30 Nov: The Smooch Family is headed south from Atlantic Beach, NC on any road (likely 17) to avoid rain. The winds are strong, the 75 degree temperature is great, even warm. The rain didn't last long. An eagle was spotted soaring over us; we arrived at a Meeting Street Inn, a marvelous old hotel in the historic district of Charleston, SC hungry enough to go out for dinner. The Low Country Bistro gave us a ten dollar discount because they couldn't meet our dietary restrictions. Tomorrow we continue touring the city. Now we sleep. Zzz good night. We arrive at Cousin Sharon's on Hilton Head Thursday, then Columbia, SC on Friday for a week stay.
29 Nov. Ron arose at daybreak to photograph the gorgeous sunrise that disappeared when clouds appeared and the winds picked up. Cynthia edited files all the day long! Packing was Ron's game plan for the day. Recycling was another big project. We skipped lunch and ate at the hotel again this evening. Windsurfers were out enjoying the high surf and windy day. We. Are. Packed.
28 Nov: Progress is being made on the Reunion Files (Software for the MAC to organize lineages). Ron walked the beach to Food Lion returning with very tired legs, the left arm does not seem as swollen. Dinner at the hotel was surprisingly good. We started packing for departure early AM Wednesday. This hotel does not have laundry facilities. WooHoo! We have walked about 4o miles this week.
27 Nov: Atlantic Beach, NC working away entering research data, taking a break for a 3 mile roundtrip walk to Food Lion. Gorgeous but humid day. We worked on our files so late we rode to dinner at the Island Grille.
26 Nov: Only 28 more sunrises before Christmas. Ron walked to the store while Cynthia edited genealogy files that became corrupt through merging. Tonight we rode to dinner at the Island Grille. Mark 11:24.
25 Nov: Atlantic Beach, NC - a gorgeous day - 72 humid degrees. A morning 3 mile walk to the post office and Food Lion for pretzels, sorbet and popsicles with zero fat was mmmm satisfying. After several hours on our electronics we ventured forth to the Island Grille for dinner only to discover Ron wasn't hungry after sorbet, pretzels, popsicles and 2 bowls of fat- free cereal with frozen fruit and protein powder. We split an entree of Mahi-mahi. Our daily walk totaled 10 miles. No. we did not do any Black Friday shopping but we talked to people who did buy clothes and TV sets. Photo of sunset taken near Island Grille
24 Nov: Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thanks be to God for all things living, each other, our health, each other, our family, each other, and for you, our friends, we thank God! Our 17 year old niece Erika is in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City making big news in her home town of Edwardsville, Illinois. We watched the parade, delighted to catch a glimpse of Erika, walked the beach enjoying waves, sandpipers, fishermen and Cynthia found some babies to talk to before the hotel's Thanksgiving Day Buffet. Tryptophan kicked in. Zzzzzzzz
23 Nov: Atlantic Beach, NC. After basking in the hotel room sun, we were surprised by a chilly walk to Food Lion; the return walk was warm. Update on Ron's deep vein thrombosis: the swelling in the left arm is significantly reduced. We plan 8 days of work on manuscripts and family group sheets before traveling to Columbia, SC. Energized by a 3mile walk this AM, we were encouraged to walk 3 miles to our favorite restaurant, the Island Grille, totaling 9 BIG miles today.
22 Nov: Departure for Atlantic Beach, NC for 8 more RON - REST days. temperatures call for heated gear, seats and handlebars for the three hour ride in 40 degree weather - now subtract another ten degrees for riding in the wind. Our first stop is the Orange County Register of Deeds Office by invitation. The recorder of Deeds is most impressed with Ron's' map platting. The day promised no hint of warmth; even the chronic hypothermic Ron was cold.
21 Nov: Cold! Very Cold! 38 degrees - 10 degrees = 28 degree riding weather on the bike from Hyco Lake to Yanceyville to the courthouse and library. Cynthia was thankful for Gerbings heated gear. Ron's new friend Bill invited us to lunch at the Yanceyville Country Club. Bill and his delightful wife, Karen, from old families local to the area, made our day. They are so fun we must return in the spring on our way to Philadelphia. All of the Deeds we intended to photograph are completed. Cynthia downloaded the book, "Murder in the Courthouse," about a crime in Caswell County during Reconstruction. Our friend Paul G. phoned tonight from his new home in Tonga to tell us construction begins tomorrow on his new home. Paul relocated from Hawaii about two years ago. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga
20 Nov: Where heaven touches Hyco (Lake Hyco) the temperature dropped to 31 degrees over night. The sun sparkles like diamonds on the lake - embraced by hills dressed in autumn bronze. Ron is deed platting, needing additional Deeds from Caswell County courthouse tomorrow. Taking a computer break we pack in preparation for departure on Tuesday. Smooch Smooch thought our clothes should be laundered again this year. Sniff Sniff! Well, maybe. Noon-thirty we hikety to Dockers Grill for lunch. Ain't love grand?
19 Nov: Accu Weather reports 64 degrees and sunny. Ron and Cynthia are hard at work on the Lea book; taking a lunch break, we walked 4.4 miles round trip to Dockers Grill marveling at autumn in all her finery; during lunch the skies clouded over, temperatures dropped, whorls of leaves swirled through the air, water was whipped into whitecaps on the lake: "these autumn leaves, November, December." The Smooch Family News: Grandson Eric had a car accident in Ft. Worth, but everyone is Ok.
18 Nov: Life is good. We sure have fun together. Breakfast by Smooch was extraordinaire - and off we rode to the Orange County Library in Hillsborough to review Deeds. Orange County Deed Registrar, Mark Chilton, has published the first of 4 volumes of area land grants. The oversized book is exceptionally nice with fine quality paper. Lunch at Saratoga Grill is always a treat. From Hillsborough we drove to Yanceyville to photograph Deeds in the courthouse and took a road less traveled to Dockers Grill to enjoy the sunset on the lake. The late afternoon sunlight shimmered like diamonds on spectacular fall foliage. Oops! In the restaurant Ron realized he left his keychain and leatherman tools buried under leaves outside the courthouse (knives aren't allowed beyond security.). After eating a grilled chicken breast Ron returned to Yanceyville to retrieve the hidden items, dropping Cynthia off on the road to the lake house. Home again, home again, jiggity jig! Deer are out in abundance especially at night; 6 were at the corner of Solomon Lea Road tonight. See the road to our lake house:
17 Nov: Yanceyville today, Roxboro yesterday. Our days are short, with restful reading deed abstracts in libraries. Ron prepares egg white omelets for breakfast, but decent restaurants are not to be found. Yanceyville has a Subway and an Asian restaurant. A restful lake Hyco.
16 Nov: A beautiful note from a lovely couple we met at Balcary Bay in Scotland:
"I am so sorry to hear that Ron is having some medical problems. I read his blog every day and never cease to wonder at the energy and happiness you two enjoy. My geography of the states is getting very good as I look at the map and trace your routes. I enjoy googling the places you visit and read about the history of the places and learn something new. So you see Ron's blog is a continual geography lesson. So pleased we met you at Balcary Bay. I hope you will both be on the road again but please take care and God bless you,". Wynn
Thank you dear friend!
15 Nov: Still ensconced in room 4833: the attending physician reports the Hematologist wants Ron to stay for an additional five days and change Eliquis RX to Warfarin. We disagreed. Instead the Eliquis RX will be increased from 5mg to 10mg. And we were released with orders for Ron to rest during the double dose of Eliquis. The motorcycle was exactly where it was left in ER parking. Cynthia drove the rental car back to the lake house to be dropped off at Roxboro tomorrow instead of the Raleigh-Durham airport. Ron bought food en route. Plans post Tuesday are in ICloud.
14 Nov: Rm 4833, UNC Medical Center, Chapel Hill, NC. EUREKA !! After another three diagnostic procedures, the senior cardiologist said that Ron's situation is not at all unusual for pacemaker patients and that the best treatment is time to allow the body bypass the blockage. Let's hope the hematologist agrees. Since we are in an Oncology/hematology wing, they may have the final say about our discharge. Since today is rainy and cloudy, it is not a bad day to stay indoors. For exercise we walked more than 1.54 miles in the hallways of the Oncology wings. Ron is getting lots done to prepare for more Lea families plat plotting.
Will we go home tomorrow?? Stay tuned.
13 Nov, Chapel Hill, NC: Early AM a very kind male nurse from ER took Cynthia to Raleigh Durham airport to rent a car to go to our rental house and gather some belongings. The nurse waited for her and led her all the way back to Roxboro. An echocardiogram , a CT Scan, more labs, continued Heparin on IV, plus visits by various professionals took up our day. We were moved to a pleasant Room with a view. The Super moon is indeed super. Thanks to Jim and Joni for sharing photos of the Moon over Maryland.
12 Nov: Ron worked on NC Deeds until 2:30 AM because of excitement discovering they are on the web. We don't have to return to Raleigh. The library in Hillsborough closes at one. But Wally World is open so we can buy groceries and a compression sleeve. It is a gorgeous fall day on Hyco Lake. After a lovely lunch at Saratoga Grill Ron talked to Walt ((MIT alum, Dr. ) who strongly suggested Ron go to ER to have his arm/hand checked for a blood clot. We first went to UNC Clinic in Hillsborough who sent us on to UNC in Chapel Hill to have a venous Doppler (sonogram) that confirmed Ron does indeed have a blood clot in the veins where the pacemaker lead is attached. He was admitted, put in Heparin IV to test for clotting considering he is already on 3 powerful blood thinners to prevent clots
11 Nov: Veterans Day: Thank you. Sunrise started with a magnificent powder blue horizon blending into a luscious lavender. As the sun rose further, the fall foliage across the lake sparkled with burgundy and orange highlights. Vets Day means courthouses and deed offices are closed changing our plans to ride into Person County. Instead, we walked 4.2 miles roundtrip to Dockers Grill for grilled chicken and salad. The 70 degree weather was perfect. Ron chatted on the phone held to his left ear to keep his arm elevated. We spent the rest of the day working on the Lea book and DNA projects.
10 Nov: The ride into Yanceyville Library was very chilly. The Kendall Deed Book we ordered to replace the library's stolen/lost book arrived yesterday. Ron took 351 photos of the Deeds for map platting. Randall (a Lea/Lee cousin) arrived at the library late morning; we took a break for lunch at Subway - buying a foot long so Cynthia can have half for dinner tonight. (we can't go out for dinner because the driveway is too risky downhill on gravel after dark:thirty.) The electrophysiologist was emailed for a North Carolina referral in because Ron's left arm remains swollen - despite sleeping with the left arm elevated. Riots in 25 cities does the cause no good, behaving exactly as expected DT supporters would behave. Self destruction.
9 Nov: Hyco Lake - doing research. Today was chilly. Ron took a walk in the AM talking to Sistah Carol processing the election, a later afternoon walk to Dockers for food. The sunset was marvelous with two very unique rainbows arcing from a light sky into a darker, deeper blue night sky. What would the world be like if people listened to one another - accepting differences - not demanding. That is a democracy.
8 Nov: Hyco Lake - working on our research/computers sitting lakeside will beat sitting in libraries and courthouses for a couple of days. Verizon and Wi-Fi signals are not great. After a 4.4 mile walk (round trip) to Dockers Grill, we discovered it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. There is a very nice young man in the convenience store next door to Dockers. Ron worked on Deeds lakeside. Looking ahead at our calendar, we have reservations for 10 days at Atlantic Beach, NC and a week at Columbia, SC to 2-10 December when cold weather will likely send us to Florida until Texas time in January.
7 Nov: Yanceyville, NC, the courthouse and the library are today's focus. The library genealogy room has not been organized for sometime. Ron organized the books in proper order searching for Vol. 1 of Caswell County Deeds by Katherine Kerr Kendall; it is missing. We bought a copy via Amazon to donate to the library after we use take photos. Dinner was at Subway. Oh my.
6 Nov: Good grief! A thief stole our week. On this day we sleep in, dine out, pack up, move out and move in ( to a lakefront vacation rental for ten days.) In between the ins and outs we will walk. We avoid news. Views from the lakehouse.
4 Nov: The ride from Suffolk, VA to Roxboro, NC was indeed very pleasant. Upon checking in to the hotel, Cynthia was denied the customary honors Diet Coke. 6 Points were not recorded in our Hilton Honors account, but a phone call to HHonors resolved the issue pushing us into the next tier (so we are earning double points to the end of the year) and Cynthia gets a Diet Coke NOW! We choose Hilton Garden Inn because they make egg white veggie omelets and we avoid vendor breakfast garbage. Ron researched deeds in the Person County courthouse using the new tripod. Dinner at the Country Club Steakhouse was yummy good with zero ambiance.
3 Nov: Lewes, DE saying goodbye to Dean and Janina after an IHOP breakfast, on the road by 11:00 AM through DE, MD and on to Suffolk, VA arriving at 3:30 PM. The ride over the Chesapeake Bay bridge was beyond beautiful; the ride was pleasant, the temperature very warm. An eagle flew overhead. See photo of the rear entrance of the nicest Hilton Garden Inn we have enjoyed to date, built by the city of Suffolk. Our room has a view of the river; the sunset was spectacular.
2 Nov: Lewes, DE, Janina wondered if we miss having a home; we think, "Where we are doesn't matter, because we are." (Ron kissed the bride). The left arm and hand has been swollen the past three days; the electrophysiologist emailed a response to the photos, "This doesn't sound acute, try sleeping differently." A great 4.5 mile hike took us past 7 turtles lined up in a row, a dead, baby snake, and through a lovely canopy of trees. Dinner tonight was at Jake's Seafood; afterwards Dean showed us a video of a triathlon he won and another video their trip to Santorini, Greece.
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