Fielder's Choice

The road trip to Hattiesburg has become pretty easy over the years.

It's about four and a half hours, but there's break-up points along the way.

We made it again on Thursday of last week to help Erin move from her dorm and back home for the summer. She finished up a very successful freshman year at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Pam and I typically make a stop in Tupelo.

And then West Point is a possible break.

But a definite stop, if it's open, is Ole Country Bakery in Brooksville. It's one of our alltime favorites.

I typically pick the lemonfilled donut, which I don't need. This time I chose a glazed donut and a chocolate-covered one, which I didn't need.

On many occasions, we leave with poppyseed bread but not this time. I spotted some cinnamon rolls on my way out the door. But I passed ­ maybe that's a sign of willpower when it comes to passing on the sweets.

West Point is typically a stopping point, like for gas or a quick snack.

On the way south, we normally just rush on through the largest city on the route ­ Meridian. That's if we don't need gas.

We don't stop in Laurel often on the way down. This time we did for a quick lunch.

We lived in Laurel for a couple of years, 1999-2001, and we loved it. It has become a big tourist attraction in recent years, largely due to the HGTV show Home Town, featuring Ben and Erin Napier.

Laurel is one of Mississippi's most popular cities, and it's a great place with great people. It deserves all the attention it is receiving.

It was "welcome to summer" last Thursday in Hattiesburg ­ reaching the 90-degree mark.

Thank goodness Erin had already loaded the bulk of her "stuff" in her own car.

I can't count the number of times I've moved children to different places on the USM campus or in Hattiesburg. Erin is our third one to attend there ­ following older sister Emma and older brother Andy.

We've gone from dorm to dorm, apartment to apartment and house to house over the years.

USM, as I think most other colleges in Mississippi, changed up their school calendar year in 2020-2021, due to the COVID pandemic. Students did not get a spring break in March and then got out early, in late April, for the summer.

It's going to be great having Erin at home for May, June and July. And it's going to be great having her help some here at the South Reporter, too.

On the route home Thursday, we made a couple of different stops. The first was in Scooba to wait on Erin, who was about 30 minutes behind us. She had to visit with some friends before departing the USM campus.

Then we had a celebration of her second semester or entire freshman year by stopping to eat at Yamato Japanese Steak House in West Point. It came highly recommended, and our friend was definitely on target.

The food and the service were outstanding.

A next trip to Hattiesburg is certain in August ­ maybe sooner. That's OK. It's easy now.