Trip to NC visiting Sister and Daughter

QuiltCon was a stake in the sand to establish when I flew out to NC from CA to visit my sister, Maxine. Timing my visit for during the quilt exhibition was a great incentive for my daughter, Robin to fly out from OK to join us for part of the visit. Robin is also Maxine's goddaughter. Robin's and my flights arrived late Thursday night within 30minutes of each other at the Raleigh Durham airport. We Uber'd to the hotel and Maxine joined Robin and me the next morning.  Our plans were to attend the show on Friday and possibly Saturday as well. All three of us did enjoy our day at the show on Friday. We were still smiling at our departure but unanimously agreed that we were worn out and that one day had been enough.

Although we'd spent only one day at the show, I had booked us five nights and four days at the Embassy Suites so we'd have to time to further visit, rest up, and play games. The location is within the area known as the Research Triangle.

The Research Triangle (or "The Triangle") in North Carolina is a premier U.S. innovation hub anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Named for its proximity to three major research universities—Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State—the region is famed for its high concentration of tech/biotech companies, elite education, and high quality of life.

The hotel had its own restaurant and free breakfast so we did not even have to venture out if we were not energetic enough to do so. Perhaps the research aspect of the location influenced the decor of the restaurant area. In the bar section, the wall paper imitated a blackboard inscribed with formulas. Another seating area had a design on the wall that made me think of some sort of chemical bonds among molecules.

Saturday morning we opted to skip the free breakfast, sleeping in and playing games instead. We played Kollide. 

Kollide is a TikTok-famous magnetic strategy board game for 1-4 players (ages 8+). Players compete to place all their magnets inside a flexible rope ring without letting them snap together. If magnets collide (link up), the player must take the entire cluster back, making it a high-tension game of skill, precision, and focus.

Seeing those magnets zip together in an unpredictable fashion was a lot of fun and sparked much surprise. We jumped and laughed at each collision and its collateral damage. Robin lost to Maxine. In solo games where each player attempted to put all twenty gold stones within the rope ring, only Maxine succeeded in the solitaire game.

That Saturday we also competed in puzzles races. Maxine had brought two 50-piece puzzles, one with a pizza theme and one with a strawberry theme. I started with the pizza one and Robin with the strawberry one. We had some initial confusion with starting the timer on the cell phone — or rather debating the resolution to two timers on two cell phones — when we realized it did not matter what the actual time was, just who was faster. Further complicating a rather simple task, was the fact that neither Robin nor I knew what the picture on the puzzle was, nor what the finished dimensions would be. Robin had hers completed while I was still struggling to make the border. She won hands down! When we traded puzzles, now knowing the image and size, Robin was faster than me by a wide margin. Robin took those puzzles home with her to conduct her own familial races back in Oklahoma.

Maxine spent some time sharing her Quiltcon purchases and admiring her zebra-striped zippers. Robin and I also shared our purchases. (See purchases section of DL2Q for 3/7/26.) Then we decided to go out for an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in the Crabtree Valley Mall across the street.

The Cheescake Factory had a two hour wait list. We added our name and then set out to walk the mall a bit. The restaurant had an entrance that opened out into the mall proper.  Maxine and I could not remember that last time we had been to a mall, so it was a nostalgic, nice treat to just window shop. We made it about two-thirds down the upper level and never got to the lower level before my cell phone went off that our table was ready. The territory we covered is marked in red in the following diagram. The Cheesecake Factory is indicated with a yellow arrow. We did not go into any major anchor stores of the mall.

Maxine ordered Truffle Honey Chicken and was impressed with its presentation since she loves asparagus. It tasted real good, too. I think I had a salad and do not remember what Robin had, but I do remember that Maxine and I ordered cheesecake to go. Robin refrained. She was flying out very early the next morning and thought a heavy dessert like that was not a wise option. My Peach Perfect with Raspberry Drizzle lasted two days and Maxine's Mango Key Lime Cheesecake also required multiple sittings to finish. Sunday and Monday were sweet.

Robin left on an early flight Sunday morning. Maxine and I were content to just hang around the hotel. The view out our window was underwhelming — air conditioners and a parking lot. Inside was better. I liked watching the indoor scenery pass by while on the glass sided elevator. Maxine faced away, closed her eyes, and did not look. She said it made her woozy. We did explore a sitting area with comfy pre-St. Patrick's Day chairs. Maxine preferred to let the world pass by her, rather than her pass by the world.

I'd brought along my iPad and was able to log in to recordings for Olympic opening and closing ceremonies which Maxine has missed during the original broadcast. We also watched skating, skiing, sledding, and hockey. We watched, and rewatched,  and re-rewatched, the winning goal that earned the American hockey team a gold medal. Maxine is an ardent hockey fan.

Maxine had brought her copy of Scrabble and we played many games. She hates to have her picture taken so these two are all I could manage of our games together. That should teach her to cooperate and be more photogenic! I had to settle for a photo of the completed board only, after one game. 

I brought a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle from CA. We enjoyed doing that together one evening.

Tuesday morning I took an Uber to the airport for my flight back to CA. Maxine packed her belongings after I  left and checked out of the hotel to go back to her home in Cary, NC. All in all it was a very happy trip; I am so glad I made it. We will need to do it again, even if there is no quilt show to inspire the date.