Last day in Durham

We didn't do too much on Sunday, a couple of strolls around Barbara's neighborhood, sorting stuff, hanging a few things up in the condo.  I did get to wear my fab new hat.  It's called a San Diego hat and I found it in a little shop on 9th Street.  I know old ladies like it because they keep stopping me to say so.  And the important thing is, I like it and it does the trick ~ keeping the sun OFF!

Sunday evening we met my brother Dick's family and my Mother's cousin Paul and his wife Linda for some Eastern North Carolina barbecue at The Pit in Raleigh.  I learned something about this:  Eastern NC barbecue is made with vinegar based sauce and Western NC is made with a sweeter tomato based sauce.  Well, we were kind of in the middle of the state, but we chose Eastern "chopped pork barbecue".  I have to get out of the South.  I am sure I've gained five pounds down here!  These are some of the sides we had to choose from to go with the BBQ plates:  mashed potatoes & gravy, hush puppies, cheesy bacon grits, sweet potato fries, black-eyed peas, mac and cheese (considered a vegetable down here, my nephews tell me), fried okra, coleslaw, cabbage & collard greens, pumpkin skillet cornbread...believe me, I could go on.  I may not eat again until Monday night.  To tell the truth, I am getting tired of talking about food.  Southern food is so good, so decadent - I think they've won the war.

My family is so used to me rounding them up for photos, they barely protest anymore.  I've said before how much I love my little travel camera the Canon G11 ~ well, I don't love the crappy on-camera flash which we had to use in the restaurant, but there you go.  It wouldn't be tiny and portable with anything else.  We pressed a waiter into service to take this group shot:  Linda, Paul, Richard, Dick and me standing, then Ginny, Barbara and Henry in front.

On to Fredericksburg this morning.  Dick and Richard will be riding up to Vermont with me so they can see Dad in Virginia and Mother in VT, flying home later in the week.  Road trip, whoo-hoo!