Downtown Fayetteville

I was given an hour lunch break, so not knowing what to do with myself, my brand new GPS and I took a trip to the older part of town. It was quite adorable. I wandered down the main street (Hay St.), and stopped to eat at a little mom and pop shop, where I struck up a conversation with the waitresses and a retired Soldier. We discussed Iraq and Afghanistan and the defense contracting world... you know, all the usuals.


I liked the old City Market, so I took a few pictures from various directions.



And then just some street shots...

Fayetteville

I've already complained to some of you about how much I dislike Fayetteville, NC, but I have to admit it is not all bad. Through the yellow/green haze of pollen (I am not even kidding! When the wind blows, there is a literal CLOUD of pollen!), there are some pretty things - plus, I am LOVING the warm weather. =)

The magnolias are already in bloom down here.


I cross this railroad track in the morning on my way to work. You can't see it all that well in this picture, but there is wisteria hanging from the bridge over the track. I like it. =)

The Super Moon

The newspapers were all touting this massively huge moon - the largest we would see in our lifetimes. This made me axious to see it. I was pretty disappointed that I couldn't get a good picture of it, but it was beautiful and looked HUGE in real life. I'm not sure you can even tell the moon from the street lights in the above picture, but it's there. I promise.

Road Tripping

I had to make a trek down US-29, from VA to NC for work. Along the way, there were some interesting sights. First, I saw a fire just north of Lynchburg. It was devouring an entire hillside and there was no one in sight trying to contain it. The plumes of smoke, rising heavenward, could be seen from a mile away!
Farther on, I came to a very small town by the name of Tightsqueeze. I was so intrigued by the name, I Googled it when I got to my destination and logged on to the hotel wifi. There was actually a rather interesting story behind the name. Apparently, a Mr. W. H. Colbert built a large general store in 1870. He put it right up to the edge of the dirt road so that ladies riding in carriages could step out of carriages onto the porch of the store building. Well, shortly after that and Mr. Isaiah Giles built a blacksmith-wheelwright shop right across the road directly in front of Colbert's Store, also at the edge of the road. Colbert complained about Giles putting his building to the edge of the road in front of his store, but Giles contended that if Colbert could put his store building to the edge of the road, he could too. When the buggies and wagons came galloping down the road at high speeds, they had to slow down to a walking pace to pass through the narrow passage between the two buildings because it was such a "tight squeeze." The drivers began warning travelers about that particular spot and that is how it got its name.
One thing I noticed was how many farms there are in VA and NC. Growing up in the suburbs, not too far from the greatest city ever, I always imagined that all the farms were out in the Mid-West and not along the East Coast. It's kind of amazing to me how many people grow up and live their whole lives away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. I often wonder if I could ever be happy with such a life, having already tasted the pleasures of city life. I don't know... it is hard to imagine!
It was interesting watching the colors change as I went farther south, from shades of brown with hints of green, yellow and pink, to shades of green, with vibrant yellow and white blossoms everywhere. Despite my northern roots, the south calls to me. I have a feeling I will end up in warmer climates.
I am sure there were other things I found interesting at the time, but I have forgotten them already. I guess they didn't make too much of an impression.
Until next time...