OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA

 At the beach

 This was the Wright Brothers Memorial. very interesting. showed all the steps they had to take before launching the plane and also where they lived and worked throughout the process. Once they finally took flight it was only for 12 seconds.

 The memorial was built honoring their accomplishment in 1932. On the other side of where this picture was taken are steps leading up to the various levels.

 At Jockey's Ridge State Park which has the highest dunes on the East Coast. fabulous weather.

Celebrating their vacation!

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Great fun movie re-uniting the 'original' mutants with their younger selves which were introduced in the x-men movie that was a prequel.

We got to the theater really really early based on our Charlotte experience. Because once again we were seeing a recently released film on a weekend in a big city and it was also a holiday. We got there so much ahead of time, that we couldn't even be seated. There was no place to sit outside the velvet rope; not even benches in front of the individual theaters. However, the ticket taker and guardian of the rope got us two foldup chairs. Yes, we played the senior card! and loved every minute of our seated majestic location.

So the movie was about transporting the consciousness of Wolverine back 50 years so he could get help from the other mutants to thwart Mystique's (Jennifer Lawrence) plan to kill the builder (played by Peter Dinklage) of a robot-drone that was programmed to specifically kill mutants. Wolverine had to contact Beast and Magneto and Professor X in the 1960's. This leap back in time led to a lot of funny scenes and dialogue.

and a new character got introduced, Quicksilver, played by the American Horror Story series regular, Evan Peters. He was witty and sharp and had great lines and added a lot of humor also. Plus the scene where he freezes the guards in an underground jail was hilarious.

All the acting was good and it was very fast paced and highly entertaining. We were told to stick around for the credits which we did and they showed what was essentially a minitrailer of what the next film was going to be about.

We both gave this movie a 9.

BROOKGREEN GARDENS AT PAWLEY'S ISLAND, SC WITH ALICIA AND KEITH

 These gardens were more about  fantastic sculptures and different areas of plants and types of garden construction instead of masses and masses of flowers. This area was called the Fountain of Muses.

 There were a lot of figures from Greek mythology. Alicia and Keith were not 2 of them; but i think they were standing in front of Odysseus.

 Both sides of this walkway were lined with jasmine and honeysuckle vines. The scent was transporting.

 Boys will be boys no matter what age or era or generation or B.C. or A.D.

The weeping willow moss covered sweetgum tree lane.

I can't describe the wonderfulness of this day. Each part of the 800 acres of these gardens evoked a totally different feel and atmosphere and environment. We walked past old plantation rice and cotton harvesting equipment. We saw an alligator sunning himself next to turtles. There was a fantastic butterfly area. and best of all the entrance fee was good for 7 days so its worth going back a second or even a third time.

LEAVING CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

i'm sitting here eating a delicious bowl of blueberries and freshly picked strawberries. The fruit and veggies here are extraordinary and i'm glad we are staying in the area for the spring and summer crops.

Next week we will be vacationing with Alicia and Keith in Pawley's Island, SC which is by the ocean though the main reason for going there is to roam around the 800 acre Brookgreen Gardens. Then we are on to the Outer Banks area in NC; staying in Kill Devil Hills which is close to Cape Hatteras and a Wright Brothers memorial.

I am full of gratitude for the absolute privilege of being able to be so close to Alicia for over 6 weeks. She is a totally awesomely wonderful woman and both Bill and i are glad that she is sharing her life with Keith. They are a perfect pair; the proverbial 2 peas in a pod.

Charlotte is beautiful but way too busy and sprawling for me. Even Bill has had continual trouble finding his way around this city and we have a Magellan GPS too.

The house we rented is in a lovely neighborhood with great gardens (well, everyone in Charlotte it seems has lush multi-colored gardens; peonies are now in full bloom along with clematis; i saw some bright but gentle blue ones on my walk this morning that were breathtaking.) and huge porches everywhere. Cuz the houses are so big and many storied - usually - there are porches and decks everywhere on these homes. and kitty kats rule and patrol the streets!

"our" house needs upkeep badly; a thorough cleaning and board replacement (on the back porch) and a handle put on the front screen door and the yards are starting to look like an overgrown field. But all the appliances worked well and the house has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a large dining room AND a cute blue walled with Van Gogh pictures eating nook. And the main attraction is that its only minutes from where Alicia lives plus its on her way to work.

so the charlotte stay rating is a 10+++++++. Oh and there are 2 superbly decadent bakeries within walking distance. What more could i ask for? Closeness to Alicia and a vanilla custard beignette studded with blueberries. AHHHHHHHHHHH

BACK HIKING IN LATTA PLANTATION - CHARLOTTE

 At the start of our hike on the Catawba Trail which goes by the lake there was an Indian campground with a sweat lodge, many tents, feathers and animal drawings on cloth, decorated trees with talismans AND this wonderful old bonnie and clyde bullet ridden car.

 We left the 'good' map in the front of Toto and were trying to make do with pages i tore out of a hiking book. We spent a lot of time on this day stopping and conferring (heatedly at times) because there were many many trails that interconnected with each other.

 At the farthest point out on the Cattail Trail.

This is the Audubon Trail. on each hike we've taken all through the day (not just in the morning hours) there is a bird song symphony.  and once again lots of robins and cardinals.

ONCE AGAIN VANQUISHED BY SMG-EPICENTRE MOVIE THEATER

So this time we were heading there to see Neighbors with Alicia and Keith; veteran Charlotte drivers and parking garage aficionados. We left in plenty of time and did not get thrown back on the freeway going the opposite direction because of construction detours and found a parking spot fairly easily and went to the proper floor to buy our tickets.

We were at the booth with a pudgy 35 minutes before the movie started. But the only seats not taken were in the front 2 rows!! NO way. This was our first time going to a show in Charlotte on the weekend and a just released movie too. Plus we found out that not only can you buy your tickets online like through Fandango but you can reserve the exact seats you want! plus they serve alcohol so you can have a drink while watching the movie.

We were doomed from the beginning i guess.

Had a little trouble getting out of the parking garage because our ticket was validated by the movie booth gal so we could only exit at certain spots. Keith did some fancy car maneuvering worthy of a truck driver!

so i guess seeing a movie at this theater is not to be.  for now! Because now more than ever  i'm  determined  to battery ram their doors and  victoriously claim my seat.

We vill be baaack!

STILL MINE

A solid 10!

The movie is about a couple in their 80's who have been married for over 60 years. They live in New Brunswick. James Cromwell is Craig, the husband, who is a self-sufficient farmer and builder. His father used to build cargo ships and that is where Craig learned his craft. Genevieve Bujold (who is aging beautifully; wasn't she the lead actress in Coma, that thriller by Robin Cook?) is Irene, the wife, who is gradually becoming more mentally impaired due to her dementia.

So Craig decides he is going to build a one level small house with a view of the bay. The place where they have lived for years is multi-level and very big and is unsafe for Irene who is losing some stability on stairs. Well, shortly after Craig begins building, the government permit and certificate and license people get involved and Craig becomes embroiled in dealing with them in addition to feeling immense pressure to get the house built before Irene can no longer appreciate it. There are also some very good scenes with some of Craig and Irene's 7 children who have their own views as to how the old folks should live their lives.

The entire film, every bit of it, was realistic and superbly acted. The scenery was wonderful. And during a funeral scene for a friend of Craig's and Irene's a song was played by Mumford and Sons called After the Storm which is one of the most beautiful melancholy yet hopeful songs about losing a loved one that i have ever heard. Bill found it on Utube this morning (i highly recommend doing this yourself.) with lyrics and i started my day with some very cathartic and releasing sobs.

FIRST TRAIL HIKE SINCE MY FALL ON APRIL FOOLS DAY

Lake Wylie. The Cove Trail in McDowell Nature Preserve went by part of the shore of this lake. There were lots of picnic tables and benches too.

This photo doesn't do justice to the immense overpowering green-ness of this trail. It swallows you up and the air is so warm and enveloping and moist. Even though none of the 7 miles we did had anything more than some occasional gentle ups and downs, we were drenched in sweat. When we told Alicia she said the humidity hasn't even started!

CHARLOTTE SCENES

this cat knows he doesn't have to worry about coyotes in charlotte. this is a kitty town. Picture was taken in our neighborhood.

 on another neighborhood walk

this was during a hike (my first on a real trail since i fell on April Fools Day) at Latta Plantation

 Latta Plantation

 In our neighborhood

a baby bird getting ready to make his first flight. the nest is on the windowsill right outside our living room. Notice the cute fuzzy mohawk tufts.