I couldn’t have picked a better time to visit the homeland than for the NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavs finally won a well-deserved championship! Seeing the city come alive with joy, excitement, good will, and so much pride was something I’ll never forget. I capped off the celebration with 1.3 million other fans through the streets of Cleveland at the parade. I am so happy for the city, Go Cavs and Go Tribe!

Besides basketball, which took over a lot of the week at home, I also had a chance to visit Cuyahoga National Park, just south of Cleveland. My parents, Kevin, and I did a little hiking and checked out Brandywine Falls. Not too shabby. I visited a lot of old friends, spent time with the fam, and made good use of the shower, bed, and home-cooking. Also made a pit stop at Niagara Falls on the drive in, I haven’t been since our 9th grade class trip, still a pretty long drop!

Kevin’s portion of the trip has come to an end, he’ll be spending the rest of the summer with the Stalkers in Cleveland. No more smoke monsters for him! At least not this summer. Next, I’m off to Chicago to reunite with some fellow boilermakers, see a Phish show at Wrigley Field, and probably polish off a Chicago hot dog.