Who knows?? I just hope I get let back in long enough to download my pictures. And it is a good way to keep up with USNA parents. Fingers crossed I get let back in after my 48 hour exile.
I didn’t know until recently they went back and forth every day. Several families. I didn’t envision them in a hotel, was not sure how their logistics worked.
I used to commute weekly from Northern NJ to Hunt Valley MD and my backdoor route took me through Lancaster County. Based on that I'd estimate a typical 90 minute trip between Annapolis and much of Lancaster Cty and that is with little to no traffic.
I also expect they get there very early to crank up the ovens and get the live cooking actions going, so I bet they leave at oh dark thirty to roll through the countryside and are well past the Baltimore Beltway before any traffic. They no doubt have it down to an exact routine to close down, sanitize, do required health department routines, get ready for next day or next week.
I was raised a Protestant, then converted to Catholicism as an adult. Went to my first Bat Mitzvah last night, where dessert was these amazingly delicious hand pies — apple, blueberry/blackberry, peach. I tried all three and they were absolutely delectable!
Perhaps you’ve heard by now the well-worn mantra: That you can divide the four years at USNA into three “equally long” parts. Part 1 is plebe summer. Part 2 is the rest of plebe year. Part 3 is the last three years.
What did you think of the pickles? I like a place that puts pickles out to munch on while you're waiting.
Goodbyes get more ‘comfortable’. Sending mine back today. But they cannot wait to get back. Seriously. Missing their mates. Looking forward to the next year. For different reasons. Dare I say joyful? Not a ‘painful’ one that was the last day of PPW.
Pickles were good but as the only one in my family to eat them, I felt bad leaving so many behind.
Needed to read this today…thank you @justdoit19! Yesterday pulled at my heart
strings way more than I-Day. DS verbalized multiple times over the weekend that they were “gonna get killed” this week 
So I am heavily praying 
that these last few days ARE different and exciting.
We have no idea our DS email. He did not even know. Or maybe he just did not remember??? But he was able to recite some sea shanty about what the lights meant on boats!
He does know. That’s his “mid number” that he has sharpied onto dozens of uniform items by now and pieces of gear. M+two-digit class year+unique 4-digit number.