My latest destination was the Charlotte, N.C. area for the wedding of the daughter of our close friends, Doug and Martha Miller. Our travel companions were Debi and Anthony Nicolella, who together with the Millers and Mike Golaski and Wendy Cameron, made up our foursome of longtime friends and couples.
The first stop on our week-long road trip was the Skyline Resort in Beckley, WV located just off the Ghent exit of Interstate 77. The property was recently converted from a church retreat into a motel by one of my husband's WVU roommates. The resort features a dining room, bar, lake and event building. After dining with the proprietor, Rich O'Donnell, we retired to our cozy rooms that were so newly renovated that the towels still had tags on them. The next morning we took a leisurely hike along the lake and through Winter Place ski area located next door, then piled into our car for the next leg of our journey.
Davidson, N.C. was our next stop since it was close to Lake Norman and the rehearsal dinner. The groom's parents hosted a fabulous dinner at their lakeside home and we were happy to be invited. The next morning we walked into downtown Davidson, a quaint college town. After a stop at Summit Coffee and a spin through the farmers market, we walked through the beautiful campus. Lunch that day was at the North Shore Yacht Club on Lake Norman and which had some deliciously unique brunch offerings.
The wedding was held that evening at a vineyard north of Charlotte that reminded me of Italy. The bride was beautiful, the groom was confident, and our friends who hosted the event seemed relieved once the reception was underway. The highlight for me was when we all returned to the hotel, gathered in our room and all four of us women relaxed on the king-sized bed slumber party style for more laughter. The four of us couples may not get together often, but when we do, it is just like the old days.
The trip didn't end there, as we continued south with the Nicolellas to their place in Myrtle Beach. We arrived just in time to watch the Steelers game at Oscar's, one of many Steelers throughout the country. Coincidentally, we ran into Hans and Julie Kasak (another fraternity brother) who were also visiting Myrtle and watching football at Oscar's.
The biggest surprise, however, was that I had spoken with my mother-in-law and realized that she too was vacationing in Myrtle Beach. With the help of Joyce McClay, we managed to surprise my husband who had no idea his mother was in town. Here's a picture of Joyce driving us to Happy Hour on her golf cart: (Add this to my list of modes of transportation during my sabbatical.)
We had two picture perfect beach days with the Nicolellas and celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary in Myrtle, which is where the two of them first met. Finally, we made a quick detour to Pinehurst to visit yet another fraternity brother, Arch Reed. We missed his lovely wife, Doris, but enjoyed our visit with Arch and lunch at his club.
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