A Week with My Sister in NC

Wednesday April 26 - Tuesday May 2, I flew east to North Carolina to spend a week with my sister. We had a mini staycation at the Embassy Suites, just north of and adjacent to the Raleigh Durham International Airport. I took the hotel shuttle from the airport and Maxine met me at the hotel which is a 25 minute or so drive from her home in Cary. Our suite surprised us with a pair of bunk beds to the right of the door as soon as we entered. As two senior ladies we were relieved to realize that we did not have to use them; the adjacent bedroom had two queen beds. The sitting area had a couch and two chairs and a huge TV, so large that the people on it had heads bigger than ours. There was a large round table that we used for fun activities such as games and puzzles and dessert devouring.

Our suite was on the eighth floor, the highest one, and we had a great view of the planes flying by and the traffic below. Sometimes we just sat and watched. Yes, we could hear the planes if we paid attention, but they were not obnoxious. 

The folder for our electronic room key listed a reminder that every morning we were welcomed to a free breakfast. Every evening there was a reception in the lobby with snacks 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm and each of us had coupons for two free drinks, each reception. I would have a Strawberry Daiquiri (or two) with whipped cream. Maxine was more diverse with a Screwdriver or a Fuzzy Navel. We each have a penchant for fruity drinks.

The wall at the end of the hallway on our floor had a queue of tall slender people. It was almost like a welcoming committee each time we approached the door to our room. They also kind of stood there somewhat judgmentally when we went down for drinks. Or maybe that was only my inner guilt at possibly becoming a lush.

On Thursday, my first day there, Maxine took me to the Cary Quilting Company. It is an enormous shop, brightly lit with the natural light from the sunshine streaming in at all the windows. I browsed for an hour and a half (Maxine claims two hours) while she relaxed in a white rocking chair near the front of the store and struck up conversations with the staff and other shoppers. I told the clerks repeatedly what a beautiful store they had but also told them that, regretfully, my suitcase weight 38 lbs and so I had room for only 12 lbs of purchases. More about my purchases at the store can be read in my other blog at DianeLoves2Quilt, post for 5/16/23.

We went back to the room Thursday night, admired my fabric and pattern purchases, and then had dinner at the Embassy Suites. It was so convenient to go down in the elevator, grab a seat by the window, and eat without having to drive anywhere. The "no driving" was fortunate since we had both imbibed our free drinks. We repeated dinner at our hotel Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights which was nice and convenient with no driving necessary.

Friday night Maxine had purchased tickets for us to see a local production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof at the Cary Arts Center. So as not to be rushed or late, we ate dinner at a local IHOP to be close to the theatre. I voiced a  bit of dismay that IHOP had recently changed/updated the menu. I could not order "my usual" but actually had to read the menu and re-decide. One thing for certain, we shared a large piece of luscious chocolate cake for dessert. 

After our decadent dose of chocolate, Maxine drove us back to her house. From there her husband Bob drove us to the Cary Arts Center, about three miles away, and would pick us up afterward since parking could be an issue. We had aisle seats in row J – a great view and easy access to the bathroom (important at our ages). The players did a fantastic, energetic job and did justice to the songs and dance numbers of Fiddler. Maxine and I enjoyed it immensely.

Saturday afternoon we drove to visit the home of Maxine's youngest son Dean and his family in Matthew, NC. From Maxine's house in Cary to Dean's house in Matthews is just under a three hour drive. We enjoyed dinner there and they held an impromptu birthday party for Maxine for her 84th. 

After dinner we played a few games of SkyJo with the family. Then, to round out the evening, after others had gone to bed, Maxine and I watched a hockey game on TV. The Devils is the team of choice for Maxine's oldest son's family in NJ. Unfortunately they lost.

We returned to Cary Sunday morning, stopping about an hour out from Cary to get a Domino's pizza for a late lunch. In the afternoon and evening at the hotel on Sunday and throughout the day Monday Maxine and I continued to relax in our room with low-key activities or just talking. Maxine found the movie Pretty Woman on the TV one afternoon so we both enjoyed watching it. We know all the best parts by heart and were waiting for them to come up. Free movies on TV are often edited to shorten their run time and make room for commercials; one of our favorite parts of Pretty Woman had been edited out. When that scene was skipped we both simultaneously cried out our indignation. It is the opera scene where Julia Roberts claims the opera was so good she nearly "peed her pants" and Richard Gere quick-wittedly covers up for her, by saying instead that she like it better than "Pirates of Penzance". I did locate that scene on the internet in this YouTube clip.

Throughout our stay we played Scrabble, Sequence, and did a 300 piece jigsaw puzzle. The chocolate torte we shared from the hotel kitchen was not so big in size, but it was very big on flavor. We relished every gooey, luscious bite.

Maxine left to go to her home Monday night. I took a final evening selfie of the two of us. I also took a selfie of me with the people down the hall as a sort of farewell to them, too. I would be taking the hotel shuttle to the airport 8:00 am Tuesday morning.

The unique lighting in the bathroom merited a photo or two, also. The mirror had a donut of light all around it that made our eyes look weird, like something from a horror flick. I tried to capture the spirit and essence of the mood. Note the glow around my pupils and my attempt at a diabolical grin.

The following photo was my view at Raleigh Durham Airport, Gate A5, Tuesday morning when my 10:25 flight arrived. I boarded my flight to my connection in Denver.

I feasted on an informal dinner in Denver. What else is there to do during a three hour layover?

Maxine and I had packed a lot of visiting and relaxing into six days. It felt good! Frank came into the terminal at Oakland to pick me up instead of me waiting curbside with my luggage. It also felt good to be pampered. I'd had a great time, but I was glad to be home.