On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa: Actually, On the Road! College Visits 2009

Hey sports fans ... I'm the road today and for the next week as my oldest (Cooper ... he loves it when I mention him in my blog ... ha!) is looking at colleges.

Keep sending results and other news my way as I will be posting from the road (VivaLoudoun never sleeps ... that may be our motto). You can email me at::dan.sousa@verizon.net).

Rolled into Raleigh, N.C. this afternoon ... looking at NC State tomorrow ... wonder if we will run into Stone Bridge grad Brian Slay and just down the road at Wake Forest a host of former Bulldogs are playing football (Zach Thompson, Mike Olson, Y'Lou Brown, and Patrick Thompson will join them soon).

Friday night we head back to Virginia Beach for a soccer tournament (Loudoun Revolution U19 team) and then it is back south to Clemson for a look.

The whole father-son bonding thing got off to a rough start this week. I splurged on a real camera for VivaLoudoun (a new Canon Rebel SLR) and went to Saturday's football scrimmage at Park View, shooting some 600 photos and videos of PV, Loudoun Valley and Freedom.

Before I could download the photos onto my computer, Coop was playing around with the camera. Several button touches later he had figured out how to format my 8GB card and in the process ... photos and videos went bye-bye.

I think he might have been getting me back as earlier in the day he got a very complimentary letter (OK it was a misguided form letter) about entering the Northern Virginia Miss Teen Something or Other pageant ... Heck, I told him, he should take the letter and try to enter ... just him and a 1,000 girls ... think of the "what I did on summer vacation" story potential! ... Think of the VivaLoudoun blog potential! He didn't think that was funny. Miss Northern Virginia Teens are safe ...

Losing the photos ... that wasn't funny but in the end ... you gotta laugh ... it is better than crying.

More from "On the Road" as the trip continues ...