Category: Life

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Show Me…

Show me the slow, dusty, forgotten vintage and antique shops in the tiny towns that dot the United States of America.

Show me long forgotten treasured vases, art, and planters, small brass pieces and barley twist candle sticks.

Show me things that I’ve never seen before so I can drink it all in and remember for those who have been long gone.

Show me the well worn quilts and dish towels that were so carefully crafted by the Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters who have passed years before.

Show me the old photos and the travel souvenirs that remind us how vast this amazing country is and how every place has it’s own feel and rhythms.

Show me the knowledge corner in tiny little gas stations as we travel from one small town to the next in search of our next gasp of breath at something so incredibly beautiful that we could never have imagined it.

Show me the well worn wooden chairs, dinner tables, primitive kitchen tools, old dusty working man’s tools, and the woven baskets that hold all their own memories and those beloved people’s thoughts and cares that bore witness to all the joys, trials, sadness, and love of those who kept them.

Show me all of these things and I will take them all in to my heart and mind in order to remember the hard working people who crafted, cried, celebrated, and created our vintage and antique history. I will bear witness and testify for those that are no longer here to share their stories and memories.

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Old Places – Brown Summit Grocery

I love finding art made by local people about local places in North Carolina – it goes back to that old mystery for me personally –  I’ve never understood why this southern area resonates so hard in my soul but it does. I’ve felt like this is my HOME more years than I ever did anywhere else.

And sometimes the emotions are just really unexpectedly strong at times – like with this situation.

We found this at an estate sale, pretty much forgotten, just hanging on a wall, dusty – no price tag. It appeared nobody was interested but I think it’s beautifully done – pencil drawing of a small town grocery store: Brown Summit Grocery.

 

I’ve been excitedly looking for any information on the artist and the place and today, I found the location where it used to be on Google Maps. And ya’ll.

My heart is literally a little broken from what it showed.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/7230+Brown+Summit+Rd,+Browns+Summit,+NC+27214/@36.2126433,-79.7133136,3a,75y,152.67h,76.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIYa9Ax10HYOEx52AcOof8A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m9!1m2!2m1!1sgreensboro+nc+history!3m5!1s0x8852de4b96470c75:0x5f677875b0392e51!8m2!3d36.212515!4d-79.7132348!16s%2Fg%2F11c13yfs9q

 

May 2015 is the last time in Google that it had activity – looks like a local salvage kind of sale.

The first pic I found (below) just broke my heart.

 

Gets even worse the more I looked – I found this article 

STORE’S PART-OWNER CRITICALLY WOUNDED / SHOOTING STUNS COMMUNITY

    • BY BERNIE WOODALL Staff Writer

Nov 15, 1992

They had this follow up article.

I still haven’t found any information about the artist but seems good that this little place is remembered in a good way for people like me to find years later.

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NYC 2022

Our trip was mostly a success – we had a few minor issues due to an entire day of rain on our arrival day, the venue for the concert was just too small for what was going on, and the never-ending search to find a DAMN BATHROOM in the city.

 

The Oculus in NYC

Ghostbusters Fire Station 

The Highline

Winter Lights Powered by Genesis

Rockefeller Center & The Christmas Tree

We stopped into FAO Schwartz – not for buying anything but both of us wanted to go check out the toys and stuff. We are both still very much kids at heart I guess. BUT we had a human NYC moment that was super random and very much created a sense of “we are humans together”. 

The song Sweet Carolina by Neil Diamond was playing and all of us in the store were totally into what we were looking at but when the chorus hit, EVERYONE SANG IT. And everyone did it just once, didn’t do it again on the next chorus….and I wish I could find the words to explain perfectly how it felt in that small space of time – but it was really extraordinary. 

Times Square

The Great Heathen Army hat and Times Square

 

Central Park

  • Bethesda Terrace
  • Bow Bridge – one of the first structures built in Central Park, this is an iconic bridge that’s appeared in several TV shows and Movies:  Manhattan, The Way We Were, Spiderman 3, Highlander, Keeping the Faith, When in Rome, Made of Honor, Night at the Museum, Autumn in New York, Great Expectations, Uptown Girls, Glee 5. We had the fun experience that this video ALMOST captured, I was so focused on the bridge that I missed what was happening to the right of the bridge, the laugh from Jason on the video is what clued me in that something else was also happening – sometimes I’m just in my own world. 
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Strawberry Fields

 

Hoboken, New Jersey

Wicked Wolf Tavern

Hoboken Waterfront Trail

 

Things to Know for Next Trip

Tips from video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MSL-VdS8e8

FREE NYC tours from locals – Big Apple Greeter

Free Tours By Foot 

This is interesting: McGraw Hill Waterfall Enter Middle of 49th Street bet. 6th and 7th Ave but reading here see that KISS did a photoshoot here. That’s neat info. 

American Folk Art Museum – free with two floors. Near Columbus Circle/Central Park. 

This one is neat if you’re a fashionista – The Museum at FIT – also FREE! 

Holiday Stuff – located with 10 blocks of each other – lower Manhattan 

The Peninsula Hotel on 5th Ave – display in lobby free to take pics. 

Hudson Yards – BONUS SCARY escalator ride – prettiest mall decorations 

Brookfield Place – also has a lesser known ice skating rink

Zuccotti Park – 1 Liberty Plaza –

The park is home to three sculptures: Joie de Vivre by Mark di Suvero; Double Check, a bronze businessman sitting on a bench, by John Seward Johnson II; and Rose III by Iza Genzken.[11][7][12][13][14] Joie de Vivre, a 70-foot-tall sculpture consisting of bright-red beams, was installed in Zuccotti Park 

NYSE Christmas Tree 

South Street Seaport – Check out Pier 17 

Side note of interest – POPS is Privately Owned Public Spaces in NYC. This may be helpful in finding a DAMN BATHROOM in this city. 

 

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Roadtrippin’ USA

I have always wished to be financially able to just drive around the USA – taking my time, seeing things, experiencing that lifestyle. I’m always looking for interesting facts about any place I happen to go through or spend even a small amount of time at – I LOVE free stuff and unexpected little twists and finds. 

I’m saving this great resource for future trips. 

 

 

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Bonny Scotland – Travel Wish List

Let’s start this list with a place that isn’t that obvious to some travelers – Oban. 

This town is the “gateway to the isles” but it’s pretty amazing in it’s own right. I’ll get back to that but first, The Isle of Skye. I can’t tell you how often I DREAMT of going to this magical and far off place as a kid. I was absolutely obsessed with the Hebrides Isles and with Scotland and Ireland. Later in life, I find out that I’m 73% Irish/Scottish. Funny how that makes so much sense now. I never understood why I YEARNED for this place that I’d only ever read about.

So, yes. I’m still completely obsessed about wanting to go to this place. 

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/scotland-hebrides-isle-of-skye

https://www.obanview.com/

Oban Inn

No17 The Promenade

Waterfront Fishhouse Restaurant 

Oban Fish & Chip Shop – bring your own alcohol as there are no corkage fees! Good to know. 

 

Will add more later – bookmark it! 

 

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NYC in the winter is lovely – let’s go!

 I really, really hate the cold and I REALLY hate cold and windy – both of which NYC is in the wintertime.

However, the holiday season in NYC is just so BIG and fun that I generally plan trips during the week after Thanksgiving. This way the decorations are still new and fresh and fun. Sometimes it’s snowy and other times it’s just cold but Rockefeller Center, all the department store window displays, the ice skating, all of it – I just LOVE IT! 

I think I’ve been to Manhattan/NYC 7 times…maybe 8? I took each of my kids on separate trips there (3), twice with some friends, and I know I went by myself at least twice.

I remember the first time I went and saw Central Park, the FAO Schwartz toy store was still there on the corner, and it was snowing. It was the biggest, fattest, fluffiest snow ever and it was new so it was still white and clean and I was by myself and I remember thinking how romantic it would be to share that with someone I loved. On that trip, I’d gone to visit my friend Amanda and that was the first time I’d been to NYC and the entire experience was just amazing. 

With that, I’m so stoked that we are going to NYC tomorrow. I surprised him with Meet/Great Concert tickets for Amon Amarth at the Hammerstein Ballroom for his birthday. Trust me, it’s true love over here because VIKING DEATH METAL? Umm. I might die but it’s cool – it’ll be in NYC. 

SO! We’ll be staying at an airbnb in Hoboken, lord I hope this one is better than the last one! But prices were just absolutely stupid high in NYC so, Hoboken it is! 

Details and tons of pics to follow – if I survive that concert! 

 

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Keep Up – It’s Holiday Season!

We have a ton of things already booked to do on the weekends for November and December.

The first weekend in November we went to a Craft Cocktail class and this past weekend was Moonlight in the Garden at the JC Ralston Arboretum.



This coming weekend is one of my faves: Raleigh Christmas Parade and the Homewood Gardens Christmas Open House for the poinsettias!

Then, Thanksgiving is the following week and we are going to Wilmington to stay with my Mom and Ray. 

After that comes the first weekend in December we are in NYC for the Amon Amarth concert for Jason’s birthday.

Wikipedia describes this band as: Genre: Heavy metal, Death metal, Viking metal, Metal, Melodic death metal, Folk metal, Technical death metal Types: Melodic death metal

Swedish Melodic Death Metal at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC? Why not? (insert OMG emoji because dude.)

Second weekend in December is the Historic Oakwood Candlelight tour and we are porch hosts. More on that later. 

The third weekend in December is our “downtime”, then Christmas, which I’m sure we’ll be at my Mom’s, and then New Years Eve and we will be in Asheville for that at the Biltmore Candlelight Christmas Evening. 

 

 

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40 Questions – Question #2

Did you keep your new year’s resolutions?

This one is way easy as well – I don’t make resolutions. I have never liked them and don’t need or want to make them. I barely like New Year’s Eve.

Why? I’ve always said because I hate making goals or I’m commitment shy but I think this article narrows down why I don’t like them: to vague, too difficult, makes you feel like crap when you don’t succeed, etc.

 

https://stephanango.com/40-questions

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40 Questions – Question #1

What did you do this year that you’d never done before?

This one is super easy to answer – Went to an iron forging class, did the Van Gogh experience, went on an international vacation, flew in a hot air balloon, rode a camel in the desert, got LASIK…

I always want to push myself outside of my comfortable little box because as you get older it’s actually harder to do. Not sure what in the world I’ll have to do next year but you can bet that I WILL do something that I’ve never done.

 

 

 

 

https://stephanango.com/40-questions

 

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Free & Fun – NCMA Raleigh, North Carolina

I think that one of the very best parts of living in Raleigh – and a huge part of what made me fall in love with this area – is that there are a ton of cool things –  museums, art galleries, parks, festivals, and seasonal events (like the Annual Christmas Parade).  

Back to one particular topic: art!

Raleigh prides itself on having a large amount of free art all over the town like murals, pop up installations, live paintings, and other artist events. It’s almost impossible to NOT FIND something to do just about every single weekend. 

Here’s one of my top favorite places to visit in Raleigh: 

Price: FREE!

NCMA
North Carolina Museum of Art

You have a 164 acre park to explore that is open every single day!

You can take a stroll around the museum on the outside trails and take in the art you’ll see along the way. There are interactive displays for kids and adults too! The inside galleries are open from Wednesday to Sunday. The general art halls and  art installations that are outside are always free like this outdoor temporary installation by Amanda Parer. This was so much fun! 

 

 

Special Events

They do have special events and exhibits that do have a cost like these I’m showing below: The Art In Bloom, Rolling Sculptures, and other special installations and temporary exhibits. If you are interested in some of the special events and exhibits, I’d suggest subscribing to their mailing list.

These events are very popular and I’d recommend buying tickets in advance as they often sell out quickly – especially the Art in Bloom event held each spring – this is one of my personal highlights of the year at the NCMA.

The Art Deco Rolling Sculptures (pictured below), the temporary art installations they have, educational events too are all pretty cool. Tickets for the Art in Bloom and the Rolling Sculptures cost me around $30-40 per ticket. 

1938 Talbot Lago T-150C-SS Teardrop Coupe


One of only FIVE in the world – 1938 Peugeot 402 DSE Darl’Mat Coupe

 

Do you have a favorite place? Tell me about it!