Recently I spent a few days with my nieces Emma and Sophia in Bucks County aka Suburbia. I created a few Facebook posts while I was there. Enjoy!

Suburbia Day #1

The hauntingly quiet sounds of the evening lulled me to sleep. The villagers seems to rise early in these parts. Apparently the youngest in the tribe must chase down a giant yellow machine on wheels. This machine gathers the young and takes them to an undisclosed location. The eldest was dressed in what can only be described as ceremonial garb, something referred to as a uniform. We shall see how the day goes.

Suburbia Day #2

The eldest child offered me what I assume is a peace offering this morning. It was a folded apparatus that left a residue when touched. On it I discovered messages abound with varying degree of intensity. She called it a “newspaper”. As I looked outside the window, I noticed that these “newspapers” were placed outside each individual building within the village. Is it possible the eldest child has a gift of offering peace with the towns folk?
While still looking at the window, I noticed a path outside that veered to the right. I decided to follow it for a moment. To my surprise, the building I emerged from seemed to duplicate with slight variances all along the path. As I continued, the villagers pulled their window blankets to the side. I assume they didn’t recognize me and wanted to investigate as I was a new visitor. More later.

Suburbia Day #3

At approximately 5am yesterday morning, a long ringing sound jostled me out of bed in the harshest way. It was coming from a cream colored device attached to the wall by some kind of cord. I lunged for it in an effort to stop the noise only to hear a voice coming through from the other side. She mumbled something about power and something called ‘school’ would be cancelled for the day. The youngest girl was able to interpret the message. She must have the gift of tongues. She advised me that she would not be leaving today like previous mornings.
I decided to use this time with her wisely and suggested that she escort me on a leisurely stroll. We skipped through the forest and landed at a vast building filled with peddlers selling their wares. The young one seemed comfortable there. More later.

Suburbia Day #4

The host family invited me to participate in their weekly ritual. I feel honored and humbled. They called the event ‘pizza night’. I conclude this must be a night of worship. The location was but a brief journey outside the village. The process was ceremonial and it was clear they were well versed in the tradition of this evening. What I suspect was a town member, greeted us and had us take our place at a banquet table. The young ones began their chant and the town member responded. After some time had past, a feast was brought to our table. Chicken on the bone and a round flat bread. The end of the ritual consisted of a sweet wafer that they called ‘gluten free’. I suspect gluten must be an evil spirit as they were happy to be free of it. More Later.

Last weekend in Suburbia

In gratitude towards my hosts, I thought it would be wise to escort them to my village for the day. Truth be told I was anxious to see my home for a moment but also was curious to see the suburbanites in the wild.

We arrived at the town center. First we will feast! I curated a meal filled with some local favorites and watched them gleefully delight in the banquet. We then boarded the towns carriage to visit the local learning establishment. I could see they were in awe of the abnormalities of this town. This was not suburbia. We walked endlessly through town exploring the culture and watching the citizens. The eldest seems to go into a trance while watching the town folk. I was worried they had taken her soul for a moment. With my heart racing, I snapped her back to present day. One will never know what she saw that day.

The following day they requested that I attend another celebration feast that takes place on the 1st day of every week. They called it “Brunch”. Brunch consisted of a variety of foods from the sweetest of breads to very savory sauces. To my surprise, this meal had no meat. I wondered if there were no animals available or perhaps on the 1st day it is customary to forgo the succulence of meat? They explained that there were “Vegetarians” among them and this dining establishment belonged to them. I learned that “Vegetarians” have taken a vow to rid animal products from their everyday fare. I didn’t quite understand since animals were necessary in my village but the food was more than edible so I decided not to pursue with more questions.

It was then time for me to take my leave. However, two members of the host family were unable to ride their giant flying eagle back to the village so my stay was extended briefly until their return. It gave me more opportunity to watch and observe their everyday customs. At one point I viewed them jumping on a giant circle elevated from off the ground. It sprung them into the air and then back down again. They did this voluntarily for quite some time. It appeared to bring them joy. My only experience with jumping like that is when a wild animal enter my home.

As my journey draws to a close, I must conclude that my time in Suburbia was far superior than I had anticipated. I look forward to future visits. More … much later.