Leland, NC

Jana and I decided to take a road trip.  We went to Leland, NC, to stay with and visit my niece, Rita, and her husband, Bob.  We had a great time.

On Monday morning we took Penny and Mattie to be boarded.  Penny also needed her annual checkup and shots, so they took care of that while she was there.  We board them at the vet where I take Penny.

It took us about nine and a half hours to drive there.  We found a way to get on I-20 without going through or near Atlanta.  It was great.  Some of the roads were two lane and the scenery was beautiful.  Our only problem was when we arrived in Leland.  It was dark.  There were no street lights and we had no idea where we were.  So, between the directions on my phone and the ones Bob sent us before we left, we made it.  Jana was driving at this point, and I was giving directions.  I would tell her how many feet it was to the next intersection where we were going to turn, and when I said turn she did.  If the street wouldn’t have been there we would have been in big trouble.  When we arrived on the street where they live, which is a cul-de-sac, we could not find any house numbers, all the porch lights were on, and we had no idea which house they lived in.  Bob saw the car lights and came out and rescued us.  Thank you, Bob!

Rita had supper ready for us.  We had pork chops and stuffing, along with vegetables and rolls.  It was delicious.  We visited for a while, had a tour of their new house (which is beautiful), then went to bed.  We were exhausted.  We each had our own room with bath.  We were treated like royalty.

 Monday morning after breakfast and showers Rita took Jana and me to her friend’s, Carolyn, house.  Carolyn does art quilting.  Now, I have heard of this but never seen it.  She does beautiful work.  Her specialty seems to be birds.  She had other items there, but the majority was birds.  This is something that definitely takes a lot of patience and skill.  So far, she does not sell her items.  They would probably be very expensive.

After leaving her house we went to a fabric shop that she recommended.  Of course, I did not leave there empty handed.  Before going to the fabric shop we went back to the house and picked up Bob.  After the fabric shop we went to the Frisky Fishy for lunch.  It was awesome.  We ate on the patio out by the water.  From there we took the car ferry boat to Fort Fisher.  This was really interesting.  We also drove around the island, then took the bridge back to Wilmington and headed for home.  Rita had put supper in the crockpot and she figured it should be ready – it was and it was delicious.

Wednesday Rita, Jana and I drove around Wilmington and did some sightseeing.  We drove over to the battleship but didn’t get out of the car.  There was still quite a bit of flooding.  Next stop was a t-shirt store where Jana bought a couple of t-shirts.  After shopping we took a carriage ride around the historic district of Wilmington.  That was a lot of fun.  We were the only three on the ride and our guide was very informative.  The destruction from the hurricane wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be.  Their damage was mostly from flooding.  From there it was back to Rita and Bob’s.  That evening we watched a movie.

Thursday was more adventure.  The four of us went to the Railroad Museum.  We had a great time.  When you enter you get a list for a scavenger hunt.  The four of us participated, and I won.  It was a lot of fun.  If we ever go back to Wilmington I would like to go through the museum again just to look at the train setup.  They had one large room with trains running.  The details of the cities, country, cars, etc. was amazing.  After we left there we went to the Christmas Store.  Again, we did not leave empty handed.  The Christmas Store was part of a larger store, but we didn’t do much shopping other than for Christmas.

That evening we went to dinner with their friends Pat and Kat.  We ate at Christopher’s.  Very good food.  Very good company.  After eating we went to Pat and Kat’s house and had a campfire.  Enjoyed the visit. 

Jana and I left early Friday morning.  It took us about an hour longer to get home because of the rain – lots of rain!  Jana did most of the driving.  

We had a great visit, and hope to go back.  We learned a lot about the area where Rita and Bob live and about Wilmington.

Early Saturday morning we went to Companion and picked up the girls.  Penny had to go back the next week to have some dental work done.  It seems she has a problem with tarter and it is affecting her gums.  She had to have one tooth pulled and her teeth cleaned.  They will be keeping a watch on her teeth and gums.