A Week of Vacation Archives - Page 4 of 6

St. Joseph Plantation, a Cajun Cafe, and 2 Memorable People

04/20/2016 By: CCPearson1 Comment

St. Joseph is still an intact sugar plantation in Louisiana, one of the few remaining in the River Parishes. You can learn a lot about the sugar industry in Louisiana during a visit to St. Joseph while listening to your tour guide, while watching a short video called “Raising Cane in Louisiana,” and by going to www.lacane.org. A few facts that I noted were these: 1) Sugar cane accounts for 17,000 jobs in Louisiana, 2) Sugar cane is grown in 22 Louisiana parishes, and 3) This industry pumps $215 million into the state’s economy EACH MONTH!! I also learned that sugar cane grows from nodes on the stalks and not from seeds. Hmmmm.

Exterior of St. Joseph Plantation.

Sylvia Zeringue was our wonderful tour guide on the day we visited. She told us so many interesting stories about the history of the house and the people who lived there. I learned about movies that had been filmed on the property and about the emphasis here on keeping the slaves healthy. Dr. Cazamine Mericq actually owned the large house at one time and provided medical care to the slaves. Sylvia also pointed out all of the indications that residing family members were strict observing Catholics — crucifixes, kneeling benches and such. She pointed to a bonnet tub clearly revealing how tiny the people, particularly the ladies, were during this time, and she showed us a small baby bathtub.

A bonnet tub for very petite bathers.

A baby bathtub at St. Joseph Plantation.

I was particularly interested in the mourning traditions of the day and the requirement that women had to wear solid black for an entire year following the death of a family member. Sylvia pointed out that by the end of the year invariably another family member would have died, so the women ended up wearing black for a very long time. This particular plantation hosts Creole Mourning Tours during the month of October each year. Read more about this on their website.

Black dresses worn by the plantation ladies during periods of mourning.

Through the wonder of the internet, Facebook, and blogs, Sylvia and I actually connected before Steve and I arrived in Louisiana, and I will never forget that she invited us to visit her church! Regretfully, we were not going to be in the area in time, but we certainly hope to do that very thing in the future. Another memory Sylvia created for me was when she invited me to play the pump organ in the mansion for our small tour group. She took a big chance. I had never played a pump organ before! But, somehow, I managed a verse of “Amazing Grace,” and it was a special time for me. Thank you, Sylvia. We almost missed this tour because our GPS led us to a cow pasture rather than to 3535 Highway 18 in Vacherie, LA, but fortunately, we found it and rushed in only a few minutes late. Sylvia was gracious to allow us to join the last tour of the day.

Some of our tour group watched and listened to “Amazing Grace.”

Sylvia Zeringue watching as I tried my hand at playing the pump organ.

While in this part of Plantation Country, we had lunch at Spuddy’s. This is one of those places known by the locals that you need to experience for yourself. Nicknamed by his parents after the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, the year of his birth — Spuddy makes his own smoked sausage and andouille on the premises. I noticed such items as Grilled Andouille Salads and Malcolm Burgers on the menu. When I asked, Spuddy proudly explained that the Malcolm Burger is named for his grandson. He says he cooks Jambalaya every Monday and that Gumbo is his #1 seller. He makes 10-20 gallons per week depending on the weather. I am 99% sure his last name is Faucheux, but I could have easily misunderstood. Spuddy told us he didn’t know he had another first name until he started to school, and his parents sat him down to teach him how to spell “Maitland.”

Interior of Spuddy’s. The walls are a history treasure trove.

The thing I will most remember about Spuddy is his unwavering loyalty and commitment to his wife. They were married March 21, 1981, and by March 22 of 1982, she was having brain surgery for hydrocephaly. As a result, “Mrs Spuddy” (I hate that I didn’t get her name) has no short-term memory. They have 3 daughters, and Spuddy has helped her cope with her memory and brain issues for all of these years. His is a remarkable story of unconditional love and devotion. You’ll find some good local food if you visit, but you’ll also be inspired. Check out the website. The address is 2644 Highway 20, Vacherie, LA.

Read a little more about St. Joseph Plantation in this article I wrote for Trip101.com.

Evergreen Plantation and B & C Seafood

04/18/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

We began our tour of Evergreen Plantation (4677 Highway 77, Edgard, LA) on the back side of the property where a double row of 22 slave cabins still remain in their original location. 103 slaves were housed here during the plantation’s hey-day. After emancipation, the cabins continued to be inhabited until 1944. Under the Code Noir (Black Code), slave owners were required to “clothe, house, and feed” their slaves, and EVERYBODY ate off the land. The cabins were about 12′ x 24′ with 2 families in each one.

A 2-family slave cabin.

A list displayed in this section of the property, accounts for each slave living there in 1835 by their names, their work on the plantation and their monetary value. We have this list because of an inventory required of the owner when he almost went bankrupt and had to compile a financial statement.

List of slaves from the owner’s financial accounting.

The Creole way of life was overwhelmingly Catholic, so the slaves were required to be baptized as infants whether they continued to practice Catholicism or not. In this environment, voodoo and Catholicism were very similar. (Just as a sidenote, Steve and I witnessed a similar situation during our first mission trip to Brazil back in 1990. There was a heavy infiltration of spiritism into the practices of the Catholic church).

House slaves slept in cabins much closer to the house and may have appeared to have an easier life, but, in fact, they were at the beck and call of their masters 24 hours a day, seven days a week and didn’t have the privacy of the “back slaves.”

The big house was built in 1790 as a Creole-style house, but it was changed to a Greek Revival style in 1832. At that time the front double staircases were added. Greek Revival style is all about symmetry and balance. The inside is STILL Creole style.

We were not able to see all of the rooms on our tour because “Roots, the Remake” was being filmed. When movies want to film scenes on these plantations, they are generally welcome because the income helps to maintain the property.

Fireplace in the separate kitchen cabin.

After this tour, we continued down River Road and found B & C Seafood, owned by Thomas Breaux. The food was authentically Cajun, prepared by Cajuns to be eaten by Cajuns. Delicious! I highly recommend this very cultural experience. You might want to brush up on your French before you walk in. You are sure to hear it spoken by many of the patrons dining around you. Check out their website.

Parade of Louisiana Plantations: Day 1 afternoon – San Francisco

04/13/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

San Francisco Plantation was next. I was immediately surprised by the bright colors and by how close the mansion was to the highway. We learned that most of these plantation homes could easily see the river in their early days, but the very important levee that has since been built obscures the view. However, with disasters such as Katrina still fresh on everyone’s minds, no one complains.

On this tour, the story of the Marmillion family was shared. Valsin Marmillion married Louise von Seybold after meeting her during a trip to Europe. Her Bavarian heritage is reflected in many of the architectural and decorating details of this home. It is NOT a typical white mansion. No, this one has lots of gingerbread and ornamentation. Marathon Oil has been a very generous benefactor of the San Francisco Plantation. The property of the plantation joins that of the oil company.

In order to stay in the area that we were touring, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express in LaPlace, Louisiana. It was an especially nice Holiday Inn Express. We really enjoyed the ceiling fan in the room, the walk-in massage shower, and the afternoon happy hour with very substantial snacks, including red beans and rice, hot spinach dip, veggies, cheeses and dips. In addition there was a large comfy chair and ottoman in the room as well as a nice desk. This HI Express had a swamp area between it and I-10. The sounds of all that nature was intriguing. We definitely kept our eyes peeled for gators and snakes when we were in the parking lot!

Holiday Inn Express walk-in massage shower

Dinner on Day 1 was at New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company. Alligator bites, anyone?

Just a few more thoughts about this part of the country — As you probably know, in Louisiana, counties aren’t called counties, they are called parishes. And the term “River Parishes” refers specifically to St. James Parish, St. Charles Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish. Those 3 span both sides of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. They love to claim Fats Domino and Corey Webster (New York Giants) among their famous past residents, and proudly mention that the first black, multilingual newspaper in the United States was printed in the River Parishes. Jo Banner, the communication manager and film coordinator for New Orleans Plantation Country, loves talking about her native area and boasts of her Creole heritage. She specifically mentioned the strong religious identity with the Catholic church and how closely-connected people are to their families. If you substitute the word “Protestant” for “Catholic” in the previous sentence, it sounds a lot like North Alabama, doesn’t it?

Parade of Louisiana Plantations: Day 1 morning – Destrehan

04/11/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

I have been a faithful reader of Southern Living Magazine since AT LEAST the mid-1980’s and probably longer. When my children were young, I can remember drooling and dreaming about one day visiting the plantations along the Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I am a card-carrying, VIRGIN mint julep and sweet tea drinking, Southern belle – at least in my own mind. When I was about 12, I even talked my Momma into buying me a huge hooped skirt evening gown to wear for my upcoming GA coronation and end-of-year piano recital. She never once said, “You might want to really think this through,” because she could tell I had fallen in love with that dress. Are you getting this mental picture? I knelt down to be “crowned” on the stage at church. What happened? That dress billowed forth all around me, and I was swallowed up in white tulle and fake pink roses. Then came the recital. I walked out to play my piece, sat on the bench, and there wasn’t enough room for all that dress to land. My hands ended up a very uncomfortable distance from the actual keyboard, and who knew if my foot ever found the pedal??!!! Let’s just say that I learned my lesson about Southern belles and their dresses.

But, I digress. Back to the plantations.

Recently, two factors converged. 1) My Silver Fox and I were celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary, which is a time I can normally convince him that we need to do something special. And 2) I have become a travel writer. Sounded like a PERFECT time to finally see those plantations. He agreed. We threw in a Swamp Tour for manliness purposes, and started making our plans. We had a Sunday night to Saturday morning time frame and wanted to cover as much territory as possible. In that period, we spent a night in the French Quarter of New Orleans, toured 10 plantations, visited 2 museums, ate AMAZING food, and spent the night in 2 hotels, in one bed and breakfast and on the grounds of 3 plantations. Oh the towering live oak trees! Oh the graceful Spanish moss! Oh my goodness, the many versions of bread pudding!

Destrehan back side

Destrehan live oak with Spanish moss

On our first full day, we drove north out of New Orleans and arrived at Destrehan Plantation in time for a 9:30 a.m. tour. Barbara Fair was our guide that day, and our education of life along in the Mississippi River in the late 1700’s and all of the 1800’s began.

Destrehan tour guide Barbara Fair

We heard the story of Jean Noel Destrehan, his wife Marie Celeste and their 14 children, and explored the architecture of the house that took 3 years to build and was all done by hand using materials found on the property. We learned about Essex, the valuable slave who was a barrel-maker, and Marguerite, who cooked, did the laundry and taught table manners to the owner’s children. We saw a giant rolling pin that was used to flatten the mattress every morning and the men’s drawing room with playing cards without numbers on them. We even saw what had to have been one of the very first recliners. After this first tour, I had already taken 6 pages of notes and several dozen photos!

Destrehan bed with rolling pin for smoothing the mattress

Destrehan – one of the very first recliners

Destrehan plantation bell

Destrehan detached kitchen

We headed to our Swamp Tour next already covered here and then found Connie’s Grill in Reserve, LA. for lunch. The Monday special was grilled pork chops, red beans and rice (of COURSE), salad, bread and dessert. Delicious.

Monday lunch special

Connie’s grill interior

Swamp Tour in South Louisiana

03/30/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

My Silver Fox and I recently spent a glorious week between New Orleans and Baton Rouge touring antebellum plantations, eating cajun and creole food, and staying in beautiful inns. We were celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary. It seemed to me that we needed to do at least one thing JUST FOR HIM. He’s an outdoor guy who loves nature and the water. Why not a Swamp Tour? We decided on the Cajun Pride Swamp Tours company and had a great time. Check out this video from the Travel Channel — it’s precisely where we were!

Captain Thomas Adam Billiot — known in the swamp as Captain T Tom — is Houma and Cajun. He knows the swamp. He has even been featured on National Geographic and “Swamp People.” Andrew Zimmern of “Bizarre Foods” has been to his house! Captain Tom takes groups of people on tours a couple of days a week, and then has swamp duty for maintenance of this 5000 acres he refers to as a real “Man Shack.” He even guides tours at night where they build fires by the graveyard in the swamp, but Captain Tom warns that “the mosquitoes will tear you up — maybe 40-50 times!” No, thank you. In the month of September — Official Gator-Hunting Season — his main focus is on catchin’ gators, and he has had much success through the years. In other seasons, he catches turtles for soup, nutria rats and lots and lots of crawfish.

My Silver Fox with Captain T Tom.

Our visit was right as the recent flood waters were receding. Tom said that meant that gators and snakes were everywhere, and they’d even found water moccasins in the parking lot!! The maintenance crews had been working overtime to keep the areas well swept to try to minimize the possibility of a snakebite. Gulp. Believe me, I watched my steps.

After much trial and error with popcorn, Cheetos and the like, Captain Tom finally discovered that marshmallows are the preferred treat of swamp critters.

Captain Tom had marshmallows ready to feed the critters. This gator gobbled one right up.

We saw a large raccoon, lots of turtles, plenty of alligators, and white egrets during our tour, but mostly we were entertained by Captain Tom’s lively tales of life in and around the swamp.

White egret surveying the water.

Raccoons are an interesting part of the cycle of life in a swamp.

A raccoon is an interesting part of the cycle of life in a swamp.

There were a dozen or so noisy children on our tour who were only interested when we spotted a gator and when T Tom took a small one out of a bag he had on the boat (with its snout taped shut, thank goodness). The wiggly kids didn’t deter him one bit. He just kept on talking and guiding our boat without missing a beat.

A large alligator and several turtles share a sunny log.

I imagine it’s just like every fishing trip Steve goes on. Sometimes you “load the boat” and other times you “don’t get a bite.” I thought we saw plenty, but on other days you might see a lot more. I’d recommend you spend a few hours on the swamp, and hopefully, you’ll be lucky enough to get on one of T Tom’s boats.

Thick vegetation, water, and turtles.

A view of the wetlands.

Turtles enjoying the warm sun. The word for a group of turtles is a bale, by the way.

TravelCoupons.com and How They Can Help You

03/07/2016 By: CCPearson2 Comments

This post will be short.

Disclaimer: As a general rule, I will choose something unique or special over a chain hotel whenever possible. But, we all have occasions when we just need to “pull over and spend the night.” This post applies to times like that.

Recently my Silver Fox and I needed to be in Troy, AL for 2 nights for a family funeral. We drove to a very nice Best Western in a great location for our activities coming up and went in to get a room. When Steve asked what the room rate would be, he was told “$103.00.” He said, “We’ll be staying for 2 nights. Is that the best rate you have?” He mentioned several memberships we have that give very small discounts, but the girl at the desk said, “You need to drive down the road just a little bit to a gas station, a McDonald’s or a Waffle House and pick up the free Alabama Travel Coupons book. We have a good discount in that book.” Sure enough. We quickly found one of the books and ended up saving $56.00 on those 2 nights. A BIG discount. Much better than AAA, AARP or any of the others that are common.

Current Alabama Coupon book in effect until April 30, 2016.

If you are traveling soon and will be stopping overnight at places yet to be determined, I highly recommend that you either find a book for the state you are in (go to a Welcome Center when you cross a state line) OR go to travelcoupons.com. Make note of the 17 states that offer these discounts. Keep this reference handy on your iPhone or iPad. Then, when you come into a town, look first at the hotel to see if you think you can be safe and comfortable. Find the discount coupon and walk in ready to claim your good deal. Why pay more?

The Best Parade I Ever Saw

12/23/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

It was Christmas Eve of 2003. We were 3000 miles away from every family member. We just wanted to somehow survive the next couple of days as well as we could. Then, unexpectedly, the landlady of our apartment, who lived one floor above us, invited us to view Cuenca’s Christmas Eve parade with her from the balcony of her friend’s apartment who lived directly above the main parade route. We thought, “Sure. That will be a fun diversion for a few hours. It’ll be a good way to soak up some more glimpses of the culture.” But, oh us of little faith. This parade was far more than we could have ever imagined, and it lasted for SIX HOURS! Yes, 6. And we were the lucky recipients of the best seats in the house! Really.

(Click each image to get a closer look. You’ll love the faces).

Beautifully-costumed tambourine players

Decorated horses and donkeys

Jesus and His disciples

A huge chunk of the city was completely blocked to vehicles. It looked as if everyone in the southern highlands of the Andes had come to town for the big event. As we were to realize shortly, there were almost as many people IN the parade as there were WATCHING the parade. It started at 9 a.m. and began to wind down by 3 p.m.

Cuenca - Christmas parade float with fancy people

Elaborately-costumed children hung on precariously

There were floats, marching/dancing groups, children dressed in costumes riding donkeys and horses, and lots of pick-up trucks decorated with candies, fruits, flowers, bottles of alcohol and lots of roasted meats to be consumed by the families that night.

Roasted meats and goodies

I remember being surprised by all of the floats and displays with Biblical themes. And, I don’t remember a single snowman, reindeer, or Elf on the Shelf. 🙂 But I DO remember nativity characters ON STILTS!!

The nativity characters on stilts, no less

Through the years, we’ve seen our share of parades. Hartselle High Homecoming and Hartselle City Christmas parades for sure. We even went to NYC for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but I believe that particular Christmas Eve in Cuenca tops them all. I’m so glad I got to witness it in person.

Children in the town center as the parade began to wind down

Elmo’s Diner and Saltbox Seafood Joint, Durham Eateries Endorsed by Duke Students

11/18/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Elmo’s exterior

Ellmo’s menu

Elmo’s Diner is located in the 9th Street Shopping District in Durham, N.C. and is open from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. EVERY DAY. When you walk into a “diner,” you know upfront that the atmosphere will be chatty, casual and cozy. The staff serves breakfast anytime, and the food is homemade — nothing instant or with a mix. Perhaps that (and its proximity to the Duke campus) explains its popularity with Duke students. The food must remind them of what their Mommas would make if they were sitting at her table rather than slaving away in a lab or library. The pancakes are made from scratch and are very special.

Our group of 4 made some great choices on the morning we went for breakfast. One had a ham/bacon/Swiss quiche with home fries and blueberry crumbcake. Another had “the biscuit and gravy deal,” which included 2 eggs, bacon and a side. But the two pancake plates ordered were sweet potato pancakes with whipped cream, and Betty’s cranberry apple granola pancakes. Both were outstanding.

sweet potato pancakes at Elmo’s

Elmo’s cranberry apple granola pancakes

There is no one associated with the restaurant actually named Elmo. The owners just found the name to be friendly and unpretentious, and apparently their instincts were right. Elmo’s doesn’t take reservations, but if there’s a crowd, it’s worth waiting for a while. Even Rachel Ray has been to Elmo’s!!

When you first reach Saltbox Seafood Joint, you will be amazed that it is so highly successful. It is a small, walk-up place with very few parking places. Yet, there were 10 people ahead of us in line when we arrived at 2:15 in the afternoon. You may get your order to-go, or there are 5 picnic tables in the front and 1 in the back. Saltbox was established in 2012 by Ricky Moore who does all of the cooking personally. His able assistant James takes orders and the money.

Owner Ricky Moore and his assistant James at Saltbox Seafood Joint

chalkboard menu

It is definitely not a fast food joint, although it is a plastic forks and paper plates establishment. The sign says they are open from 11:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday “or until the fish runs out.” Their slogan is: Seasonal seafood, freshly cooked. Good fish, that’s the hook. When we first got in line, the menu listed catfish, shrimp and oysters. Five minutes later James came out and erased shrimp and added salmon and scallops. We were very interested in a Saltbox specialty known as “Hush-honeys.” Very different twist on the usual hushpuppies that accompany fish.

Hush-honeys at Saltbox

One of the drinks they serve is simply called Good Tea. It has a citrusy flavor.

It’s not exactly cheap. The oyster plate with a side order of Hush-honeys and Good Tea came to $24.00.

Oyster plate with slaw and potatoes at Saltbox

A Duke student who was in line with us called it “the best lunch in Durham,” and said this was his 6th trip since the semester started. For this meal, he had brought several friends with him.

Owner Ricky Moore is hoping to place some of his products in grocery stores in the near future, specifically Hush-honeys and slaw for the freezer section and a blend of spices for seafood. Keep an eye out for those items. Garden and Gun Magazine thinks highly of Moore’s cooking. Read the review here under fried oysters.

I admit I’m pretty spoiled to comfortable seating, air conditioning, and an available ladies’ room (noticeably lacking at Saltbox), but I can see why the younger set is drawn to Saltbox.

Raleigh/Durham, N.C. Visit 2 — Let’s Go to the Fair!

11/09/2015 By: CCPearsoncomment

Sing with me. “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.” What a great theme for this year’s North Carolina State Fair — “NOTHING COULD BE FINER.”

State fairs are so much fun, and the one in North Carolina is ranked among the Top Ten in the United States. I’m so glad that my Silver Fox and I had a chance to see it in person this year. Allow me to share it with you in pictures.

Each state fair has distinguishing characteristics based on the heritage or unique qualities of that state. In North Carolina, tobacco has been an important crop for years. This display was near the entrance. Tobacco before and after.

Tobacco about to be picked

Dried tobacco

There were HUNDREDS of food vendors with giant turkey legs and anything fried being the most popular items. My Silver Fox/veterinarian is convinced that some animal other than a turkey has legs this meaty and large.

Turkey legs on the grill

Silver Fox and cousin Reitzel with their turkey legs

My trainer will be happy to learn that I resisted MANY fattening possibilities.

Items I did NOT eat

German chocolate apples

Surely a muscadine slushie is a healthy choice.

Something healthy — muscadine slushie

If you love competitive cooking, sewing, or cake-decorating, you’ll want to try for a Blue Ribbon. It was good to see 4H still alive and well in North Carolina.

ornate gown

A “cheese” cake

Blue ribbon pies and muffins

Blue ribbon cakes

winning 4H crafts

Look at all of the amazing produce.

“oversized fun”

Turban squash

giant pumpkin

produce display

tomatoes

Talented craftsmen displayed their wares. I particularly enjoyed watching a violin maker, and artist Robert Hall, while Steve enjoyed an innovative hammock.

A violin maker

Robert Hall in front of some of his Hall’s Originals

Silver Fox trying out a hammock/recliner device

A beekeeper is in this cage with a full honeycomb and hundreds of buzzing bees. She says the secret is to remain very calm. Bees were all over her, but I didn’t see her flinch from a sting even once. And look at the work of this Balloon Lady. The whole room was filled with her display.

A beekeeper. In a cage. With hundreds of buzzing bees.

The balloon lady

The NC Fair also had a gorgeous botannical garden section. So much color. So many varieties of plants.

giant pink dahlia

Jack-o-lantern with a ghost on top

mums

If you have an opportunity, I would encourage you to attend a state fair in your area next fall. Minnesota’s is ranked #1 in the country, but they are all fun. We stayed away from the dizzying rides, but that might be just your “thing.” There was one big advantage to being 65 — free admission. Go in the morning and on a weekday. The weekends get very congested. The attendance during this year’s 10-day run was 1,019,732. That, my friends, adds up to a LOT of cotton candy and ferris wheel rides.

Raleigh/Durham, N.C., Visit 1 — An “RTR” Even a Good Auburn Girl Can Appreciate

11/04/2015 By: CCPearson1 Comment

As a self-respecting, degree-waving Auburn graduate (’71), I had never met an “RTR” that I could appreciate. My husband and I stepped off the plane in Raleigh/Durham on our first visit and were met with a banner proclaiming: Welcome to RTR – Research Triangle Region. There it was in big letters. No denying it. But, over the next four days, we came to truly admire and enjoy this part of the country with all of its natural beauty, its cultural diversity, its academic excellence, and its culinary offerings.

We were there mainly to visit my cousin Ginger and her husband Reitzel, life-time Athens, AL residents until a couple of years ago when they moved to be near all of their children and grandchildren. Well, “near” as in “outside of a 5-mile radius” as requested by their loving son-in-law. Ha! Thanks to their gracious and thoughtful hospitality and planning we covered a lot of the area and were treated to insightful and enlightening commentary.

The first noticeable difference between Alabama and North Carolina? So Many Trees. The location, too, is great. Two hours to the coast (think Nicholas Sparks’ novels and the Outer Banks) and two hours to the Smoky Mountains. In Raleigh/Durham, there are many rolling hills.

Straight from the airport, we went to the Brightleaf District (referring to the tobacco industry that was the main economic source for many years) and a small, retro-looking cafe called Fishmonger’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar (www.fishmongers.net). Since both of our morning flights were so short they “didn’t have time to get out the beverage cart,” I was dying of thirst. Hallelujah for some cold, sweet tea! The oyster baskets weren’t bad either. 🙂 Conveniently across the street were some tempting shops, of which my favorite was Parker and Otis — a broad selection of specialty foods and unique gifts (www.parkerandotis.com).

Then we went on to the campus of Duke University. We became Duke fans when our son Matt attended a basketball camp when he was in Junior High School. A very influential Duke player on the team at that time came as a guest that week –yes, Christian Laettner — and Matt was hooked. He came back and requested all kinds of Duke paraphenalia for his already orange and blue bedroom. We started following March Madness. Matt’s dream vehicle became a “Duke-blue Dodge pick-up truck.” You get the idea. Thank goodness, he never actually asked us if he could ATTEND Duke University. We learned last week that tuition is now $60,000 PER YEAR, and I’m sure it would have been almost as prohibitive in the mid-to-late ’90’s. All that to say that Steve and I felt a little bit as if we were walking on hallowed ground when we toured Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Duke University Chapel, the campus bookstore, etc.

The next day we drove through the University of North Carolina campus, and the day after that we saw North Carolina State. It’s a good thing the rivalries between these three schools are respectful and friendly. With such close proximity, things could get downright dangerous! On another plus side, my cousin and her family are in a great spot if they encounter health issues. The medical facilities at these universities are world-class.

Very popular restaurants that we tried and would highly recommend are:

Foster’s Market — The website alone will have you drooling. https://www.fostersmarket.com/
Bleu Olive Bistro — We went for Sunday Brunch, but anytime would be delicious. https://www.bleuolivebistro.com/
The Q Shack — If a person can gain weight by smelling, then this is where it would happen. OH. MY. https://www.theqshackoriginal.com/ Not fancy, but so, so good.
Dame’s Chicken and Waffles — https://www.dameschickenwaffles.com/ Choose your preferred type of waffles from Classic, Sweet Potato, Gingerbread, Fresh Blueberry or Vegan. Then choose your favorite “Shmear.” Some of the options are Strawberry-Creme, Chocolate Hazelnut, Orange-Honeycomb, etc. Go and taste a shmear, and you’ll understand why they matter.

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