Thanksgiving at the Shore

    We're starting to establish some traditions down here in Durham.  As I indicated in my last entry, we took a trip to celebrate my birthday for the second year in a row.  Last year we went to the beach to celebrate Thanksgiving, and this year we did the same.  This year, however, we went to Oak Island which is 26 miles south and a bit west of Wilmington, NC.  We found a dog friendly hotel just across the road from the beach and spent four nights by the beach.  There was a kitchnette, so we even cooked a small turkey(Well, I did, Nan roasted veggies).  The accommodation didn't rate 4 stars, but it offered easy access to the beach.  Actually we had the place to ourselves the first couple of nights.

     The beach is one of those long unbroken strands that seems like it goes on forever.

     We took advantage of being close to the beach by taking long walks with the dogs and jogs on the broad sandy shore.  The weather was great, mid-70s most of the time.  Nan even went in the water twice. Beautiful sunset and very few people.  The east end of the island feature a lighthouse built in 1958 and a Coast Guard Station.  We visited it the first night we were there.  Being there at sunset we heard them play "Taps" at the station when the sum went down. 

     Our second day we drove 12 miles north of Oak Island to the Old Brunswick/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.  Old Brunswick was an early port city on the Cape Fear River.  It was a home of the Royal Governor for a while.  Eventually it lost its prominence to Wilmington, particularly after it was burned by the British during the Revolutionary War.  As a result of a large archilogical dig in the late 1950s and 60s, many home sites were unearthed and have been preserved.  Additionally the walls of an Anglican Church (St. Philips) remain.  It was completed about 1760.

       A paved walkway takes you through the village on a path which was one the city's streets.

     During the Civil War the area was converted into a fort for the defense of the port of Wilmington.  The eathworks remain and the path continues through the fort.  The only action it saw was in Feb. 1865 after the fall of Ft. Fisher to the south.  The Union forces and advanced up river and eventually captured the fort.  After a long bombardment, the Confederate forces withdrew and left the fort unoccupied.

     
      I got in 18 holes of golf the next day on a par - 3 course owned by the town.  I had it all to myself so I played 2 balls.  It was amazing how much better I scored on the second ball(10 pars).  If I could play golf with 2 balls all the time and only count the second ball I could be pretty good.

      One of the best things about the trip was that we finished each day with a glorious sunset.  Here are a few examples.

Birthday Trip - 2011

     For the second year in a row my wife set up a birthday trip for us.  Last year we toured some Rev War battle sites in  S. C. and hiked around Asheville.  This year was a trip to Pinehurst - the Golf Capital of N.C.  We visited the famous Pinehurst Resort and walked around the village of Pinehurst.

    The village is quite attractive with a number of chic stores and good restaurants.  There is a lovely park in the middle of town which winds through the pines and loops past the Community Church.

     Neither my golf game or my pocketbook is in a position to afford a round of golf at Pinehurst, but he did find a very affordable course called The Bluff Golf Links where I played 36 holes. One of the course attendants told me that during the recent renovation of Pinehurst #2 getting it ready for the US Open, that The Bluff received 20,000 square feet of sod taken from #2.  So in a way I guess you can say I played a couple of holes at #2.

     The first hole was downhill toward a pond with a house sitting just to the left of the green.  Of course, there are signs all over the backyard "No Trespassing".  Why would you buy a house adjacent to a green and them put up signs like that.  Maybe they're in the used golf balls business.  Anyway I hope they find my Titlest.  The second hole goes over the water and up the hill.

     On our way down to Pinehurst we stopped off at a historic sight called the House in the Horseshoe.  It a colonial era house in a horseshoe bend of the Deep River.  During the Rev War it was owned by a Philip Alston.  He was an ardent supporter of liberty and "pissed-off" a good many of his neighbors.  At some point a group of loyalists under the direction of Daniel Fanning attacked the house which was not only occupied by Alston and some of his supporters but also his entire family.  To bring the stand-off to an end, Alston's wife begged Fanning to end his attack.  He agreed on the condition that Alston agree to stop fighting and supporting the rebels.  Alston agreed and did not raise a rifle against the British or his loyalist neighbors for the rest of the war.  Unfortunately for Alston those he pissed-off did not take such an oath and he was later killed by a bullet shot into the house where he was living.  You can still see bullet holes in the walls of the house.

      It later was owned by the 4 term governor of NC - Benjamin Williams.

Fall Finally Arrives

      This has been an excellent fall here in Durham.  For the most part, warm temps and clear blue skies.  I haven't had to bundle-up for a soccer game yet.  The leaves started to change toward the end of October, but there's been very little frost on the pumpkins.  We've had a busy theater/concert few weeks.
      We went down to Memorial Hall on the campus of that other institution of higher learning eight miles down the road to see Mary Chapin Carpenter.  It's a little bit eerie when you visit Memorial Hall to see all the plaques on the wall commemorating the deaths of Confederate soldiers    It's actually the same feeling I get when I think about Duke being founded on tobacco money.  Anyway, the concert was great.  Although, as it was the last stop on her current tour, she had to work hard to cover the higher notes at the the top of her register. I'm always amazed by the number of extremely talented musicians there are.  Her back-up group was made up of a lot of her regulars, including John Jennings, who I believe has been playing with her for most of her career - very nice sound.
      Another trip was made to Chapel Hill to see a new play at Playmakers.  The Parchman Hour is a play with music which purports to be the "songs and stories of the '61 freedom riders".  It is set in the Mississippi prison where some of the freedom riders were sent after being arrested.  Great material with fine acting, but as a whole it came up short.  The play originated in the Duke documentary studies department, and frankly I think it would have worked better in a movie format. Maybe then I could have followed the storyline better.  Flashbacks work better on film than on stage, especially where actors are playing multiple roles and there are multiple settings.  The use of color and gender- blind casting was interesting and sent as clear social message, but I'm not sure it helped tell the story.  Despite its short-comings, it was good to see someone tackle this difficult period in our nations history.
      The Mississippi River flooding of 1927 was the topic of an interesting presentation which was part of the Duke Performances series on the Duke campus.  Documentary film maker Bill Morrison put together a view of these floods by using archival footage to portray the impact that this disaster had on portions of the Mississippi river corridor.  It is estimated that 27,000 square miles were covered with water as a result of this flood and that it was the impetus for a mass migration of displaced sharecroppers to the north.  There was no commentary during the 80 minute film, just a live musical underscore which featured guitarist and composer Bill Frisell and his four piece combo.  It was an interesting concept, but again it didn't quite work.  I found myself closing my eyes to listen to the music, which was well done particularly the haunting sound of the cornet played by Ron Miles.  I mean how much rushing water and submerged houses can you see. (I should note that it was particularly painful to watch in light of the actual damage I saw when visiting the Schoharie Valley in September.)

Back in a Routine - Dog Walking

    As has been discussed previously in this blog, Nan and I volunteer at the Durham Animal Protective Society.  We adopted both our dogs from there, Finn and Hattie from APS's "death row".  So part of our week consists of at least 2 hours of walking dogs at the facility.  This is on top of the three walks a day our own dogs get.  One of our favorite places to walk Finn and Hattie is Eno State Park(no fees).  The Eno River meanders through northern Durham County and there are several accesses to the river, with a variety of trails.  One of our favorites is the Bobbit Hole - Cole Mill Trail.  These trails combine to make about a 3 mile loop which ends up along the river.  There's nothing like it on a crisp Fall day.

        Finn is a hunter, who comes alive on these walks and will almost pull your arm out of its socket if he sees a deer.  He's gotten much better about squirrels, as he's figured out he can't really catch them.  Hattie is a barker, particularly when surprised, but we've worked hard to reduce the barking and she'll usually look for a treat rather than bark now.
       On a warm, sunny day the hikes are beautiful.  The river flows softly by often stopping in deep pools like Bobbit Hole to relax and enjoy itself.

      Finn is sometimes interested in the turtles we see sunning themselves on rocks and submerged tree limbs.  But like the squirrels, he realizes that he can only dream of catching them.  When we have actually come upon a turtle on the trail, he's not quite sure what to do with them.  He sniffs, but jumps back suddenly if there is any movement.  It's funny to watch.  Usually they just slip into the water as we go by.

      Sometimes there will be a fisherman in the water.  And once we came upon a snowy egret(I think).

I not sure who gets more tired-out by these walks - the dogs or me, but they're usually worth it.

      Our apartment complex had a dog costume parade for Halloween.  Finn went as SuperDog.  Here's a shot of him taking off. Hattie went as a cheerleader, but didn't really get into the spirit of the outting

    

October Back in the Daze

      The morning after Krista's wedding we headed back to Durham.  We went the interior route, which for the most part follows I-81 down through Pa and the Shenandoah Valley.  The first part of the trip was rainy and pretty miserable.  It cleared out a bit from Maryland south.  The foliage had not started in earnest, but it is a pretty trip anyway.  Unfortunately, it is also a long trip, and seems to get longer every time we take it.  We settled quickly into our normal patterns, although the school calendar gave us a 5 day break with a Fall Break around Columbus Day.
      A friend of Nan's has a vacation house up at Kerr Lake(pronounced "Car" Lake) in Virginia.  They were kind enough to offer the place to us for the weekend.  A very enjoyable get away. 

      The house sits on a hill above the lake.  Nan was brave enough to go swimming.  I preferred the Hot Tub. A short walk through the woods took us down to the showline.  The lake itself is part of the Army Corp of Engineers projects and this year is at a record low.  It was a nice get away.

       We've also been to a couple of concerts and shows since we've been back.  The first concert we went to was by Lizz Wright.  A native of Georgia now living in Hendersonville, NC(that's out by the Smokies) her music is an enthralling mix of genres - part r & b, part soul, part jazz, and part gospel.
Her first album, Salt, was released in 2003 and rose to #2 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart.  Her second, Dreaming Wide Awake, made it to #1.  The concert was a mixture of the various styles, the high point for me being the gospel medley.  She was accompanied by 4 talented musicians.  I've never seen a drum solo in the middle of a ballad. It was amazing.  We bought a copy of her new album Fellowship, which is more gospel than jazz, but great just the same.
      We went down to Playmakers(the resident theater company at UNC) to see a Caryl Churchill play A Number, which was performed in their small theater.  The two person, hour long play explores the relationships between a father and his cloned sons - Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black(all played by the same actor - obviously if they're supposed to be cloned)  The surface issue is nature v. nurture, but to me the concept of a disposable child rang through.  All too often in my legal career I ran into cases where unwanted children were dumped into the care and custody of DSS. In this play you essentially have a father who doesn't like how his son turned-out and just clones another, maybe he can get parenting right this time.  Both concepts are interesting and thought-provoking and the acting was very good.  After the play ended, there was a 20 minute "talk-back" which started, believe it or not, with a comment about how real the characters seemed.  "How did you do that?" the imbecile asked the actors.  I would have said. "It's called 'acting',stupid", but they were much kinder.
      I continue to be a Duke sport's groupie, attending men's and women's soccer games and volleyball.  The women's soccer team is excellent and highly ranked.  They have a couple of women who are on the under 20 US team roster.  It's been fun and we missed the snowstorm.

The Big Day - Spike and Krista's Wedding

        It was not a perfect weather day.  The  plan for a wedding outside the Bascom Lodge was rendered moot by rain and fog.  We were on-call in case any last minute errands needed to be run. Fortunately, Krista had things so well organized that no emergency calls were received.  At her request, we arrived about an hour before the service was about to begin, and helped with some last minute jobs, like making sure all the floral arrangements were in place and candles lit.

 At just after 5:00 P.M. the festivities began.  Music was provided by a friend of the family Martha von Schiligen and a friend of hers(I can't remember her name - the excitement of the day, not old age).

     It was a small wedding party, with only Maid-of-Honor, Erin joining her sister walking down the aisle. The picture below is of my two beautiful daughters getting ready for their walk. It's a day like this that makes me glad we spent the money on the orthodontic.

         Spike's dad was his best man, and Kent Higgins, former Pastor at Berlin United Methodist Church, performed the ceremony. I was best man at Kent's wedding in Washington D.C. at the National Cathedral 20 plus years ago.

          Readings  were presented by Spike's Uncle Robert(his only uncle) and yours truly.  I had an idea for a poem based on the hike Nan and I took up Mt. Greylock with Spike and Kris over the summer.  I wanted it to reflect how much like climbing a mountain marriage can be, with tough stretches, rewarding vistas, and the sense of accomplishment.  I was having trouble putting it in the right framework so I turned it over to the real writer in the family.  Within 20 minutes Nan had a masterpiece which not only included my ideas but put them in the context of the wonderful relationship that Spike and Krista have.  It worked very well.  Completing the Lance portion of the program, David and Erin sang "My Cup Runneth Over With Love" from the musical "I Do, I Do" which I Did, I Did at Oldcastle when Erin and Kris were just kids.  I seem to remember that her mother and I used it as a lullaby for Krista when she was a baby.

      I must tell David to button his jacket when standing.  They did a great job.  It made we wish that we'd all use our voices more.  The vows were simple and heartfelt.  Kent moved things along quickly, and the next thing you know I have a married daughter and a son-in-law.  Just as the ceremony was concluding the sun peaked through the thick foggy overcast for the briefest of moments - I like to think that all those who have gone on to the next great adventure were showing their approval. 

      A lot of the "traditions" that you see at a regular wedding and reception were not part of the rest of the evenings activities.  There was no formal toast, no throwing the bouquet, no stuff with the garter.  It was just a nice meal and get together of friends and family.  There was a short "first dance" and Kris and I dance to Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey", but other than that, it was "PARTY TIME". Krista had put together a great playlist which included quite a few classic rock and roll songs.  Kent's wife Jenny complimented Krista's mother and I for bringing up our children to appreciate great rock and roll. We did take a little break from dancing for them to cut the cake.

       My wife and I "danced up a storm".   We left around 11:00, as we had to get up the next morning and drive all the way back to Durham. Most of the wedding party and some of the friends had booked rooms in the Lodge for the night, so all they had to do was stumble - I mean - walk up stairs. Krista had also arranged for a bus to take the rest of the guests back to their hotels in Williamstown. It was a wonderful, joyous occasion, with a handsome groom and a beautiful, very happy bride.