Raleigh, NC; Lexington, NC
Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Nothing really exciting to write home about until now.First, let's talk about more truck problems. Between last Wed and Thurs, Mitch needed to have it jumped 4 times. The last time it was very difficult to get it started. Rather than bringing it back home, at the risk of it not starting again, we found a diesel mechanic nearby who could work on it. As suspected, it was the alternator (we also had the maintenance done while we were at it).
The plans for Friday were to drive 115 miles from Lexington to Raleigh, staying at our favorite place - NC State Fairgrounds. We were having some friends over from shul (Ann and Fred) to join us for Shabbat dinner, which turned out to be fun and very lovely. We made the challah the night before, and I kept the menu simple (tuna steaks, mushrooms, cauliflower, baked potatoes) in anticipation of potential problems and delays.
We got out of bed at 7 am on Friday morning, packed everything up, hitched, and planned to leave at 9:00 am. Wondrously, it was exactly 9:00 am when we were ready to pull in the slides and hit the road (insert my oft-used phrase here: "plans are made in jello"). Once again, the slides would not close. We thought we had the problem fixed back in Livingston, TX when we had the pump replaced. Unfortunately, we only opened and closed them once more since then, so we really didn't have much to go by. We called the tech and told him about the problem. He suggested there may be air in the system and to give it a little more time before having it re-examined. Fortunately, just like the last time, they did go in, one at a time, after waiting about 5 minutes in between each slide. We pulled out of the campground at 10:00 am, and arrived in Raleigh at 12:30 pm. It took about 45 minutes to park and get set up. Jessica made an unplanned visit with Ellie around 3:30 pm and left around 5. By then, I had most of the food made and everything was calm and under control.
On Saturday, we went to our favorite shul in Cary. As always, very inspiring and interactive services. Since they were set up for the seder (which wasn't until Monday night), services were held in the small back room and there was no lunch (since the kitchen had to be koshered for Passover). After services, we hung around with the kids, and then went out for dinner to Crazy Fire (a mongolian grill place) where there were many things on the menu for me.
Sunday was Jessica's 32nd birthday. We actually got out of bed at 8:00 am so that we could spend the morning koshering the "house," which for us involves covering all the counters and stove, cleaning out the frig and freezer and putting away all the forbidden foods, and unpacking the Passover pots, pans, utensils and dishes (paper!). Unlike in our sticks & bricks house in NJ, where we had to make several trips into the garage and elsewhere around the house to pull out all our Passover supplies, our current, very limited, inventory is tucked away in the storage compartment under the bed. We didn't start the process until a bit after 9:00 am and finished by 11 (it used to take several days and lots and lots of planning!)
When we were done, we went over to the kids and hung around there for about an hour. There was a lovely street fair - actually more of a high-end, homemade arts & crafts festival in downtown Cary (like the kind we used to participate in nearly 40 years ago when we were candle-makers) , so we all headed over there. Great weather and great day to be out. Afterwards, the kids took us to one of their favorite craft breweries which had an olde English theme (I had my first kombucha tea). Afterwards, we returned to their house and chilled for a bit before taking them out for a nice birthday dinner at a Japanese hibachi grill (live entertainment!)
On Monday, we started the day by going to the doctor for follow up visits and prescription refills. The good news is that my blood pressure is back to normal (from 160/80 to 125/70), the swelling in my legs is gone, and I lost 18 lbs since the end of January. Dr. didn't want to run blood tests yet but that's ok.
Jessica took the day off work so we met up with her again. Mostly we hung around the house while Mitch helped her with a kitchen project (installing LED lights around the cabinets). Since Passover was to start that evening and our home was already koshered, we decided to have our last "chametz" meal out, which was brunch. We went to a nice place called The (something) Toastery (Jessica will correct me, I'm sure) where I had an omelet. In the same shopping center was a huge kitchen place called Whisk, where Jessica assists with their cooking classes (they have a McMansion type kitchen there, not to mention every imaginable gadget). Next door to that was an oil & vinegar store, very much like Pinch & Pour that we found in Bismarck. It was time to restock the infused garlic oil and raspberry vinegar.
After shopping and doing a little more LED work, we headed back to the rig where we changed into our holiday clothes. We enjoyed our first seder with other shul friends - Lara and Paul (we joined their seder 2 years ago). Their seders are similar to the ones we used to host, complete with props and very laid back.
On Tuesday, we went to holiday services at the Raleigh shul, since Cary didn't have any (again, set up for the seder so no room). Afterwards, we returned for lunch, took naps, and then headed out for the second seder at Chabad of Cary. Just like the Shabbat services, it was extremely interactive with lots of Q&As and very engaging and inspiring. His kids (8 and 5) did a great job as well, performing several songs and asking the Four Questions in Hebrew and Yiddish. We returned home at about 11:30 pm.
Wednesday was time to return to Lexington. We got out of bed at 7:00 am and were packed and hitched by 9:00. This time the slides did not give us any trouble, so we made it back by 11:30. The camp manager helped us get into our tight spot, and it was then back to work for me by 12:30.
Which brings us to today. Mitch went back to work (he's off again tomorrow for Good Friday as the gas company is closed). I had a lot of work to do, but took time off to walk around to the lake (and sit and meditate on a nearby bench for a few minutes). All the flowers and bushes are starting to bloom now, so the place is starting to look real pretty. I also discovered that most people here come for the weekends and bring their boats; I see a lot of boats pulling in and out starting on Thursdays.
No plans for the weekend. Back to Shabbat isolation for a while and Sunday I must pay the monthly bills and do my taxes.
BTW, this campground has cabins on the lake if anyone wants to come visit us! đŸ˜‰
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