They flew in on Thursday and stayed the night in our luxurious guest accommodations (read: air mattress). The next day, we met them at their timeshare on the top of Sugar Mountain. It had quite a brilliant view from the balconies...hell, it had a great view from the parking lot. With the aid of GPS navigation, we attempted to find a restaurant on the side of a mountain. It was off by a few switchbacks, at least. It was worth the search, because they caught the fish and butchered the livestock fresh while we waited...okay, maybe they didn't, but they definitely had plenty of time. However, the food was so good when it finally arrived that it almost made up for the two hour wait.
 |
| Sunset from the balcony |
You can take the Nebraskan out of Nebraska, but they'll still be glued to the television during a Cornhusker football game. Football-induced insanity isn't just a southern thing. My father-in-law is very...um...passionate about his team. Although perhaps unwise, I joined in with my mother-in-law in heckling him for getting so worked up over the game. I also showed her how to download our prettied-up wedding pictures. "Anyone that didn't have a good time was just being a stick in the mud," she said while we were looking through them. She told us that even the husband's very traditional grandfather, who was skeptical of our odd plans, commented after the event, "As it turns out, you can have a pretty good wedding in a two-car garage."
The highlight of the trip was going to see The Blowing Rock. There was a bit of an updraft, but what really blew was the admission fee. The view was nice, but there were lots of other locations where similar vistas could be had free of charge. We followed up that excitement by finding a little-hole-in-the-wall restaurant to introduce my in-laws to Western North Carolina BBQ. For those not in the know, Western North Carolina BBQ is tomato based and Eastern North Carolina is vinegar based. Why don't you just come for a visit and try some yourself?
On Sunday morning, I had great ambitions of running three miles down and up the mountain. I completed the downhill half of the run...and pretty much walked the rest of the way. Oh, well. Then my in-laws decided we should all go ziplining. I'm a daredevil compared to my in-laws but everyone claimed to have enjoyed the experience.
Afterwards, we went looking for a place with some hot soup and ended up at the Daniel Boone Inn Restaurant for my first experience with family-style dining. There were no menus...the only things you order are your drink and your dessert, everything else is served in common bowls on the table (like at holidays). The place had been open fifty years and it seemed like the original staff was still there, but they must have known something because the food was wonderful!
We watched more football (ESPN was on a lot this weekend) and played cards that evening. GOLF is the favorite card game in the husband's family. I came in with the highest score in both rounds. The goal is to get the lowest score, of course.
On Monday, we meandered our way back home. One family visit down, next up are my parents. The husband has already said he's looking forward to drinking hot mulled wine with my mother.
No comments:
Post a Comment