Outrunning Winter

While 24 inches of snow blankets the Eastern Seaboard, Tim and I have been focused on ducking and dodging anything that looks white and falls from the sky.

Good Friends and Crab Legs

After arriving back to Virginia on Sunday we took some time to rest and heal.   Surrounded by good food and love in Sylvia and Leroy’s house, it didn’t take long for Tim to begin feeling better.   We took it very easy through the week and Tim’s cough began to fade.

By Thursday we started to hear rumors of coming snow.  We watched the Weather Channel as the predictions got more dire.   It was time to head south.  We packed up Frank and started the next phase of our journey.   After our 40 days of couch/guest bedroom surfing across Virginia, we are looking forward to living in the van again.

We drove out of Blackstone and pointed the GPS to Elizabeth City, NC.  Here we were due for dinner at my Aunt Holly and Uncle Steve’s.  It was huge spaghetti feast shared with my cousin Erin and her boyfriend Stephen, cousin Jenny with her hubby Joe and amazing little girls Holly and Belle.   Dinner was completed with the Norwegian delicacy: Lefse, paper thin potato pancakes served with butter and sugar.  You’ve got to taste these to appreciate the massive amount of effort that goes into making them perfect.

The next morning after coffee and cinnamon rolls with Aunt Holly and Uncle Steve, Tim and I climbed into Frank to travel to Raleigh.   We had a weekend of CRAZY planned with our buddy Dee and his beautiful wife Angie.  We couldn’t wait to see them.  Just as we drove into Dee’s company parking lot, the first flakes of snow started to fall.  Thankfully the afternoon stayed warm, so despite the snow and sleet, the roads stayed clear.  We worked at Dee’s office until 6 and then cruised home for dinner and fun.  The night began with Angie’s delicious fajitas and then a trip to a neighborhood party.  Dee and Angie’s neighbors aren’t afraid to party and we soon felt right at home as people danced to Madonna in the kitchen.  By 10 the party moved to the local bar where we played pool, danced and learned all about the local gossip.

Saturday, Tim was focused on one goal: to find a place to watch Carolina play Texas.  In the land of Tarheels, we figured it shouldn’t be difficult.  After some morning errands, we hit the road and drove to downtown Raleigh’s Tobacco Road Sports  Bar.   These guys know what they are doing.  In addition to the 35 flat screen TVs scattered around the bar, the highlight is the line of Lazy Boy Chairs with beer holders and food trays.   Fellow William and Mary Alums, Rob Clink and Matt Greer, joined us for the game and cheered UNC through ups and downs against a very tough Texas team.  While the Heels lost the game, it was a good showing and we had a blast.

From there it was an easy walk to our favorite Raleigh restaurant, 42nd Street.  We gobbled down crab legs and hush puppies and went home full and exhausted after a big day of beer, food and good friends.

After a lunch of the most amazing meatloaf we’ve ever had the privilege of eating, thanks to Angie, we are on the road again.  From now until February, we plan to spend our days on the coast.   With few exceptions, we’ll be within smelling distance of salt water at all times.  Tonight we are camped out at Carolina Beach.  Tomorrow we’re heading out to actually the camp on the sand at Freeman Park.   Other than a bacon cheeseburger,  Tim’s favorite thing in the world is to camp on the beach.   We’ll fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing 20 feet from Frank’s bumper.  Life is very very good.