Thanksgiving Day

We joined Phil, fellow square dancers Nick and David R., as well as three I hadn't previously met (Jack, Jerry and Lekegan) for Thanksgiving wine, talk & dinner chez Phil yesterday afternoon. Nick and Phil had done most of the food preparation and cooking, with side dish contributions from the rest of us: what a spread of food! Yum!

Alas, kent4str and I were on the road home around 7 PM, then on the road again to South Carolina by 8 PM. Traffic was significant around Washington DC but not too excessive for the holiday season: we covered the north-south length of Virginia in slightly less than three hours, then almost all of North Carolina in another two.

That isn't to say our drive wasn't without its weirdness. There is a very large outlet mall complex in Smithfield, NC, which was apparently hosting some midnight madness sale. Madness was a bit of an understatement. As we sailed past around midnight, we could see the vast parking lots were completely packed, the service roads and side streets were filled bumper-to-bumper and the ramps off the highway were backing up with an extra half-mile of cars from all directions. For god's sake people, get a life! Shop online! Get a clue!

As I type this, we're at the Holiday Inn in Lumberton, NC, just north of the South Carolina border. We snagged a room here around 1 AM, caught some sleep and are about to continue our journey. kent4str is in the shower currently; as soon as he's done, we're off to breakfeast at the Denny's downstairs.

Thanksgiving Day

We joined Phil, fellow square dancers Nick and David R., as well as three I hadn't previously met (Jack, Jerry and Lekegan) for Thanksgiving wine, talk & dinner chez Phil yesterday afternoon. Nick and Phil had done most of the food preparation and cooking, with side dish contributions from the rest of us: what a spread of food! Yum!

Alas, kent4str and I were on the road home around 7 PM, then on the road again to South Carolina by 8 PM. Traffic was significant around Washington DC but not too excessive for the holiday season: we covered the north-south length of Virginia in slightly less than three hours, then almost all of North Carolina in another two.

That isn't to say our drive wasn't without its weirdness. There is a very large outlet mall complex in Smithfield, NC, which was apparently hosting some midnight madness sale. Madness was a bit of an understatement. As we sailed past around midnight, we could see the vast parking lots were completely packed, the service roads and side streets were filled bumper-to-bumper and the ramps off the highway were backing up with an extra half-mile of cars from all directions. For god's sake people, get a life! Shop online! Get a clue!

As I type this, we're at the Holiday Inn in Lumberton, NC, just north of the South Carolina border. We snagged a room here around 1 AM, caught some sleep and are about to continue our journey. kent4str is in the shower currently; as soon as he's done, we're off to breakfeast at the Denny's downstairs.