Moving Day...Off to the Mountains

We need to say a very big "Thank You" to Fran and Bob Bunn.  We pulled out of their farm after a 12 day visit in Spring Hope, North Carolina.  I must say just how much we enjoyed our time with them.  We both felt the warmth of visiting our extended family.  Living on two different coasts has not given us much time to get to know our son-in-laws parents.  A great 12 day visit was wonderful for us and we hope them.

Eva and Scruffy in a tug-o-war over a Frisbee.

Right now our two dogs are in severe depression.  After 12 days of solid play time they are missing each other.  Our Mexican Mutt enjoyed 12 days of complete freedom roaming in 15 acres of lawn and trees.  The two dogs were inseparable during that time.  I have no doubt these were the best 12 days in her 8 month life.  It was puppy heaven.

During our relaxing stay Terri got in her "fix" of gardening and I got to help Bob mow and trim a few lawns.  Bob and Fran both spend many hours and days volunteering in their community.  I got to be Mr. Fixit along with Bob on a few projects.  Working with Bob is a real pleasure, we could spend hours talking and working.

Yesterday we visited the state capitol in Raleigh.  It was another historic and iconic building.

Three Presidents from North Carolina.

Looking up 5 or 6 stories to the inside of the capitol dome.

The old senate chambers.

Senate library and records area.

Looking down into the House chambers from the third floor gallery.

On the four corners of the capitol grounds are four churches.  Churches are important here now and throughout the states history.  No matter how small the community was that we visited, every one had a Baptist church.

Almost every street we drove down in Raleigh we
could see a church steeple. 

On our trip home yesterday we stopped by the local grocery store.  As we came out to our car we saw we were sharing the parking lot with two large tractors.  You know you are in serious farm land when there are tractors at the grocery store.  I love it.

Hey city folks, this is how the real world does it.

Here's how a newspaper owner viewed the Civil War.
That's wisdom.

We are spending the next 5 days at Bandits Roost Campground on W. Kerr Scott Lake in the Northwest corner of North Carolina.  It is another beautiful US Army Corps of Engineers park.  Our campsite looks down onto the lake about 25 yards away.

From this location we will be exploring Pishga and Cherokee National Forests which will include some time on the Tennessee side of the mountains.

Tomorrow I turn 63 years old.  I can say life is good for an old man.