NC Part 1: Just the facts, ma'am

I didn't get home until about 10 last night, which is why I didn't post yesterday. Alfred spent the night at his parents' house so he wouldn't have to drive right back this morning. But we're back! We had a great trip, the worst part was the 7 hour drive each way, but hey, we're troopers. Alfred actually did all of the driving both ways. He's either crazy or a glutton for punishment.

As expected, it was much less snowy. The weather was pretty perfect Saturday and Sunday, it was around 80 with low humidity. It was beautiful.

We spent a lot of time outside: kayaking (we eventually learned these weren't even Billy's kayaks, but luckily the guy who owned them didn't mind us using them. We had actually taken them across the lake and left them pulled up on some rocks and he came and took one, thinking his kids had left them, so I had to walk back around the lake while Alfred chased him down on the water.)

and, of course, cruising around on the rhino.

I think it was more fun in the snow for some reason, maybe because there were less trees and bushes blocking paths. The other benefit of going in the snow is having a coat on to protect yourself from all the branches that whip you. The advantage of summer, of course, is being able to stay out for a long time without losing any appendages to frostbite. And really, some people are into the whole whipping thing. Not me, personally, but you know what I'm saying.

Anyway. We ate well too. Here's our fancy romantic meal from Saturday night. It's steak and scallops. Alfred started a fire in the background, but none of the pictures came out that well. We plowed through some wine, too. Maybe that explains the lack of pictures in focus.

Monday it was kind of crappy out, so it wasn't too hard to pack up and leave. Here we are, all ready to go.

We stopped at the state park a few miles from the house to admire the view of the mountains. We tried to do the same thing when we went in January, but the overlook was closed because of ice. It was open this time, but alas, still no luck on the view.

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Part 2: The Adventure!