This week we were on the road for a business trip for DH which worked out great for this week's project, Week in the Life 2011, since we seem to have found ourselves on the road quite a bit this year. So here is a re-cap of our final morning in the hotel in Charlotte, NC and heading down our favorite country roads for the trip home to Raleigh, NC.
Since we didn't have to check out of the hotel until noon, we relaxed all morning long and took our time cleaning up and packing our bags...here is a shot of the before...
The DoubleTree in SouthPark is one of our favorite hotels in Charlotte, because they are large and spacious with separate living/dinning rooms and full kitchens...which is such a plus because I SO do not like having to get dressed to go out and eat all the time when we travel...especially for breakfast.
Yeah a bed that I do not have to make! Time to pack our bags...
Okay...our bags are all packed and loaded into the car...where DH is the designated driver...
...and...I am the designated photographer ;)
But sometimes DH is a real smart-ass and that's when he becomes the Designated Dummy!
Whenever possible, we always try to take our favorite Route between Charlotte and Raleigh, Routes 49N & 64W because it takes us on the back roads where there is plenty to see and fewer crazy drivers!
The weather was beautiful and the skies were clear and so blue that we could see for miles...
We never get tired of seeing the small family farms with all their out-building and farm equipment.
There are wide open vistas with mountain views...today the haze made them hard to see ;)
We pass many fields of corn and alfalfa.
We drive through the Cape Fear River basin where there are many public boat ramps.
There are truck with big wheels...now I've got that song in my head...BIG WHEELS KEEP ON ROLLIN'
And then we see some smaller wheels...on bicycles...ROLL IT...ROLL IT!
and...then on a scooter...PROUD BARRY KEEP ON BURNIN'...ROLL IT...ROLL IT ;)
We just never get tired of seeing the big barns with their bright metal roofs...
or the ones with their rusted roofs and contraptions that make us wonder "what they are for?"
Soon we are more than half-way home and we look forward to passing through the town of Asheboro where we like to stop for lunch at one of our favorite, local restaurants...The Rock-ola Cafe.
If you ever find yourself in town, we highly recommend this local favorite, simply for their fried flounder sandwiches alone (the flounder & shrimp dinner is great as well ;)
They also make their own rolls and serve them with cinnamon/sugar butter...yum! It's very hard NOT to eat a bunch of them before they bring your dinner...lol DH is trying to be good...see his crown?
Now when I said "local favorite"...be advised that you just never know whom/what you'll find inside:
Only in the South...a barefoot Beauty Queen wearing her sash and tiara (but no shoes ;) she was more than happy to Strike a Pose!
After a great lunch, we get back on the road, where we find gas almost ten cents per gallon cheaper in the next town, Ramseur, so we stop to fill up our tank.
I just love it when DH fills the gas tank, because he also washes the windows...too bad we didn't do that earlier...some of my pictures might have been clearer...lol
DH is tired of my camera...so I found Abe Lincoln's direct descendant's at the next pump...lol
What can I say...I was having a good time capturing all the sites ;) You know that you are in Ramseur when you see the water tower and Biscuitville...
Soon the sky starts to get dark which only enhances the red barns.
This is God's country...seriously...there are as many churches as farms ;)
Which only makes us feel so blessed that we are together and that we get to live in this beautiful place!
Another glimpse at a small family farm with many out-building, fields and fences.
Getting very sleepy...time for a quick nap ;)
Must have been lunch...just needed a little beauty rest (actually lots ;} before reaching downtown Raleigh to grab a few more photo opps...
Trying to get home before the storm starts...check this out...in my rear view mirror you can see a train going over the over-pass...
Downtown Raleigh is so pedestrian friendly that you always feel safe walking around to all the many functions that are hosted here. Tonight as we pass the Memorial Auditorium we see the signs for parking for the Broadway Musical, HAIRSPRAY.
The auditorium is right next to Shaw University which is one of the oldest in the State.
The weekend of April 13th of this year, we had really bad tornadoes touch down right here in downtown Raleigh, and the buildings on the Shaw University campus suffered a lot of damages. Here you can see where the windows have been boarded up with plywood where the wind blew out the windows. We watched a show recently on the weather channel that highlighted coverage of this storm.
Next we turn onto New Bern Avenue...always a sign that we are almost home...and we pass the Federal Court House. Looks like they've already had some showers here...
We made it home and got the car un-loaded JUST in time! It wasn't long before the clouds rolled in and the sky turned BLACK and opened up with rain, thunder and lightening.
We spent the rest of the evening up-packing and relaxing, sitting in our recliners watching movies and eating popcorn and listening to the lull of the summer rain.
One more day of Week in the Life of taking photos and documenting things and then I'll be starting the process of assembling my album. Since this is a first time participating in this project, I am going to be following Ali's lead in pulling this album together. I'll be sure to share things with you and hope that you'll be inspired to try this for yourself.
Hope you all have a wonderful evening.
Fondly, Roberta
I'm not sure what was funnier...DH with the crown...the barefoot beauty queen or Abe Lincoln...oh you just made me laugh...If DH was driving and you were sleeping who took the pic??? (you crack me up)
Posted by: Denyse@Crazy Beautiful Life | 08/01/2011 at 09:01 PM
It's amazing what you'd miss if you didn't take the time to stop and look around through a camera lense...I wonder if you would have spotted Abe Lincoln's heir if it hadn't been for this project. Really great photo's and again, I'm inspired to do one of these myself.
Posted by: Cortney Lyon | 08/03/2011 at 09:07 AM