Weekend in New Bern, NC Part 2

Joe and Karen's house

We left Joe & Karen's cute house around 9 Sunday morning to head to Swansboro which was about a 45 minute drive.  They had a place they wanted us to try for breakfast which was filled with Elvis and Marilyn Monroe tchotchke.  A tight little space, filled to the brim which tells you the food must be great.  We were not disappointed.

 Yes.  Those are hot apple fritters…deep fried, sprinkled with powered sugar and topped with whipped cream and cherries.  Holy cow were they good!  As they were an appetizer for breakfast, it's a good thing the four of us shared this order.  Apparently they also have banana and peach in season.  The owner, Yana, was an older woman with big white hair, bright clothes and big 'ol smile on her face.  I stopped after we ate to tell her how wonderful our food was and she couldn't have been nicer.  Been running the place for 30 years.

 After breakfast we headed across the street to a wonderful shop run by an artist.  Karen bought some things for their house and we had a long conversation with the lady who owns the place.  She's in a wheelchair but is a painter and has several other shops in other towns.  She was delightful telling us about her history and how she and her husband rehabbed the awesome building.  People in the south are so friendly and fun to talk with.

We drove further along the water into Beaufort (Bofort) and did a little more shopping in the the cute places along the water.  The weather was so nice!

 We didn't need lunch but we did feel compelled to stop for a blizzard at DQ on the ride home.  When we arrived Tom and Joe moved a treadmill upstairs while Karen napped and I read.  After a couple of hours we went to a great Mexican restaurant for some yummy food then stopped at the dock to see their new boat.  Not great photos because of the dark but it's awesome!

 One of two bedrooms.  Nice kitchen space and two bathrooms with showers.  Lots of outdoor space as well.  And yep, had to try out Tom's new eye piece.

The rest of the evening was spent playing with Maggie and Marina while watching the Academy Awards.

We got up the next morning so we could see Joe before he took off for work.  The big TITAN storm was moving in so we decided we had better leave as well.  Worst case if we had to stop somewhere to wait out the storm we could.  Had a quick breakfast at the house then followed Joe into town.  He had wanted to show us Mitchell's Hardware store but it had been closed on Sunday. But it opened bright and early Monday morning so we got to check it out.  What fun!

This is Mitchell's bear.  New Bern is jam packed with bears dressed in all different types of clothing, costumes or just decorated up really cute.  The town itself is very charming and we had a great time.

We finally headed out and made it about a couple of hours before it started raining, then sleet then snow once we hit VA.  But because everything was closed there was hardly anyone on the road for the most part so driving wasn't that bad and when there were a lot of cars we were going slowly so it was fine.  We made it home by 5pm safely after a wonderful (and warm) weekend AND Tom had Tuesday off so we got to have that "day after" vacation!

Weekend in New Bern, NC Part 1

So if there's anything I've learned at mid-life is to be flexible.  We originally planned to take off Thurs. evening, stop midway on the 6 hour trip and sightsee then do the same thing on the way home on Monday.  Turns out Tom had to work Friday and didn't get away till late putting us smack dab in rush hour traffic so we had a very long drive to NC.  Arrived around midnight and after an hour welcome chat we crashed.

After a leisurely breakfast at Joe and Karen's we headed into town for the Farmer's Market.

 If there are hats to be found Tom feels compelled to try them on.  Even if they're knitted by two elderly British ladies!  We also checked out what was to be the first of many lovely antique stores

 Next we went to the Tryon Palace which included lots of things including a historical museum, a children's play area, beautiful gardens, a cafe, gift shop and the palace & surrounding structures.

           Yes, we did check out the gift shop for sheer goofiness and a patch for Tom's dominant eye.  Or because he wants to be a pirate.

 There was also a gorgeous quilt display:

 Since we were the only ones in the museum, we took over the kids section.  Joe and Tom manned the back of the ship while Karen and I handled the front.  I'm sure there's a nautical name for that but I don't know what it is.

Captain Joe 

 Tom was the cook so he was in charge of whacking the rats as they made appearances.  After the museum part we walked across the street for lunch at a great little seafood place where they had this as you walked in the door.

 I've never gotten the whole "hush puppy" craze until we tried these!  Hot and yummy with butter…tasted like donuts!

 After lunch we headed around the block to the palace itself.

 If you're a Sleepy Hollow (FOX) fan it may look familiar as I guess they've shot some of it here. Unfortunately no photos allowed there or in the kitchen and slave quarters but the home but it was all very interesting and beautiful!

Stables - only original building

 So nice to see some Spring blooms….

 Back into town and an old theatre…..

 ….and the birthplace of Pepsi Cola!

After a long day we headed back to the house and dogs for a relaxing evening of just visiting.