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Monday 1st October, and Linda not feeling very well at all, we left the
Amerisuites in Montgomery for Cincinnati airport and the 10.50am Delta flight
DL5539 to Charlotte, North Carolina. The flight was a new experience, the
plane being a 50 seater Comair Regional Jet. Linda was still not feeling
very well and the long wait to get through security (the first time we had seen
any in the US) at Cincinnati airport didn't help but the fact that it was only a
45 minute flight helped. In Charlotte, we stayed with Joan and Al
Burleson. We had met Joan in 1992 at Heath Abernathy's wedding and had
kept in touch at Christmas time ever since. Joan met us at the airport and
took us to their house. We were made very welcome and we all got on fine
which was good because we were basically strangers really. Linda began to
recover as the day went on and we chatted and got to know each other the rest of
the day. Joan made a chicken casserole for dinner. She is a good
cook.
Al & Joan Burleson - their house Ned's mother
On the Tuesday, Joan took us sightseeing around Charlotte, showing us where she and Al had grown up and Ned and Marsha also as the originally came from North Carolina too. She also took us to visit Ned's mother, a nice and very active 82 year old! Later we toured the downtown area before heading back for another home cooked meal - and dessert - Joan loves her desserts!
On Wednesday we did a little more touring around Charlotte in the morning, looking at the many fine housing developments. Most houses seem very big and have a Colonial feel and look about them. Later we visited Joan and Al's daughter Jennifer. We took it easy the rest of the day and ate chicken for dinner - and dessert!
On Al's boat on Lake Wylie
Thursday we spent the day on Al's boat which he keeps on Lake Wylie about 45 minutes drive from Charlotte just over into South Carolina. It was such a relaxing day - what a life!! Mind you looking at the houses built at the side of the Lake, it makes you wonder where the money comes from to be able to afford them. Takeaway Pizza finished the day off nicely.
Chris & Sue Knowles - their house Alexander Andrew
Friday morning we took tea with
neighbours LouAnn and Peter before having a ride out. Chris Knowles, someone I
used to work with at Rigby took a job with GKN in Conover, North Carolina, when
our factory was closed down so we took the opportunity it visit with him.
He picked us up on his way home from work after lunch and took us to his home 60
miles north of Charlotte. His wife Sue was 8 months pregnant - in fact she
had a boy, Adam on 1st November. The have two other boys, Andrew,
almost 7 and Alexander 18 months (at the time of our visit). In the
evening we went out for a meal at the
Longhorn
Steak House in Hickory and then stayed over the night. We looked round a
shopping Mall in Hickory on Saturday before they took us back to Charlotte in
the afternoon.
On Saturday evening we took Al and Loan out for a meal at and Italian called Frankie's. The portions were humongous and a bit over facing but delicious all the same. I ate Lasagne whilst Linda had Meat Balls with Spaghetti and a Bolognaise sauce.
So Sunday 7th October was the end of our vacation. We flew out of Charlotte at 6.00pm for Atlanta and a connecting flight to Manchester at 8.20pm. We landed in Manchester at 9.00am Monday morning and were home two hours later. We had had a great time, the wedding being the highlight. It was nice to meet up with old friends again and also make new ones. Hopefully we will get the chance to do it all over again sometime in the future!