The very best part of the gardens to me, though, was the vegetable gardens.  There is a very large vegetable garden producing food and herbs that are used in the kitchen of the Governor’s Mansion, with the excess donated to Urban Ministries.  It’s the most beautiful vegetable garden I’ve ever seen and the variety is quite impressive. Not only are there plenty of the expected tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, but there’s rattlesnake beans, muscadine grapes, mushrooms, and artichokes. Vegetable crops are grown in the spring, summer, and fall.  The head gardener was on hand to share information, advice, and samples of sugar snap beans and strawberries.

I left there inspired to work harder on my own gardens and grounds.  But there are a few things I need.  For one, I could use some pleasant helpers.  When my kids work on our grounds, they don’t act as eager and nice about it as the prisoners at the governor’s place do.  Secondly, I could use some of those bees to fly over here in my direction to help me out with my plants.  And finally, I wonder if any of those armed security guys could help me out with these squirrels.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

The Governor's Vegetable Patch

The Governor's Gardens May 2010

While I can’t say that I actually donned skates myself, I did enjoy watching the skating action.  I only wish I had been able to witness one of the moms-with-strollers events, because I really can’t picture how that one works.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

Downtown Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink 1-29-10

1:  I didn’t need my umbrella.  Yes, it was raining, but I didn’t need my umbrella.  They have covered parking.  Harris Teeter has a parking deck!  Rain, wind, snow, heat—-none of that matters when you enter the grocery store through the parking deck.

2:  I got a meal in addition to my groceries.  You know how they say you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry?  Well, that doesn’t apply to this store.  Of course they have an in-store deli with plenty of sushi, subs, and prepared foods.  But here they also have an extra-long salad bar, a soup bar with 5 kinds of soup, and an Asian hot bar buffet with almost 20 items.  And there’s even nice tables and chairs where you can eat your food while it’s hot.  No need to stock up on those free cookie samples when you shop here.

3:  You need a map.  Seriously.  This store is HUGE.  And they actually have maps of the store in little map stands all around.  But this is Harris Teeter, so it’s not the warehouse-store kind of huge; it’s huge and stylish.

4:  This store has two levels.  You can take your cart up and down in an elevator!  Or you can take the winding staircase if you’re just there for an express lane trip.  It’s one of those things you have to see to believe—-taking your cart in an elevator in the grocery store.

So I think we may possibly have a new tourist destination in Raleigh.  Harris Teeter at North Hills, sightseeing at the grocery store.  Just like me, a lot of the shoppers there today came because they were curious about the logistics of a two-story grocery store.  Well, I’m here to tell you, it is big, beautiful, and worth checking out.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

The new Harris Teeter at North Hills

So to get to the mountains we headed down I-40 West.  Same road we take to get to the beach, just the opposite direction.  Soon after hitting the road, there was an “1-800-By Train” sign.  I don’t really know what these train signs mean, but we figured they must be connected to the mountains somehow and we were excited to see them.

The main difference between the reasonably short trip to the beach and the reasonably short trip to the mountains is that on the way to the  mountains there is actually stuff to look at along the way.  Sure, the trip starts with what appears to be the same dense, green scenery and the same strict billboard regulations, but things start to change near Burlington and it only gets more interesting the further west you travel.

There’s life along this stretch of highway.  It’s almost like a business route.  You can see businesses, shopping, food, motels, and traffic on other roads.  You don’t have to wonder how far off the exit you’ll have to travel to get to the local Hooters.  You can see it from the highway.  It’s that close.  There are also homes close to the road and even brand-new, high-rise apartment buildings so close to the 8-lane highway that you could probably spit your gum onto their front mat.  Really.  And once you turn off of I-40 for the final leg of the trip, then the scenery really gets interesting in that quaint, small-town, charming sort of way.  It’s a preview of the fresh, change of pace awaiting you a short distance up the road.

A visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway requires you to slow down and appreciate the breath-taking views.  It is like taking a step back in time, while surrounded by postcard-beautiful scenery.  All this less than three hours away?  That’s a day trip.  I’m in.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

You know you live close to the mountains when....

Blue Ridge Parkway

On their official website, the Farmers’ Market boasts of selling over 300 different items.  That’s easy to believe.  Between all the varieties of produce, bushes and plants, salsa, crafts, specialty meats (hmm..), Christmas trees, and even restaurants, they have something or a lot of things for everyone.  Plus they have an ATM onsite so you can buy even more than you planned on buying.

If you like crowds, hit the Farmers’ Market on a Saturday or on a Sunday afternoon.  It is jam-packed on the weekends.  On weekdays, the crowds are not as big, but there are still plenty of people and often even a field trip or two!

The people are one of the best parts of the Farmers’ Market, especially the vendors.  They’re always friendly, knowledgeable, and eagerly offering you samples of their wares.  It’s easy to leave there with a full belly from  sampling fresh, delicious produce from one end to the other.  You have to keep moving, though.  Too many samples in one spot, and they’ll run you off!

Take a crowd with you when you go.  Not only will everyone enjoy the trip, but you’ll need all those extra hands to carry all your goodies to the car.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

So many choices...

Peppers, peppers, peppers

The 2-hour trip down I-40 is with a 70-mph speed limit, two rest stops, decent radio station reception, and frequent-enough exits for gas and/or fast food.  It’s well-maintained and essentially litter-free, with the exception of a staggering amount of tire pieces.  The east and west lanes of the interstate are separated by aesthetically-pleasing cables and the exit and entrance ramps are nicely landscaped.  It’s a busy road, but not overloaded with tractor-trailers.

Sights to see along the way?  I-40 between Raleigh and Wilmington is lined with lush, dense, green foliage…….and not much else.  Of course, sometimes there are cattails growing in the ditch beside the highway, and there’s also an occasional pond or farm field and a few billboards.  I’m not sure why there are so few billboards, but it’s nice not to drive down a “South of the Border” corridor.

To be fair, there are a few exits we’ve been meaning to try and hope to try some day soon.  I’d like to tour the Duplin wineries and partake of the free tastings they advertise on those billboards.  There are also a few Civil War sites along the way that I’d like to visit, such as Moore’s Creek National Battlefield and Bentonville Battleground.  Our problem is we’re always in a hurry to stick our toes in the sand when we’re headed east.  And when we’re headed back west, we’ve usually hit the road later than we should have and can’t afford to stop along the way.  Maybe some day soon we’ll actually plan ahead and veer out of our well-traveled lane.

So after two hours down a boring road, you arrive at a beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean.  That’s a day trip!  I’m in.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

You know you live close to the beach when...