News!

 It’s been a while since I’ve updated. Instead of trying to share everything at once, I’ll share what’s been going on in different posts. Here's one of the big changes--my husband and I moved to North Carolina. We found a lovely house with beautiful gardens and a lake in our back yard.

Here are some photos:

My parents came to visit, and I took my dad kayaking on the lake.

An ocean of hellebores.

A view of the lake from the side of the house.

Same view, different flowers.

Our lanai.

Old Salem

We were recently in Winston-Salem. In the heart of the city is a reminder of years and generations gone by. Here are some photos.

The first building built, The Apothecary. Not sure what this says about people, or Americans, in general, that the first building built is an apothecary…

I love the herringbone pattern of the sidewalk bricks. And the street is Bank Street because the bank was there. It appeals to me more to conjure a story about an embankment where people waved goodbye to loved ones sailing across the sea. Or better yet, a rise where people buried their treasure to safeguard it from pirate raids. But Salem is in north-central North Carolina, so no ocean-bound or pirate ships. Alas, it’s just a street where the bank was.

Here’s an allée leading to Salem’s cemetery. Some of the early leaves had turned and scattered the pathway. I can only imagine what it will look like in a few months.

Here’s the first grave. When our children were young, we moved from California to Connecticut, and one day the children asked me “What are all the stones along the side of the roads?” I discovered they’d never seen an old graveyard—in CA, the cemeteries were behind tall stone walls. So, though some people might find it macabre, we’d take the kids to walk through the graveyards and look at the markers. It reminds me of a quote from The Silver Chair, “He has died. Most people have, you know…There are very few who haven't."

Here’s an ongoing excavation of pottery kilns.                                                

And below is a photo of one of the beautiful homes. (Many of the homes are still private.) The architecture is exquisite. Even though buildings were mainly about function, they never lost sight of beauty, balance, and form.

And a close-up of the same home. They are bigger than they appear from the front.

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

The Best of Vacation

 1. Food

Besides roast beef and pork loin, we had Afghani goat curry one night and Palestinian food another night. Yum!

2. The Beach

Onslow Beach, North Carolina

However, I did discover that 80 minute sunscreen did not last for the four hours I was in the water. So I’m grateful for aloe and zinc oxide. And, FYI, The Marine Corps has the nicest beaches in the country.

3. Highway 40. It is a gorgeous drive, which winds through the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. No traffic, beautifully green, and meets the Interstate 75 in Knoxville so we can have dinner with our son on the way home. (Luke is now a grad student at UTK.)

This photo is from Wikimedia because I couldn't find my camera (grumble) as we were driving through.

4. Rest

I’m just hoping that our dog Jezebel doesn’t read my blog—she’ll be so jealous. Cal never lets Jez nap on his chest.

5.  Friends

Photo courtesy of Rebekah Duke.

What can I say—I love two year olds. And Helen did a great job of doing my hair.