While in Charlotte we were very fortunate to have been invited to have dinner with recent transplants from West Hartford, Kim and Mike. Tina has known Kim since our daughters were in elementary school. Kim and Mike have built a great life here. Mike left Eversource for a position with Duke Energy, a very large energy production and distribution company. Mike and I have a number of mutual friends and experiences in the power industry. Kim and Mike’s daughters are flurishing in the Charlotte area. Kim and Mike prove that a move to the area can be very positive. We had a delightful evening in their lovely home.
Tina and I stayed in Charlotte and left Sheba in the car. The next morning at breakfast we met a gal who slept in her car with her dog. Although that may have been more due to her traveling companions than the dog; never the less, we felt guilty for leaving our pup alone.
Next, we traveled to the North Carolina coast and stayed in the small town of Edenton. We found a great B + B that consisted of a number of historic buildings. We stayed in a converted tabacco packing building.
Edenton is a real find. It is like a mid twentieth century small town stuck in time. A general store, a theater, a soda fountain, friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere. The few restaurants are good but not West Hartford center good. We decided to spend a second day here. The second night pangs of guilt overtook us and we sneaked Sheba into our room.
Edenton is a very historic place. It had been a major port city during colonial and civil war eras. Having escaped destruction during the Civil War and the Revolutionary War makes it unique in that it retains significant buildings form both those eras.
Edenton is also the location of the Edenton Tea Party. I thought that the Boston Tea Party was the only one. The Edenton Tea Party consisted of a group of some fifty literate women in the area (only a quarter of the population was literate at that time, male and female) that got together in 1774 and sent a letter to England protesting the Tea Tax. They would not drink tea nor purchase English cloth. In England (and in the Colonies) they were ridiculed and characatured. The women were told to tend to their families and stay out of politics. Nevertheless, they were the first women to lead a protest in the new world. The locals are quick to point out that these women did not, like their male counterparts in Boston, dress up in Indian garb to hide their identity. In fact, they signed their letter to England.
A number of the locals told us that there are few bugs here. However, I have heard a couple stories. A Canadian fellow was checking into the B + B and mentioned that he had passed a barn that appeared to have a swarm of something engulfing the building. He was told – wood bees. They are known to infest structures here to the point that they become unusable. I mentioned that I get them on my deck in New England. Bee traps were suggested. I have not heard of them. They look easy to make; I am going to try one at home.
I was also told of an apparition that rises from the water here on some afternoons. A black shape will rise from the water. Shapeless and undulating, this ghostly specter captures the attention of all that notice it as it starts to approach the land – mosquitoes.
I was describing the bees and the mosquitoes to another local. She said that they are not so bad but the Mayflies are. They will cover cars and doorways. They will also cover your feet. They are gross looking but they don’t bite. We can be thankful for that.
In spite of bugs, Edenton stays a possibility.
Backpacking Bill 