We were in the American South from mid-May through late July. We spent about a month and a half in Raleigh, North Carolina, and another month around Atlanta, Georgia. Our friends in Raleigh took two vacations while we were there, so we watched their dog, Kip, and their house while they were gone. During their second vacation we also watched their daughter’s dog, Reggie. Kip is a little two year-old Havanese and he loves to play. Reggie, on the other hand, is a fourteen year-old pit bull mix and he loves to sleep most of the time, as old men are prone to do. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.
Our friends live in a beautiful section of Raleigh called Five Points. It is about two miles north of downtown and many of the houses were built a century ago. We enjoyed frequent walks through the neighborhood to admire the beautiful houses and gardens. As spring turned to summer, however, we often curtailed our walks due to the oppressive heat and humidity. Believe it or not, the large skeleton pictured below was also a yard staple on our walks in Roseville, CA.
One of our favorite places in Raleigh was the North Carolina State Farmers Market. It is a huge permanent open-air market with roofs to keep out the sun and rain. We went there several times to stock up on fresh produce. We especially enjoyed the beautiful, tasty, abundant tomatoes in the summertime.
We also spent a month around Atlanta. Both of Charlie’s parents were from Atlanta so he still has lots of extended family there. We enjoyed many family visits while we were there. We rented a townhome in Smyrna, a northwest suburb, and we enjoyed walks on nearby trails. The trailhead for the Silver Comet Trail was only about a mile from our house, so we visited it frequently. It is an old railbed that has been paved and repurposed as a bicycle and pedestrian trail. It is well-used throughout the week, but especially on the weekends. A bit farther away was the Cochran Shoals Trail, part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The trail goes right along the banks of the river and is very scenic. We also enjoyed walking in nearby Heritage Park, which has several wooden walkways to get over the marshy areas in the forest.
A different sort of trail that we also enjoyed was the Atlanta Beltline Trail. Another repurposed railbed, it goes through the older urban heart of Atlanta. In one interesting spot it goes right by the old Sears Roebuck warehouse and the old Ford Factory, which have been repurposed as retail, residential, and business centers. Many new condominium buildings have sprung up near the Beltline Trail.
Charlie’s dad grew up in a section of Atlanta called Inman Park. About two miles east of downtown, it was Atlanta’s first suburb when started in the 1880s, but now it is squarely in the urban core. Charlie would visit his grandmother there when he was a kid on trips to Atlanta in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time Inman Park had become somewhat run down and many of the grand old houses had been subdivided into apartments. In the decades since then the neighborhood has been gentrified, and its glorious old mansions have become some of the most desirable residences in Atlanta. We visited Inman Park several times just to walk around and enjoy the neighborhood. On one occasion we also visited the historic old Oakland Cemetery and found Charlie’s grandfather’s grave.
One day we visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. We had been there on a previous visit to Atlanta but we wanted to see what’s new. The park contains interesting historical exhibits on Dr. King’s life and on the Civil Rights movement more generally. It is located in the neighborhood where he grew up and it includes the house where he was raised and the old Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached. The park is well worth a visit if you are in Atlanta.
One day we went to visit Charlie’s cousin in Pine Mountain, Georgia, near Columbus and directly adjacent to Callaway Gardens. We spent part of the day in the Gardens and got to see the Butterfly Center, Discovery Center, and Memorial Chapel, along with lots of beautiful forest scenery. And just as in Austin, Texas, there was a Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Garden.
