Today is the equinox; it’s hard to believe summer is over! Hard to believe for a couple of reasons–one, of course, is that in North Carolina the weather has just recently shifted from so sticky you sweat when you twitch to pleasantly warm.
“Fall, at last!” says Sasso. “Now it’s time to RUN!”
The beach is great. I’ve been to some beautiful beaches, and I am always happy to see more of the ocean. But my longing to go to the mountains is deeper, longer-lasting, more constant. (And me saying this has nothing to do with the recent spate of shark attacks on North Carolina beaches.) Last week, I read a New York Times travel article about Asheville, and since then I’ve been reminiscing about how much I loved our trip to Asheville and Pisgah National Forest last August. And also playing, like the total novice I am, with the photographs I took on the trip in Photoshop.
View from the Blue Ridge Parkway. This picture used to be very, very blue.
When I meet people who have lived in North Carolina longer than I have (not hard to do!), I often ask them what their favorite place to go on vacation in the state is. I’ve gotten a shocked “What? You haven’t been to the Outer Banks yet?” several times, and when I was trying to figure out where exactly in the Outer Banks to go, a new friend suggested Ocracoke Island. I immediately made a reservation at the National Park Service campground on Ocracoke Island for Memorial Day weekend.
People are usually talking about speeding through small towns when they say it, but I think it goes for life as well. I’ve been working so much this last six weeks that I am continually surprised by the passage of time. What, it’s May? Wait, it’s almost Memorial Day? When did that happen?
When did the azaleas in our yard bloom in a riot of color and joy?
I’ve been trying to sample as many of the hiking trails in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area as I can, and for a while now–probably at least since December, so pretty much forever–I’ve had my sights set on checking out Umstead State Park. On Saturday morning, more social plans were postponed, and the garden looked just fine (no weeds yet!), so Sasso and I finally had our chance for a good long hike in a new park.
Loblolly pines at Umstead State Park.
Remember how, anticipating spring, we started building garden beds a month ago? And then winter came and brought construction to a snow-covered standstill?
Garden bed skeletons shivering in the snow.
We finally had enough spring-like weather to finish the garden beds! Continue reading
On our first trip out of the neighborhood after liberating the car from the snowpacked driveway on Saturday, Sasso and I ventured out to Carolina North Forest for a brisk and slippery morning stroll scramble.
Bolin Creek.
We got somewhere between 4.5 and 6 inches of snow on Wednesday night. Until Thursday morning, the snow this winter has been like the sugar on mini-wheats–a pretty coating adding a certain glamour to a fundamentally recognizable breakfast cereal.
On Thursday morning I woke up in a whole different world.
We didn’t used to have an archway at the end of our driveway. For that matter, we used to have a driveway.
A friend of mine–who lives here, but isn’t from here (obviously)–posted on Facebook this morning:
My impersonation of most of North Carolina right now: “Winter is lasting for TWO weeks this year! George R. R. Martin was right! I wish it was humid and sweaty and terrible like it always is!” I love you nutty people, even if I don’t understand you.
The North Carolina Project 