Home of Andy Griffith

Greetings from Mount Airy, North Carolina. I must apologize for the sparsity of posts in the past week or three. I've been helping my boyfriend's parents pack all their stuff (and ours) into pods, and then unpacking them into their new house.

Mt Airy is the inspiration behind Mayberry, the home of Andy Griffith, as every other sign in town proclaims. Since I've never seen the show that doesn't mean anything to me, but it seems to be a really big deal. Unlike the Raleigh area, Mt Airy really feels southern. Baptist churches everywhere. Neighbors stopping by with baked goods. Lots of country music on the radio. Fortunately, because it is in the hills, it is not too hot. The air is fresh and the landscape is gorgeous. On saturday morning we stopped by a bluegrass jam session. The music was really good, and when a grandpa in overalls and a red cap got up to start shuffle-dancing in the front of the room, that's when I though to myself "Yup. You're really in The South now."

Most of the hard work is behind us, and now I'm chiefly preoccupied with getting my schnauzer's paperwork to go to England together, and getting rid of as much stuff as I can before Gene and I leave for London. I am also craving good carolina barbeque -- the stuff that's all chopped and vinegary and redolent with hickory smoke, served alongside a basket of hush puppies...heaven.