ajmatt blog » north carolina

Summer travels: North Carolina

allegra — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:45:41 +0000

Remember when I mentioned we took a baby to Quebec City? Less than month later we took a toddler – and not just any toddler, one that was teething – to Princeton, North Carolina for the annual Hartley reunion.

The trip was a great opportunity for Eva to spend a few days with her great-grandfather, Pop-Pop. They have a special connection – Eva spent the whole weekend giving Pop-Pop this smile:

And then she would remember she was cutting molars, and she would look more like this:

She was up, she was down, she was carsick… really, you have to look through the whole gallery (and read all of my crazier than usual captions) to get the sense of how much toddler-chasing Matt and I managed.

But in the end, look at this bond. Isn’t it beautiful?

Seals and horses

allegra — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:41:33 +0000

Last weekend we went to the Outer Banks. We stay a few miles from the Virginia border in an area that is only accessible by driving on the beach. We almost always see wild horses during our say, but last weekend we had the best wildlife-sighting trip on family record. It was mostly due to this guy:

I’m not sure if you can tell from the picture, but this seal was huge – well over 100 pounds, maybe closer to 200. He happily sunned himself, looking up at the onlookers periodically and waving his flippers. We initially wondered if he was sick, but were told that seals do wash up on the beach with some regularity. Eventually, a sheriff truck showed up and roped off the seal. To protect him from us or us from him?

The horses were also exceptional. I think there is a family of three horses that live near the house, because we saw the same horses every day, sometimes twice a day. I like this one’s black eyes:

This one was the smallest. We saw him gallop off to find his Mama later that day.

For fun, Matt took a few videos of the horses. This one is my favorite:

There are a more seal and horse pictures – as well as an odd deer on the beach picture – up in our Outer Banks wildlife photo gallery.

Beach hair

allegra — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:39:49 +0000

Eva’s hair, courtesy of the wind in the Outer Banks.

Southern girl

allegra — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:48:47 +0000

By my calculations, Eva’s heritage is more than 50% southern, with roots ranging from North Carolina to Alabama. It is therefore fitting that her first trip was to Princeton, North Carolina last weekend for the annual Hartley reunion.

Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to traveling with a baby. The drive is normally four and a half hours, and this year it took about five and a half each way. On our way home I did climb into the back seat in the middle of I-95 traffic (a.k.a. running the gauntlet) – but it was because I was tired of reaching into the back seat, not because Eva was overly upset.

Eva slept well in the hotel room (generally she sleeps well once the lights are out), and she adapted back to our routine as soon as we returned home. She seemed a little bit restless after two straight days of new sights, but it was all much easier than I expected.

We spent a few hours both Saturday and Sunday at Pop-Pop’s house, and Eva spent most of the time engaged in one of her favorite pastimes, laughing at ceiling fans. In this picture she’s lying on a quilt hand-sewn by her Great-great Aunt Mildred.

At the reunion, Eva was the most popular attendee – at least 10 people held her, maybe 15. Even though she wanted nothing more than to look around the reception hall at her third and fourth cousins, she eventually passed out mid-head-turn.

We took some photos in front of the field outside of Pop-Pop’s house. I linked to the full size photo above – if you click between the trees on the right, you can see tobacco plants. I point that out because to some of us non-Southerners, tobacco plants are fascinating. Or maybe it’s just me.

In just a few weeks we’ll be taking our first flight with Eva – hopefully that goes just as well.

We are in the south

allegra — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:11:15 +0000

How do you know you are in the south?

In DC, shuttle drivers are mute and angry-looking.

At the Raleigh-Durham airport we were greeted by Fran, the Hertz courtesy shuttle, who gave us a hearty welcome to North Carolina. Fran was lovely, making sure everyone on the bus knew where they were going, and doling out directions to those who didn’t. When Matt answered confidently, “I think I know where we’re going,” Fran replied, “You aren’t going to get this pretty lady lost, are you?” As we exited the shuttle, Fran carried the bags an older woman, who she called “mother,” down the steep steps.

In DC, everyone wears black to parties.

When we arrived at our hotel in downtown Raleigh, I sat in the car to guard it—which, upon reflection, was probably not necessary. While I was waiting, an SUV pulled up next to me, and several women in pink sequined gowns tumbled out, one wearing a crown. Car after car pulled up to drop additional women off, and I have never seen so many colorful cocktail dresses.

After some in-depth research (I googled “miss north carolina”), I found discovered that the pinkest of them all was Miss North Carolina 2007—this is definitely the crown I spotted. Apparently the 2008 pageant is in progress, and there is a “pre-show” tonight. When I relayed this information to Matt, he said with some dread, “It’s not in our hotel, is it?” Thankfully, it is not.

PS—everyone knows I am dying for a celebrity sighting, but this in no way counts.