November 22, 2006: Charleston, South Carolina.

Stacey's parents, Harvey and Lauren, flew out to meet us for Thanksgiving and to see the historic antebellum homes of the Southeast.

We went out to the swamps to see the Drayton plantation, where some of the slave cabins still stand under the virginia live oaks.

The historic district is amazing to walk through, with just about every other home having been occupied by some notable southerner. The ones that have been preserved and restored are often partially open to the public, even though the owners still live there.

November 20, 2006: Ocracoke Island and Cape Fear, North Carolina.

Folks here try to ride out the high tides and hurricanes on the Outer Banks in their telltale stilt homes.

The shoreline changes here over time and some of the lighthouses around here had to be picked up and moved. This one is the oldest one on the Outer Banks in continuous operation and a family still lives below and operates it.

The battleship USS North Carolina sits in 25 feet of mud on the banks of the Cape Fear River. The docent who showed us around was a 90 year old veteran who served on the ship during WW2.

November 16, 2006: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

We drove down the Outer Banks, a narrow collection of island sand bars connected by bridges and ferries. The weather was not ideal for the beach.

In fact, one of these touched down uncomfortably close to us. We spent the evening watching the weather channel to see if we needed to evacuate. By the time we woke up it was sunny.

November 12, 2006: Roanoke, Virginia.

We stopped to see Joe and Mikyoung, good friends that Thom met in Korea. Joe writes great articles for the Roanoke Times about UFC fighters and scary backwater trailer folk. Check this story out:
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/xp-27069

We had a great scrabble weekend with them on their porch and down the street at the ol time soda fountain.

November 9, 2006: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

Some guy built a pipe organ out of the stalactites in the Luray caverns, and now lotsa folks get married down here.

Monticello is owned by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which gives tours of the interior and surrounding plantation. They seem overly reluctant to tarnish the image of TJ, and this is reflected in the tour. They say for example, about Sally Hemmings, his slave mistress, that there is some 'compelling evidence' (read: DNA) suggesting that he may have fathered children with her, but that 'we're just not sure' and 'we may never know.'

You might drive right over the two lane highway crossing Natural Bridge without ever noticing what lies below. Not us. We caught the 20 or so billboards leading us to one of the 7 wonders. George Washington was the first to survey the area back in the day and he carved his initials in a rock you can see as you walk underneath.

November 5, 2006: Washington, District of Columbia.

All the touristy stuff in D.C. - the Nat'l Gallery, the Air & Space, a tour inside the Capitol, etc. - is free (unless you're one of those unlucky folks working and paying federal income tax). In fact, tickets to see Borat were the only ones we had to pay for, and he was considerably less inspiring than any museum, monument or memorial in town.

We had to wait in line on two consecutive days in order to hear oral arguments before the Supreme Court. Gripping case! Will the Washington State criminal sentencing guidelines have to be reworked? We await the exciting decision to be handed down in a few months.

October 31, 2006: New York City, New York

We went for pizza near DUMBO - to a place everyone says is well-worth the wait for some of the best pizza around. There were people lined up outside (and it was windy and in the 30s) but we thought maybe they were waiting for their take-out. We went right in and got a table. We eventually learned that we cut in front of about 6 or 7 parties. Sorry dudes.

My brother, Kris, works in the Municipal Building in the distance behind him, way up in the domed part. We went up there to witness his art. Man, can that guy edit!

October 27, 2006: New York City, New York

On our way to the city, we stopped at the Storm King Art Center, a 500 acre sculpture garden.

We stayed on the Jersey side of the Hudson, which, contrary to its reputation, is lovely and convenient.