The Carolinas!

For the past several years I have been falling in love with the Carolinas. Although I had never been there, reading Nicholas Sparks books and watching TV shows like Dawson's Creek have created for me a sense of magic in them, and I have wanted to take a trip there for some time. This month we finally made our trip, and what a great trip it was! SO much history in that part of the country, so much to see and do. Driving over 1,300 miles in 8 days, staying in a different city every night (except for Wilmington, where we stayed for two), we saw quite a bit. Here are some of our captured memories. Enjoy!

Charleston

After arriving in Raleigh we drove several hours southeast to Charleston, South Carolina. Since we only had the afternoon to explore, we supported some local entertainers and took a carriage ride around the city.

Welcome to the south y'all :-)

There were so many flowers in bloom,

you could seeand smell them everywhere.

Something we learned on our tour: Back in the day, you

were considered very high class if you lived south of

Broad street, where all of the expensive homes were.

This was where the filthy rich lived. Folks who lived

"south of Broad" were referred to as "SOB's." Some

of the slightly less wealthy neighbors boasted about living

"slightly north of Broad," which was close to south Broad

but not quite in it. The folks who lived "slightly north

of Broad" were endearingly referred to as "SNOB's."

The architecture of these homes is truly beautiful. Sadly,

many of them were severely damaged in the 7.3 earthquake

that hit Charleston in 1886. They have since had to install

metal rods in many homes just to hold up their structure,

and spending millions to purchase a historic home means

hundreds of thousands more in renovations. Many, we

noticed, were on the market.

After exploring historic downtown, we headed over to another

part of town along the water and ate a good fish dinner

(which we would have a lot of during our trip). It this photo

we are toasting with sweet tea, a southern favorite which

quickly became a favorite of ours as well.

After dinner we headed back to old town and walked around

to get more of the city's flavor. As I imagined, there really

are gorgeous parks with giant trees, inviting benches

and romantic gazebos.

"A symbol of history"

From the water here you can see Fort Sumter in the distance.

It is said that during the first stages of battle the local

residents would sit on their porches and watch the "show"

from afar, until it got close enough to be frightening.

This is the kind of thing that attracts me so much to the

east. In the above photo, the big white stone in the bottom

right corner is there from the days before automobiles.

When a lady stepped off of a carriage in her nice clothes, it

wasn't proper for her to step into the grass, so every home

had a stepping stone near the curb. Remnants of the past such

as these really make you feel as if you've stepped back in time.

It's the kind of magic we don't have on the west coast.

Before leaving Charleston the next day, we had to tour at

least one plantation since they are such a big part of the

history there. We decided on Boone Hall Plantation, a

breathtaking property where a number of movies and even

TV shows have been filmed. The view above is the entrance

to the plantation, and the road where Patrick Swayze

rode his horse in "North & South."

Remnants of the past we weren't so thrilled to see....

the old slave quarters.

The main house on property was used in "The Notebook"

as Ali's family vacation home. We toured the inside and

although the house has been burned down and rebuilt

several times, everything inside looks just as you would

imagine a home of past centuries to look. The owners

have done a great job preserving the look and feel.

Neal outside the old smoke house

We took a tram ride around part of the 700+ acre property.

We were told about farming the land, about the events that

take place here during the year (including a haunted hayride

that sounded so awesome it made us wish we could come back

in October) and some of the shows that have been filmed on

the property. Above is the set for an upcoming episode

in the show, "Army Wives."

Myrtle Beach

After a brief but good day in Charleston, we headed north

to the warm waters of Myrtle Beach. There were a lot of

people here and the vibe was fun and lively. After a nice,

long walk on the beach we ventured out for a little

friendly competition....

Few of us west coasters actually know that Myrtle Beach

is the capital city of putt putt in the nation. There are

more putt courses here than there are Starbucks shops

within a 5-mile radius. The only question is, which one

do you pick? We chose Mt. Atlanticus, voted one of the

top courses for its multi-level layout and number of

return visitors. As a non-expert mini-golfer, I am both

proud and shocked to say that I somehow made FOUR

hole-in-ones on this course. A true record!

Wilmington, NC

A couple of hours after leaving Myrtle Beach, we arrived

at what would become our favorite city on the trip -

Wilmington, NC. We had to stay at a bed and breakfast

at some point on our trip, and this was the perfect city

to do it. Above is the C.W. Worth house, our home

for two nights. We enjoyed visiting with the owners as

well as some of the other visitors that traveled from

Europe to attend a wedding.

A little known fact about this city is that it boasts the second

largest filming studio in the country, after Hollywood. Literally

dozens of movies and TV shows have been filmed here, including

Blue Velvet, Fire Starter, Dream A Little Dream, A Walk to Remember,

The Secret Life of Bees, and my personal favorite - Dawson's Creek

(among many others). During our two days here, we recognized many

sites from the screen and toured other popular filming locations,

which I will share. My fellow Dawson's (D.C.) fans will appreciate some

of it, while those who have never seen the show may not be so

enthused. I apologize in advance, but this was too exciting

for me not to share! :-) Above we are standing along the Cape Fear

Riverwalk, at the spot where D.C.'s Pacey and Andy first kissed.

Market Street

Along here you find D.C. sites such as the music store Dawson

& Gretchen walk through and Hell's Kitchen (the bar Joey

works at during the college years).

Although it has changed its name and look, this is the

old Leery's Fresh Fish from D.C.

Cape Fear Riverwalk

Ever since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of someday

owning a victorian style home with a giant, warp-around

porch. Since many of the homes in the historic district

were of this style, I was truly in heaven walking the streets

around our B&B. Tree lined streets, welcoming homes,

charming town - I could have moved here on the spot.

"At Home"

"Ask me to Stay"

The wall Pacey bought for Joey in season 3.

Our first night we stopped for dinner at Elijah's Restaurant.

D.C. fans may recognize this as the restaurant that Pacey

owned in the series finale.

If you're in the south, you naturally have to take at least

one ghost tour. Our guide was great - for two hours he

regaled us with stories of old and by the end of the night

we were thoroughly spooked. While Neal would disagree

with me, I swear that we captured something in the above

photo. I won't say what I see but will leave it to your

imagination. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Look closely....

Here, a man was buried alive. When his ghost appeared

to his friend and asked him to dig up the coffin, it was too

late, but they found that his fingers had been turned to stubs

trying to dig his way out. Eesh!

Even if I had never heard the story, this building just

looks spooky. A woman was shot on the front step of this

building by her drunk boyfriend, and they say that her spirit

still haunts the place. Sometimes she is seen in the windows.

Doododoodo....

The Riverwalk all lit up - so pretty

The next day we drove all over town to check out the sites.

First stop: Wrightsville Beach.

This is the beach where D.C.'s cast spent their summers

in the show, and the pier in the distance was used in the

opening credits for one of the seasons. Somewhere along this

beach is also the house they used in "Sleeping with the Enemy,"

and Nicholas Sparks, "The Last Song" was also filmed here.

Playing under the pier

Next Stop: lunch at Dockside Restaurant

In D.C., Joey's father owned the "Icehouse." The views you

see from that place were the views you see from this

local hangout.

Driving down Chestnut Street. "Dream a little Dream"

was filmed somewhere in this neighborhood, along with

another Nicholas Sparks film, "A Walk to Remember."

Jamie Sullivan's house in "A Walk to Remember"

This was a BIG moment in the life of a D.C. fan.

After doing a little research, we somehow found

the actual Leery house. The window above is the

very one that Joey climbed into on her ladder.

View of the creek

Grams's house next door

The tire swing hanging fromt the tree looks so inviting

Dawson's Creek :-)

Since I love touring college campuses, we made a quick

trip to the University of North Carolina. This also

happens to be the actual "Capeside High."

Carolina Beach





Back in our neighborhood, a few houses down from our

B&B, is the Greystone Inn. It is rated one of the top 10

most romantic B&Bs in the country.

Back to Historic Downtown for dinner

"Battleship North Carolina"

Dinner at the Riverboat Landing

This has to be the most romantic restaurant in town.

You can sit in an individual balcony for two and over look

the river while you sip wine and feel a nice breeze.

Upon our return home, we actually watched "Dream A

Little Dream" for fun and realized that part of the movie

was filmed in the balcony next to where we were sitting.

After walking home to our B&B, we sat out on the porch,

visited with one of the owners for a bit, and then sat alone

and enjoyed the night air. This is what I'd be doing every

night if I owned a house like this. I'd be out on the porch in

either my rocking chair or my swinging chair, reading a book,

sipping sweet tea and chatting it up with the neighbors as

they walked by. Someday....

We had such an amazing time in Wilmington, and while we did

tour a lot of filming locations, it guided us everywhere around

the city. Such a neat place.

New Bern

Arriving in New Bern around lunch time, we were able to

see my cousin, Michelle, and meet her husband Mike and

son Anthony. It was so good to see them, and we enjoyed

touring the marine base where they live.

New Bern is the oldest city in North Carolina, and its

former capital. It was also the birth place of Pepsi.

I just can't get enough of these homes

If you live in New Bern, the thing to do is to be out on the

water. You get to see parts of the city that you otherwise

wouldn't be able to see. Luckily, we were able

to do just that.

Ironically, my good friend and old Ventura room-mate,

Karrin, works on the same marine base that my cousin

lives. We got to see her and meet her daughter Kate-Lynn,

and Karrin's friend Scott generously offered to take us out

on his boat around the Neuse River. It was so much fun!

Great tree house

We also lucked out in that Scott happened to have done

some work for Nicholas Sparks in the past, and he was

able to point out his mansion for us. Holy cow, what a place!

Karrin and I were being goofy, puckering up for the camera,

when Kate-Lynn snuck up behind us and threw her little

hands around our eyes. So cute!

Good Times

After the boat trip we headed to a local Tavern for dinner.

We loved the place and got as far as ordering our drinks

when the power went out in the whole block. It didn't look

promising for dinner so unfortunately we had to leave and

find the only nearby restaurant with power - Ruby Tuesday's.

Outer Banks

Taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island

Entering the marina

After another ferry ride we arrived at our next evening

destination - Buxton. This was the view from our hotel.

There was hardly anyone on the beach so we took a long

walk and watched the sun set. Afterwards we took a night

drive down the strip and found a homemade ice cream shop

with a big screen on the porch showing Cinderella. What

a great way to enjoy a sweet treat on a summers eve!

I LOVE lighthouses, both for their look and as a symbol

of light in the darkness. Neither of us had ever been to

the top of one so we got adventurous and went for a climb.

It's a looong way down. The claustrophobic side of me

wasn't too thrilled with this part but the view from the

top was worth it.

They actually had to move this lighthouse a whole mile

inland, as it was being badly eroded by the ocean waters.

Just behind us to the left you can see where the Cape

Hatteras lighthouse previously resided.

For my fellow Nicholas Sparks fans out there, this is the

actual house used in the movie, "Nights in Rodanthe."

Like the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, this house (named

"Serendipity") also had to be moved a mile down the coast

to escape water erosion. It still sits somewhat near the

water but far enough back that it is safe. The moving of

this house (which just happened in early 2010) was a huge

deal for the town. Sparks fans lined the street as the

Rodanthe movie house was transported to its new location.

Old "Serendipity" locale (the coastline seen in the movie)

A few miles up in Kitty Hawk we visited the Wright brothers

museum, where we heard the story of the development of the

airplane, and Orville and Wilbur's first flight. We learned

that the brothers were actually from Ohio but needed ideal

conditions for their thousands of flight tests. After searching

for a place with warm weather, a decent wind and a primarily

flat surface, they settled on Kitty Hawk, NC. Who would have

thought?

Markers of the first four flights.

Raleigh/Durham

To finish our trip we visited the more populated areas of

Raleigh/Durham. We, of course, had to visit Duke

University so that was our first stop. We were immediately

struck by how lush it was driving through this campus.

It was so pretty it made me want to go back to college!

Love the architecture - very different from the buildings

you see in the west.

Entering Raleigh was beautiful - there were flowers in bloom

everywhere. You would have though we were there in the

middle of spring instead of the beginning of a record hot

summer.

Downtown, we stopped at a natural cafe for lunch. The

town had a neat vibe and we wished we could have spent

more time exploring.

While Neal has traveled much of the east coast, I have

barely just begun. This trip was so memorable for me

that I feel we may be back sometime soon. Maybe

Vermont in the fall? Lots more to see....

Great American Scrapbook Convention

Lisa and I found out just this year (how did we not know about this?) that there is actually such a thing as a scrapbook convention. In fact, they take place all over the country and have several (large and small) per year. HOLY MOLY were we excited. The two of us, along with Lisa's friend and co-worker Sonia (also a big scrapbooker) packed up the car and drove four hours to Dallas for the Great American Scrapbook Convention.

You know you're in the right city for a scrapbook convention when....you arrive at your hotel at 11:30 on a Friday night and find a group of ladies (ranging in age from 40 - 70) sprawled out in the lobby scrapping their hearts out. What a great way to start the weekend!!!

Scrap Girls :-)

A glimpse of the toys inside.....

I initially gave Lisa a hard time for getting us up at the

crack of dawn to be among the first in line (almost 2 hours early!)

but I was glad she did because the line ended up outside and

around the building in 100 degree weather. AND, since we were

among the first 25 people in line, we got to be in a group photo

that will end up in one of the scrapbook magazines. Thanks Lisa!!

Opening the doors to the entrance was INSANE.

Ever watch kids go after candy coming out of a pinata?

That's what this was like. A bunch of booths had free

grab bags and items for the first 25 people, so everyone

was in a mad rush to get to their booth of choice.

Grown women were running, knocking each other out of

the way....it was mayhem!! I think I had more fun at this

show taking pictures of my friends looking like kids in a

candy store. After capturing the photo of Lisa above,

I looked up and she was gone. These ladies were

hard to keep up with!

Scrapbook shopping heaven

Prior to this convention, I knew of Tim Holtz only in name.

Little did I know that he had a CULT following of women

and artists around the country. After watching his stamp

demonstration, I can see why. I've never even been into

stamps and he got me fired up about them. He's an amazing

artist as well as a warm and friendly person.

Hangin' with Tim (Notice the bags of goodies in our hands?

That wasn't thehalf of it!! These shows are daaaangerous.)

We took a class and learned some great new techniques

Some good ideas....

"Scrap Box"

All the paper you could ever want....aaaahhhh

Some last minute shopping before the doors close

On the way home we were greeted by a statue of Sam Houston

Thanks for a great weekend girls - I had so much fun!!

Disneyworld!

Neal was on a 6-week trial in West Palm Beach, Florida - only a 3 hour drive from Orlando. So, I decided to fly out for a visit and we headed to Disney World! Neal had been to the Magic Kingdom once years ago, and I had never been to any of the parks, so we set out for a full day of exploring. We had 12 hours and in that time we hit 3 of the 4 parks. A great day of exercise!

First stop: Epcot

Entering the World Showcase

Olala, c'est le Francais! Tres magnifique!

Do you see the Eiffel Tower in the background?

The infamous ball

(I believe this is officially called "Spaceship Earth")

Japanese Pagoda

Neal standing in front of a miniature train set and village

China

Norway

Next Stop: Hollywood Studios

Sunset Blvd.....sort of

Probably the coolest thing we did at this park was visit the

American Idol mock studio. It was pretty realistic and we

even got to see a live show! Winners of the Disneyworld

American Idol shows get a pass to the front of the line of any

American Idol audition in the country. So, one of the people

we saw perform could, indeed, be our next American Idol.

There was a 15 year old country singer who was really good...

keeping my eye out for her.

San Francisco wall

Audience members participating in a mock movie.

The fire in this picture looks like a dragon coming

out of the water.

Tram Tour

Does anyone remember the movie, "Flight of the Navigator"?

It was one of our favorites growing up, and here we are driving

by the space craft from the movie.

Another one of my favorite movies as a kid was "Splash."

Here is the fountain that Tom Hanks bought for Daryl Hannah.

We happened to show up on Star Wars weekend, so we saw

characters from the movie walking around everywhere.

I have to admit, it was a little disturbing to see a 5-year old

boy with his face painted like Darth Maul.

Of course, no Disney experience would be complete

without seeing Indy.

Next Stop: Magic Kingdom

Having grown up with Disneyland in California, the

Magic Kingdom was definitely my favorite park. It reminded

me of so many good times with family and friends, and is,

indeed, a "magical experience."

Arriving at the park we caught Mickey's parade

Look, he even blew us a kiss!

In the distance: Thunder Mountain, my personal favorite.

Of course we had to ride this one! We also rode Pirates of

the Carribbean and Haunted Mansion - other favorites.

On our way out we caught some of the Electric Parade.

It still amazes me after all these years how these floats

are so beautifully lit. I felt like a kid all over again!

Final Stop: Downtown Disney

To end our big day we walked the length of Downtown

Disney and found a nice place on the water to sit down

and eat. We were so hungry after all that walking!

It was a short visit to Disneyworld but we were happy

to experience some magic for the day. We'll definitely

be back.....

Work Fun

In March my company treated us to a night at the rodeo.

This is my friend Jane and I enjoying some grub in our tent.

In May I flew to Nemacolin, PA to assist with a work function.

While there, a group of us were able to take a tour of

Frank Lloyd Wright's, "Falling Water" house. Hiking into

the forest to get here, you really are completely surrounded

by nature. It's phenomenal. He was so far ahead of his

time for what he did with this house - an awesome site.