State Fair 2018

I love going to the North Carolina State Fair, and last week was the fifth time I’ve attended since we moved to Cary.  The Fair is only about a 20-minute drive, parking is free and the Fair itself is free for seniors.

I go alone so I can walk around where I want to, buy coffee and sit watching people.  As I’ve done in the past, I visited the animal and vegetable buildings, watching the judging of cows/steers, pigs and goats.  Big crowds were watching the contests reminding me of a sporting event, people cheering on their favorites.  I forget how big cows are until I’m up close to one.  The biggest crowd was watching the judging of pigs running around without collars with pre-teenagers directing the pigs with a stick.  

The vegetable section had beautiful displays.  I liked the largest squash/melon--1,500 pounds.

Of course, the main attraction at the Fair seems to be the food.  Everyone was eating something coated with sugar or BBQ sauce.

After a couple of hours of watching people, I stopped on the way out and bought a cup of ice cream churned by a smoking and sputtering John Deere engine.  I slowly ate my ice cream while watching an all women country (or bluegrass) band.  They were great.

There was a negative to my Fair trip.  My parking spot was a long way from the Fair entrance.  I walked in but decided to take a bus back to the parking area.  I asked if the bus went back to the free parking lot.  I was assured it did.  No one told me there was another free parking area.  I got on the bus and 45 minutes later I got off where I started.

No problem.  I started walking.  Got to the parking lot and couldn’t find my car.  This had not happened since a football game in Florida in the 1960s.  I walked and walked, up and down the rows.  A black couple was concerned for me and spent 20 minutes driving around and pointing out red Corollas.  None of them were mine.  I finally found my car and drove home without a problem.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s fair.  I will definitely pay attention to where I park.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Hurricane Michael

When we evacuated North Myrtle Beach, we had two days to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Florence on our home in Cary.  We collected all items from the yard including potted plants, yard art, and garden lights, and secured them in the garage.  Likewise, everything came off of our patio except our grill and heavy chairs which we tied down.  We were ready for Hurricane Florence.

While we did get eight inches of rain that did no damage, the maximum wind gust couldn't have been more than 30 mph.  Not much at all.

Forecasts were clear that Hurricane Michael would continue through the Carolinas and pass right through the Triangle.  We were not too worried.  After all, North Carolina is a long way from the Gulf Coast and the hurricane shouldn’t have much energy left by the time it hit our area.  I didn’t bother to remove stuff from the yard or patio.

But Michael was still a tropical storm when it passed over us on Thursday evening.  We got our tarp, sat in chairs on the patio sheltered by the wind and rain and toasted each other with a drink.  Rain had started earlier in the day, but then the wind came, strongest since we moved to Cary 4 ½ years ago, gusts reaching at least 50 mph.  A few things were blown around our yard and patio but we didn’t have any serious damage.  And we stayed in our little nook on the patio until it had blown over.

There were major power outages in the area and roads flooded.  Trees came down and limbs covered some roads.  We ended up with 3 ½ inches of rain.  But we had power and no rain damage.

We woke the day after Hurricane Michael to a bright, clear morning with temperatures in the 50’s.  What a change!

After Hurricane Florence, we hosted a hurricane party.  We plan to host another party next week--this one to celebrate the beginning of fall weather.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

North Myrtle Beach - Part II

Three weeks ago, our planned week stay in North Myrtle Beach was cut short by a forced evacuation because of Hurricane Florence.  I was surprised when I called and asked for the four nights we missed because of the evacuation to be rescheduled.  We were booked for October 1 to 5.

We were surprised at the lack of hurricane damage that we saw as we took I-40 into Wilmington and then Hwy 17 to North Myrtle.  A few trees and limbs were down, but we didn’t see damaged buildings or flooded fields.  Roadside signs seemed to be in good condition.  We did notice a low area on I-40 where it looked like it had been underwater for days.  Lots of dead turtles in the road, too.

Our Wyndham resort in North Myrtle sustained no damage.  The tide did not override the dunes and flood the pool or first floor of the resort.  On the way home on Friday, we did see rivers still in flood stage covering large areas of low land, including a golf course.

We had seen satellite photos of rivers in North Carolina discharging black sediment into the ocean.  Winds at North Myrtle were from the North and that black water was obvious as the waves broke over the beach.  I was told the bacteria count was high and swimming was not advised.  Maybe I’m getting better judgment as I age because I stayed out of the ocean.  The wind shifted to the south on our last day, and the ocean cleared up and looked beautiful.

We sat and watched the ocean and crowds on the beach for hours from our ocean front condo.  Part II of our vacation was very healing.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Not A Good Week

Last Thursday, I came into the house from the garage and heard Aloma calling me.  From
the sound of her voice, I could tell that something was wrong. I hurried to the sound and
looked in the bathroom.   Aloma had fallen and was wedged between the toilet and wall, stuck
so tight that she couldn’t move her arms, legs or body.  I knew that I couldn’t get her up
and immediately called 911. Within a few minutes, two EMTs showed up and were able to move
her.  They checked her out and discovered an irregular heartbeat and transported her
to the hospital.

After her stress calmed down, her heartbeat returned to normal and tests that night and the
next morning, including a stress test, showed that her heart was perfectly normal.  She was
released from the hospital. What a scare for me--and for her!!

The very next Monday, I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy, early in the morning after a
miserable night.  During the endoscopy, I inhaled fluids from my stomach causing increasing
discomfort. By noon, I was rasping and by 2:00 it was so bad that I couldn’t talk and had
chills,my temperature spiking.  Aloma took me to emergency where I was diagnosed with
pneumonia, put on antibiotics and told that I would be in the hospital for at least two nights.

I responded so well to the antibiotics that I was released the next day.  After two days at
home and many pills, I am feeling much better, although I realize it will be some time
before I’m completely over it.

We’re still planning on celebrating Jennifer and Ben’s (our grandson) birthdays and then
leave for the beach on Monday to complete our vacation that was interrupted by the forced
evacuation caused by Hurricane Florence.

Aloma and I don’t need any more weeks like this one.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com