still among us

Despite all evidence to the contrary. I don’t write, I don’t note… but really, I have good excuses!! Last Friday I went to see The Parents, Saturday came back up here, Sunday we took an all-day redbud drive into Virginia, Monday drove to Chapel Hill AND back… Tuesday came down with something involving a considerable fever and feeling like every bone in my body was broken, but which apparently was not the flu since I was well enough to go back to work Thursday. And here we are.

I can hardly remember the Asheville Trip by now… although, duh, I’ve written since then because I posted pictures of their very attractively blooming Jungle Yard. Came back up here Saturday evening, took off for a redbud trip Sunday morning. Drove to Abingdon, walked around, froze to DEATH – it was really cold, which was really really annoying, being, oh, SPRING and all — then we drove around the back roads between Abingdon and Saltville (Salt Capital of the Confederacy!). Virginia has the greatest back roads – little teeny narrow barely two-lane roads out in the country that you can just zip around on because they’re paved. All our paved roads are widened and ruin the countryside – and if they aren’t paved they’re all potholes and washboards you can’t go over 15 mph on. I LOVE Virginia back roads. Anyhow, that was fun, and we also saw scads of redbuds. Apparently it is a fine season for redbuds.  They are everywhere. Blooming madly.

Sadly, though, I didn’t get any Virginia Redbud pictures, because… it was snowing. Or raining. Or snowing some more. The entire time.

Then Monday morning we were off to Chapel Hill. We had to leave at 6 because Baker B’s meeting was at 10. It’s actually about three hours from here, but we were allowing time for traffic situations. Which was good, as there was a wreck and traffic jam in Winston-Salem. And then although Baker B wanted to get coffee before the meeting, he didn’t realize the Starbucks that he’d printed a map out for was on the exit before the one where his meeting was, so we had to turn around and go back. And then he discovered his shirt had something weird all over it so he had to change shirts in their bathroom. (Fortunately Baker B has learned to always carry extra clothing, since he invariably ends up finding something weird and permanent on his shirt or pants right before big meetings.)

By then we were pretty much right on time, so naturally the meeting is not where Baker B thinks the meeting is. This is, of course, my fault, since I’d asked him the night before if the meeting was at The Friday Center, and he’d said "Yes, it is", and printed a map off for The Friday Center. Somehow that translated into me telling him the meeting was at The Friday Center. And of course I’d certainly know exactly where a meeting was that I’m not going to and has nothing to do with me! Luckily the actual meeting spot was several miles down the same highway, so he still wasn’t technically late. It was at the General Administration Building at UNC-CH, which is obviously built on an Indian burial ground, since he’s had several meetings there and we can never remember where it is, and last time I dropped him off there and then tried to return four hours later to pick him up, I could NOT find it and drove around for like an HOUR hunting it. (And of course Baker B has no cellphone so I couldn’t call him. I’d wisely started back about 45 minutes earlier than I thought I needed to, so was only 15 or 20 minutes late, at least.)

And it’s really easy to find. Right on a main highway into Chapel Hill, a few miles from the interstate, a couple miles past The Friday Center. And he did have a meeting there once, adding to the general confusion.

So anyway. I dropped him off and went to a nearby great big mall, which was fun since I never go to great big malls anymore. Of course five hours is too much for a mall but not enough for anything else, especially down there where it takes a week to drive ten miles with all the redlights and horrendo traffic. I ended up going to Trader Joes, which I’d scouted out in advance so I’d know where it was. That was very exciting, as I’d never been to Trader Joes. And then I found a Whole Foods right behind Trader Joes, and went there too. So I spent lots of time grocery shopping. By then it was time to go pick up Baker B.

So I manage to find the General Admissions building (Administration? I also want to call it General Assembly – proving my point yet again that there’s something weird going on with it) without incident, for once, and I’m a few minutes early, so I sit in the car and read the paper till he comes out. It had been raining and I had my lights on. And I totally forgot to turn them off. And we’re idiots who, despite having been through this same scenario a whole bunch of times STILL HAVE NOT BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY. So, of COURSE, the battery is stone dead. After five minutes. And Baker B is all mad because I didn’t turn the lights off. Because remembering to turn the lights off when you are sitting in the car is way easier than, oh, buying a new battery.

It ended well because we called AAA and they actually arrived within half an hour, even after the guy had to call and —- of course!!!– – try and get directions because he —- surprise!!!!— couldn’t find the Seriously Cursed General Administration Building. Like I could tell him where it was when his GPS couldn’t.

So we drove to Carrboro, parked at Harris Teeter, and walked up Franklin Street to the other side of Chapel Hill. Because we always do that. The really annoying thing was that it was COLD. Very disappointing, as it’s usually practically summer there by now. So we froze. And it was also rainy so I couldn’t take the camera, even MORE disappointing. But we stopped in the Cave for a couple of beers, always lots of fun, and got some exercise. Of course I whined the whole time because I couldn’t take pictures of their cool ceiling lights. Well, I did with the phone – but haven’t emailed them to myself yet.

And then we drove all the way home. We still got back around 9, so that wasn’t bad for such an eventful day and such a long drive. But next time I’m spending the night. Apparently we’re too old for that.

And here’s some Abingdon pictures, at least:

The Wolf Cave House – there’s a cave behind it. And a story about wolves. It’s a really cool house.

The Tavern – the oldest building in the very old town of Abingdon – built in 1779. We ate there YEARS ago, but sadly it’s never open for lunch anymore, and we’re never there at dinner. I think dinner is pretty pricey, too.

Not a redbud, but it’s a bloom!!