a tour of the yard. It is such an impressive place that I cannot begin to describe its grandeur in the limited time that I have to complete this post. It is awe-inspiring to walk onto the yard and to behold the academy's beauty and historical trappings. The buildings there are massive and ornate. I have truly never seen anything like it. As my dad observed, the Naval Academy is a city unto itself.

Once again, it was very tough for me to say goodbye and to leave Brendan in Maryland. He begins the academic year next week, and will not be able to come home until Thanksgiving at the earliest. I will miss him. I know that he will be successful, and that he is capable of caring for himself. Still, it is hard to let go. That said, I am as proud a papa as one could possibly be.