Friends, Fruit, and Furniture

Today was supposed to be about getting from Roanoke to Atlanta, while stopping to visit a few friends along the way. Our faithful readers will recognize right away the flaw in that plan: no giant stuff! Well, as you probably suspected, we did make a few extra stops along the way.

Driving south through the Carolinas, we found ourselves in "furniture country." And, as everyone knows, "they grow 'em bigger in the South." We are accustomed to finding such oversized attractions in isolated locations off of the highway, but this chest of drawers sat between two houses in a combination residential/commercial neighborhood. The good news for those of you who think that a sock drawer might make a cozy bedroom is that the structure appears to be available.

We had only to drive a few miles farther to find another masterpiece of fine furniture sitting outside a warehouse. In a world which is turning increasingly to inflatable figures for its oversized advertising needs, it is nice to see that some companies still have a sense of commitment. Made of durable, weather-resistant materials, this mighty bureau will be around awhile.

We arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, in time to have lunch with Andy's old friend, B.J. Actually, B.J. is one of those people who has "met us halfway" enough times on Thanksgiving visits to Connecticut and the like to have become a friend to Kala, as well. We both enjoyed catching up with "Beej" and were sad to have to go. But we were not even halfway to Atlanta, and we had at least two more stops to make.

In Gaffney, South Carolina, Kala spotted a giant peach by the roadside. Knowing very well that it would mean making an unplanned picture stop, she woke the dozing Andy so that he, too, might marvel the sight of the enormous fruit. He does so enjoy this sort of thing! It was just up the road from the great peach that we spotted the most amazing roadside wonder of our trip so far: gas prices under two dollars a gallon! After snapping a few photos and fueling up, we were on our way again.

In Spartanburg, we visited Steve and Amy (and their two cats, Pete and Pete), whom Kala had never met before and whom Andy had not seen in nearly a decade. As old friends tend to do, they picked up right where they left off, and we had a wonderful time. Andy and Steve talked mostly about computer geek stuff, and Amy and Kala bonded over the feeling of cluelessness that goes along with the territory of being married to such geeks. It was a short visit, but went a long way toward refreshing this couple of road-weary wanderers.

Our final stop for the day was in Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta, at the home of Ellen, another dear old friend of Andy's, who graciously invited us to spend the night. We had fun getting to know her two beautiful Italian Greyhounds, Rocky and Katie, and then ordered some delicious east-coast-style Chinese food. Andy and Ellen caught up over dinner, and Kala was glad finally to meet this person about whom Andy had raved so (and not without justification, as Kala realized a few minutes after making her acquaintance). Ellen regaled us with stories about prosecuting misdemeanor cases, and the laughter was good for us.

Tomorrow we will explore Atlanta before shoving off to Florida. Hope our air conditioning holds up!