A Friendly Visit

We have lived in our new home in North Carolina for exactly two years. The first four months were filled with getting settled, making new friends, and participating in the many activities going on in this community. Then Covid hit, and things came to a screeching halt. Due to that, we have had very little company here. This past weekend Jim's former business partner and his wife flew in for a few days. We have a great relationship with them, and picking them up at the airport was like old home week. 

We had a wonderful time catching up, and showing them some of the sites of our new hometown. Friday we went to Uptown Charlotte (they don't call it downtown here!), walked some of the greenway and explored the urban parks. Ted went to Whiskey Club with Jim Friday night, while Jill and I watched a documentary and then a movie on Netflix.

Saturday some friends took us out on a nice pontoon boat on Lake Norman. It was a beautiful day, and the lake wasn't too crowded. Sunday following brunch, Jill and I took our kayaks out on Mountain Island Lake. The temperature was perfect, and we spotted an egret, turtles and blue herons while out on the water. Their flight left later that day, so we had a quick bite on our patio before taking them to the airport. The visit was way too short, but very sweet!

visit with friends

Road Trip

We were going to head north to see our son and daughter-in-law for a visit, so we decided to stop someplace new on the way there. We settled on going to Williamsburg, Virginia. Neither of us had been there before, so it was all new to us despite its old age. We enjoyed learning the history of the previous capital of the Virginia Colony. Founded in 1699, it was the location of the first permanent English-speaking settlement in the New World. Fortunately the rain held off and we were able to enjoy the self-guided walking tour. We also visited the College of William and Mary, which is the second oldest institute of higher learning in this country.

Williamsburg, Virginia

The next day we drove to Yorktown, Virginia. It is one of the eight original shires formed in Colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown is the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. We stopped at Colonial National Historic Park to pick up a driving map so that we could visit important locations for the siege that took place in the area.

Yorktown, Virginia

Following lunch in Yorktown we proceeded to our son's house. The next morning we went into D.C. proper. We walked the mall area, and enjoyed seeing the Eisenhower Memorial and the WWI Memorial. They are both new since our last visit to D.C. Saturday we visited a botanical garden and a winery. The weekend also included an early celebration of my birthday. It was a great trip!

Washington, DC

Follow Up on the Booster Shot

We got the Pfizer booster shot last Wednesday, and the only side affects for us were a sore injection site arm and a little lethargy the next day. By Thursday evening I felt just fine, and that was that. I will certainly take those minor inconveniences versus getting Covid.

Yesterday our community had its first fall festival. Many volunteers worked for months to pull it together, and what a great job they did! It was a beautiful day, which was a blessing. We started the morning with a car/truck/motorcycle show along with coffee and donuts. People brought their unusual/unique/classic vehicles, and the Ford dealership provided a few new vehicles for display as well. We took Jim's Indian motorcycle and his 2007 Porsche 911 Carerra Cabriolet to the show. There were 15 vehicles in all, so that's not a bad start for a first time event.

In the afternoon there were about 30 booths for people to shop at or learn about local services. There were wine and beer vendors as well. One of our residents is a DJ, so he had the music going. There was also a food truck available. When the booths closed down, the live band started up. They were really good, and got a lot of people up and dancing. It was nice to have some outdoor fun, meet some new people who have moved in recently, and forget about Covid for awhile.

this morning's sunrise