Bill's 70th Birthday: A Week of Celebration Part A. Family Events ******************* |
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| General Introduction. One's 70th birthday is a major milestone. When the opportunity arose to visit with family and old friends and extend the celebration to one week, the planning began. The activities are divided into four parts: A. Family Activities (this post), B. Duplin Winery, C. Monument of Captain James Outlaw, and D. The Faculty Distinguished Lecture at Meredith College. | |
It is an eight-hour drive from the farm to Wilmington, NC, where our daughter, Elizabeth, her husband, John Crawford, and their daughter, Kate, live; thus, we always forego stops not needed. This trip, however, I packed a picnic lunch--unusual for us now, but a common element of our road trips when we were younger. I meant for this to save time and for us to eat healthier foods. Finding a rest area at the right time proved to be more difficult than I imagined. We finally stopped in South Carolina and enjoyed some delicious pimiento cheese, multi-grain bread, a vegetable salad, and fresh fruit. The pimiento-cheese recipe came about from one I saw on a Facebook post by Beverly Swanson. The Masters' Pimiento Cheese is the best recipe I've ever had for that dish. Bill concurs. After arriving at the Crawfords', we received very special attention from Kate and from the dogs, Gabby and Daisy, each in her own way. Kate was interested in showing us her artwork creations. Gabby picked up one of Bill's shoes, inviting him to chase her through-out the house. Older, Daisy merely smiled and wanted a backrub. After we got settled, we were served wine and a delicious vegan meal. Examples of Elizabeth's meals over the course of our visit included Sunflower Sausage; Sesame Slaw with Tempeh, Cabbage and Edamame; and Rainbow Millet Hummus with Collard Summer Rolls. All delicious. |
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Friday, we took Kate's "suggestion" and went to Barnes and Noble, located in Mayfaire Town Centre, an attractive shopping village that incorporates private condominiums. Kate knew exactly where to go and in which cabinet to find the multi-color markers. She helped herself! She and I did some artwork together and Elizabeth joined us, too. Where was Bill? Lost in a bookstore? Later, John joined us for lunch at Brixx where we enjoyed pizza, calzones and salads. Portions were large and we had leftovers for dinner. |
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Poplar Grove Plantation was the destination I chose for Saturday as we had missed it on other visits. There, we met up with our son, Will, Christy (Will's fiancée), Julia and Harrison (Will's children) and began browsing the grounds where we saw some animals, a house for basket making, a tenant house and other structures. We also browsed the plantation-house basement and saw interesting displays such as weaving and old-fashioned and regional gifts. Our forty-five-minute tour of the house was detailed and enjoyable. Harrison (right) sports his special shirt. On the grounds—i.e., in strong light—the front is dark pink, which fades to white in low light (as shown later). Elizabeth, Julia, Kate, and John are in the background. Images taken at Poplar Grove continue in the next panels. |
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Pigs! Poplar Grove is an animal sanctuary. |
Tenant house and Peanut/Ironworks Exhibit Building. |
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| Daffodils are the birthmonth flower for March. | Plantation, back view where we entered the house. |
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| Harrison (note shirt color here, compared with it above). | Julia. |
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Kate and Julia in the children's room (upstairs). |
Nedra and Kate having a break in the Bridal Suite (upstairs). |
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| Elizabeth and Kate. | Christy. |
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Osteria Cicchetti, suggested by John and Elizabeth, was our Saturday-night dining venue. The Crawfords and both Outlaw families were joined by Dianne Hill (Christy's mom), Tracey Hill (Christy's sister-in-law), and Regan (Christy's niece). Highlights of that part of the celebration are shown in the next images. |
| Nedra and Will. <End of Poplar Grove Plantation> | |
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| Bill enjoyed a special meal of red snapper and . . . | Harrison had a plate with a huge meatball. Others enjoyed varied delicious dishes from the restaurant's extensive menu. |
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A special 70th birthday brunch was held for Bill on Sunday at the George on the Riverwalk. The weather was nice and the breeze on the awning-covered dining area kept us comfortable. Some images follow. |
| When the kids tired of the dining room, John took them outside where they created their own fun at the water fountain. <End of Osteria Cicchetti> | |
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| Bill's only specific birthday request was to have our photo made with our children (upper left) and his photograph made with his grandchildren (upper right). The brick wall and mural behind our table made a perfect backdrop for the images. | |
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On Monday morning, we sadly said "goodbye" to everyone and headed toward Raleigh to attend this year's Faculty Distinguished Lecture at Meredith College by Dr. Karthik Aghoram, one of Bill's former Ph.D. students. |
| The birthday cake was a big hit! Fresh Market really outdid themselves making this beautiful and delicious cake. We sang "Happy Birthday, Granddaddy" and, fortunately, it was recorded. <End of the George> | |
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