SW

It has been two months since we last visited Pittsboro.  Linda and I like going there for a little shopping and a visit to the General Store with lunch at Fearrington Village.  However, we heard that The General Store Cafe has now been enhanced with a large restaurant, bar and bandstand.  We visited there and found it to be pleasant and suitable for large groups like MATA.  Our trip to the Triangle Land Conservancy's White Pines Preserve was marred by the attack of the mosquitos.  Our last visit, a month later in the year, was free of these invaders.  Next time we do White Pines in cooler weather.  The lunch at the General Store Cafe was quite pleasant.  At least one of us, Ralph, raved about the ham sandwiches.  I got my Sam Adams, on tap!

But now we return with the MATA hikers to catch the latest critters created by Clyde Jones in Bynum; antique shopping in Pittsboro; and lunch at Virlie's Grille.  Clyde is a legendary folk artist who has populated many a garden with his imaginative art works.  His home in Bynum is now a destination on RoadsideAmerica.com.

2008

White Pines, Gilbert Yager Trail	Oct. 11th	Merrily galumphing into the tulgey woods		One of the denizens besides the mosquitos	Elaine's flower	Confluence of the White and Rocky rivers	Do this hike in late Nov. to avoid mosquitos.
Bynum - Pittsboro	Aug. 2nd	Crossing the bridge over the Haw River	Suzy and Ralph at the front	The dam on the Haw - canoed that more than a few times	Joan and Sam	Pat, Linda and Suzy and Ralph	Enjoying Virlie's Grille in Pittsboro

Now I have lots of photos in the southwest sector.  Earl and I both remember doing a hike at the White Pines Nature Preserve, years ago.  Finally, after John McCann and I went over and pre-screened the hike and an attendant nearby eating place, Earl reminded me that the time was right to hike it again.  It is the flagship property of the Triangle Land Conservancy being purchased in 1986.  Located at the confluence of the Deep and Rocky rivers, White Pines is a great place to hike. The preserve supports several stands of white pines, a tree that is normally found in the cooler mountain region of North Carolina.  A large turnout enjoyed the hike and finished the morning with a toast to newly retired Nancy Thornton.  We then went to the Chatham Marketplace, a newly-minted coop just north of Pittsboro on route 15-501.  Good food at a reasonable price.

White Pines, Gilbert Yager Trail	Nov. 18th, 2006	Kay Ziegler joins us.	Linda, John and Jane		Linda and Tara lead over a rocky ledge.		Then we take the trail to the Howells memorial.
River Trail				Jack and Caroline	Rocky River on June 20th	Champagne for Nancy's Retirement!	We dined al fresco at the Chatham Marketplace.

Our most recent trip to this sector of the state was to Charlotte on the Amtrak.  I personally planned this trip and led the somewhat doubtful but merry group to the center of Charlotte via the Amtrak from the Triangle area.  The doubt came in when we had to get from the train station to the city.  We planned on using the bus and had the right one picked out but we had to rely on the locals to tell us where to get it.  In the end, we took an alternate bus which pulled in just around the corner.  It worked fine.  As a matter of fact, we could have walked, as it turned out.

Charlotte on the Amtrak	Nov. 17th, 2001
Afternoon in the city	Mint Museum of Craft + Design		Discovery Place - Imax Theatre

Every now and then we do a tour of the tiny towns and abandoned bridges near Pittsboro.  This includes side trips to Bynum, its general store and Clide Jones's shop.  He is a primitive artist that has quite a reputation in North Carolina for his chain saw carvings of animals.  You'll see these everywhere in the area.  Pittsboro is a lovely town which seems to have become the place to go to find antiques.  Our final destination is always the old bridge into Lee County.  Long abandoned, it now is a choice location for weddings and picnics.  We always make refreshing discoveries whenever we do this little car tour.  

Bynum and the Clyde Jones	Jan. 15th, 2000	Reserved for pix of Clyde Jones's art shop			NCDOT reports that the old Bynum bridge will remain.
Antiquing in Pittsboro					Visit the website of the Pittsboro General Store Café.
Drive to the Camelback Bridge, Lee County				Pittsboro General Store and Café reviewed.	The relaxed style of the Market Café (Fearrington Village) - Reviewed by Greg Cox of the News & Observer.

Linda had a conference to attend and I tagged along to catch all of the reflections from the crystal city.  I know, the Queen City has connections to the past but all of the construction and growth that is evident makes it visually exciting and a challenge to a photographer.  Here you will find some hints of what attracts people to live in and visit Charlotte.  This weekend, Charlotte hosts a Memorial day race and Thursday they closed off two of the major streets and made the morning rush hour a nightmare for all of the white collar workers wending their way to their cubbyholes.

Corner of Trade & Tryon Sts., Charlotte	May 25th, 1999				A link to Charlottenet
Was it the Vatican or the Bank of America?	May 25th			In the evening, we heard jazz at the Cosmos Cafe, 6th and N. College Sts. More about Charlotte
Independence Center reflects Bank of Am Corp. Center	May 26th