This Thanksgiving, we hit the road leaving behind the palm trees for cooler weather and fall colors. The drive was smooth, with clear skies. We stopped off at Buc-ee’s for fuel and a quick snack. Atticus discovered his new love of sliced pork, and we were off again.
Our first night in North Carolina was a stark contrast with twenty-degree temperatures. I was freezing outside, but Atticus was having the time of his life running and rolling in the iced-over grass.
The next day we toured around with an old friend driving fast cars on wide open roads. Later, we finished the afternoon with a big lunch and an enormous margarita.
One of the highlights of the week was checking out downtown Charlotte. It was a mix of historical buildings and modern restaurants. There were far more places to see than we could manage in the day, but I did find the most amazing coffee shop called Coco and the Director. If you are anywhere near Charlotte, this is a must-see. The atmosphere is eclectic and open, inspiring artists of any medium. I got a much-needed hot chocolate, and we were off again to explore the city.
Later in the week, we were invited to dinner at a unique historical venue. Webb theater which was later converted to Webb Custom Kitchen now known as one of the top fine dining restaurants in the area. We were lucky enough to have a table on the balcony overlooking the kitchen below. It was a grand theater that brought you back to the era of The Great Gatsby. The food was artfully prepared, and the service was second to none. We finished off the night with an excellent bottle of wine.
My favorite part of the trip was hiking Crowder’s Mountain. The fall colors made for beautiful scenery as we trekked upward. Atticus showed his husky breeding, happily pulling me up the mountain. Reaching the overlook, we paused to take in the views. It was a tough five-mile hike but well worth it.
Over the next few days, we drove around North Carolina, taking in the scenery and checking out local restaurants. We discovered Tastebuds Popcorn, a famous little snack shop with walls of popcorn and assorted ice cream flavors.
Finally arriving at the weekend, we started back home, enjoying the fall colors lining the highway.
Happy to be home, we went by the pet store to pick up dog food and spotted a long table of cats up for adoption. Drawn like a moth to a flame, we walked closer, and I found an adorable tabby kitten. She was surprisingly calm and quiet, simply wanting to curl up in my arms. After holding her, I knew I had to bring her home with us. A full shopping cart later, we headed home. The kitten settled in; we called it a day. The next morning, I went to check on the kitten and discovered she wasn’t at all the cute sleepy kitten of yesterday. Today she was a hissing angry feral cat that only wanted to get out the front door. Very surprised but determined to win her over, we all spent the next several days trying to calm her down. Trying everything we could think of nothing seemed to work. Eventually, I ended up calling the foster parent and discovered that they had, in fact, sold us a feral cat off the street. Soon after, the kitten was collected, and peace returned to the house again. Our Thanksgiving had been an eventful one, and I was glad to regain some normalcy.
