Good morning y’all,
Just a quick update on how we are acclimating to the southern
lifestyle on the east coast. Maureen says I’ve worked so long with so many of
the same people, especially Keith, that I’m having trouble adjusting to being
without them. I don’t know what she’s talking about. In unrelated news, we’ve
been spending a great deal searching for a new home. We have found an area that
I’d like to concentrate our search in:
Maureen just got back from the local grocery market. She was
trying to get some carne asada for Liam. They have no idea what carne asada
is! A few other glaring differences that remind us each day that we are not in
Southern California anymore:
- It has rained almost every evening at least for a short time. There is no water shortage here.
- Walking Buddy around in the tall grass I’ve had to pick ticks off of him twice. It’s great that he is a light color because the ticks stand out.
- When you order ice tea you better specify un-sweet or you get “sweet tea” which is so sweet it should come with a side of insulin!
- Pulled pork barbeque comes with a watery vinegar based sauce. It is good and It’s what I grew up with but if you’re not used to it?
- Collard greens are a common side dish and when I asked for vinegar on the side I was informed that they were already seasoned accordingly.
- Hushpuppies are their own food group.
- Gas is a dollar less a gallon.
- Your husband can send you out to the local Wal-Mart to pick up a spare AR-15 assault rifle (pinky swear!) if he happens to need an extra. All of the rifles are kept behind locked glass (not quite as secure as the spray paint at Home Depot) so you do have to find a clerk (or borrow a hammer from the DYI section) if you want to handle them.
- And, there is no ammo shortage in North Carolina.
We are struggling a bit trying to find a suitable house. We
are actually finding quite a few nice homes in great neighborhoods, we just
can’t afford them. So much for moving to a state with a “lower cost of
living.” Also, I’m beginning to appreciate some zoning restrictions. When you
get out of the city proper, it is not uncommon to drive through an area that has
the odd mobile home along the road only to end up in a nice area of custom
homes. One we looked at yesterday was the last house before the city limit
sign. It was a beautiful home but the next house over, just outside the city,
had an accumulated junk yard down both sides of the driveway and a big pickup
parked on the road with a confederate flag for the front plate. We are
definitely not in Southern California anymore!
We had our first encounter with the NC DMV. The receptionist
that screened us at the front door looked like he might have been on a work
release program from the local state facility. He was tatted up pretty good and
looked liked he had benched a Harley or two in his day. He made it clear to us
that to get a NC state ID you have to show proof of residency. One acceptable
means would be by producing a NC state ID! Of course everything we have says CA
on it which in NC means “liberal.” I think this is also how they screen for
voter registration. I tried to explain that I’m registered as a republican but
it appears that since I’m married to a liberal I am to receive no preferential
treatment. I guess they figure the party is not really gaining a vote if we
cancel each other out so I’m out of luck. I have a Tyler Pipe woodland
camouflage hat that I’m going to wear today when we try again.
For Father’s Day the family took me to the Biltmore Estate.
We converted the tickets immediately to annual passes. When you come to visit
us that will be one of the first places we take you. The Antler Village is
already one of our favorite places. Cedric’s Tavern has an outdoor seating area
that allows Buddy to sit with us. Everyone I talk with seems to have an annual
pass. They all agree that once you’ve been through the house a couple of times
you’ve seen it, but the grounds are constantly changing. And in addition to the
shops and restaurants available they have an outdoor activity center that runs
kayaking, fly fishing, rafting, and other activities right on the grounds.
Check it out when you’re planning your visit. http://www.biltmore.com/
We leave tomorrow for Western Carolina University for Liam’s
incoming freshman orientation. The parents have their own orientation. We get
to spend a day and a half on campus so the school can make sure we know exactly
where to send the check. Buddy will get his first experience at a kennel. I
don’t know if he has any idea of what’s coming but he always seems to be looking
forward to whatever!
That’s this week’s update. We hope y'all are doing well (I’m
having to work on the accent to get by at the DMV. Without the right inflection
I don’t think the woodland camo hat is going to matter).
Take care and keep in touch!
Rick, Maureen and Liam
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