Mike and Jane's Visit

Mike and Jane got in on Wednesday night, and we packed a lot into the next three days while they were here. (And, speaking for myself, packed on a few pounds as well).

On Thursday, they explored the city and the campus while Chris and I were at work. The three of us went to Caffe Prada for some afternoon gelato (flavor: "Light in the Piazza" a mix of Italian custard, biscotti, and chocolate chunks created by the owner especially for the debut of the same titled Broadway musical that is at the Stevens Center this weekend. Interesting note: the play is about a mother/daughter from Winston-Salem!)

We then met up at the sports medicine tailgate for the Wake Forest vs. Clemson football game. North Carolina barbecue is something special. I'll have to remember to get a picture sometime. The sauce is a very liquidy vinegar based solution - but it is oh so good! Wake won 12-7 and Chris made his ESPN debut as one of the Clemson players late hit our QB right on the sideline where Chris was standing.

Friday involved Mike, Jane, and I exploring the Reynolda Village and Gardens while Chris worked. The late 19th century 1,000+acre estate of tobacco-giant R.J. Reynolds has been turned into a collection of shops, businesses, and restaurants. We ate at the Village Tavern – salads with spinach, bleu cheese, cranberries, green apples, and pecans, crab cakes, and roasted chicken vegetable soup. We also went into a jewelry store where a clerk had to unlock the door via a remote control as we entered the store. As Jane said, “It’s not your typical Zales.” The most expensive piece the clerk pulled out for us to look at “just for fun” was a necklace with 9 carats worth of diamonds that was $17,000.

The gardens there are breathtaking! (Thanks to Mike for some of these great pics!) It was so fun just imagining what it must have been like to live there. The giant leaves, the fairy dust-like bush, and the okra plant were definitely some of my favorites. I just couldn’t get over how tall the okra plant grows! (Maybe that’s because I have a long lost love with okra – apparently I LOVED it as a child, but I choked on it once and my parents never served it to me again.)

Finally, the garden shop at Reynolda is the home to a very, very sad little cat. (And they make sure the firefighters know it as well.) Millie, the one-eared cat that has taken up residence there (and is apparently quite the celebrity) has cancer – again. The story really is quite amazing. Kate, we definitely thought of you with your special needs cats. Do you have room for one more?

Friday night, Mike went with Chris to the high school football game he had to cover while Jane and I watched a movie.

Saturday morning we went to enjoy the nature out at Salem Lake and then to Mary’s Of Course for brunch – YUM YUM YUM! Our order included omelets with ingredients such as spinach, vegetarian sausage, red bell pepper, Canadian bacon, and mushrooms, as well as tofu burritos and a gourmet grilled cheese.

We then set off for a Yadkin Valley vineyard and winery tour involving three very different stops. RagApple Lassie was basically in a big metal shed, but we got to see a lot of the behind the scenes processes of how the operation works. Everything was cow-themed and their website was even written in first-person by the cow herself (again, Kate, we couldn’t help but think of you and your bloggers!) Black Wolf was the most intimate. 10 of us sat around this long wooden table with a candelabra upstairs in the small, private wine store as the owner of the place went through ten or so of their wines. While there, we learned that the Shelton Vineyards (kind of the granddaddy of them all it seems) was having a big festival complete with free tastings, tours, and more). This one was HUGE in comparison to the others! The most interesting thing we learned here was that they plant rose bushes at the start of each of the rows of grapes to act like the canary in the mine. Because roses are more delicate and susceptible to diseases, the farmers can try to find a remedy if they notice a problem with the roses before the grapes are completely destroyed.

After the vineyards, we drove up to the top of Pilot Mountain (If any of you are Andy Griffith Show fans, it's near Mt. Airy (which is his Mayberry) and it's called Mount Pilot in the show). It has a very distinctive knob on the top of it, which we can see on a clear day from our rooftop at the Nissen Building. Saturday night, we finished up with one of our favorite restaurants – 6th and Vine, where we had such fare as Crab and Ricotta Ravioli, Sea Scallops over Saffron Rice Cakes, Ahi Tuna, and a Farfalle Pasta/Olive dish.

Yes, we ate (and drank) a lot – but it was definitely worth it! What’s better than sharing good food with great family?