NOTE:  This is part 2 of my Memorial Day blog post. For part one, see previous blog post.

Last night, besides those clusters of beautiful teenagers in picturesque Seaside, Florida, I saw 100 or more bicycles parked at the edge of the town square or leaning against light poles. But I didn’t see many adults.

I am fairly sure the kids had their parents tied up somewhere. Or worse.

I decided to figure it out later. I too was too hungry to wait. I chose the grilled cheese. Stood in line behind the teenagers at the Melt Down truck. The warm American cheese oozed between the hot toasted bread wrapped in foil. Turned out to be the best grilled cheese I have ever had. A complete meal with the two main food groups, bread and cheese. Combined, there is a bit of magic created.

Then you become sleepy.

I woke up today – Memorial Day -- to rain gently pinging ARGO’s metal roof. Thunder rolled in the distance, and threatened to intensify. In the background I could hear the faint lapping of waves on the shore.

Then I thought about last night’s idyllic scene, and wondered again: Where were all the Seaside parents? And why was I shocked, in today’s world, to see well groomed and well mannered teenagers hanging out quietly together around the town square?

Then it hit me. The operative words are “in today’s world.” It was only shocking because of what we are told about today’s world. The topsy-turvy one portrayed on American TV.

Strangely, though, it was also familiar to me. The peaceful kid-centric scene reminded me of the world I grew up in. Back then, your friends lived in your neighborhood; they went to the same school as you did. Families knew each other. Your parents didn’t worry about you as you rode off on your bicycle to ride to the store or meet your friends at the corner. The only hard rule was to be home by supper.

Robert Davis’s tightly designed plan for Seaside recreated a classic American neighborhood. Parents are close by and confident enough to let the kids go with friends on their bikes to the shops on the square, the amphitheater and open-air diners. It also helps that no one under 21 is allowed on the beaches after nine without a parent. The result? A communal sense of security.

It is comforting to me to know the classic neighborhood feel survives here and other places around the world. Perhaps our current culture's obsession with social engineering has forced simple traditional living into becoming something considered radical.”

But we still have the freedom to choose in America.

It is easy to take that freedom for granted. We should remember not only on Memorial Day, but everyday, the men and women who serve and those who have given their lives that we may live freely in America. Our freedom isn’t free. And the fight to keep our freedom continues everyday.

Tomorrow I am back on the road to continue my journey, Discovering America One Story At A Time.