They don’t make a Hallmark card for that injury

Lynn and Ashley recently visited us in Durham as our first houseguests. They arrived the Friday afternoon before Columbus Day and were greeted by the lovely hot and humid Carolina weather. Friday night Doug made his famous rigatoni campanola and we played board games while we watched the Red Sox game.

Saturday we were up early to attend the Durham Farmers’ Market which we had heard good things about. It’s a really nice market with a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and plants. We picked up some tomatoes, peppers, figs, and a rather large mum plant. It was so large in fact that we had to drive home with it in the front seat of the car with three of us squished in the back seat.

Next we had an appointment to take a tour of the Lemur Center at Duke University. There were probably about twenty other people on our tour and the first sign of trouble began during the short film at the start of the tour. Of the five or six kids in the room, all of them were constantly talking or crinkling food bags during the film. Once the actual tour started, all of the kids were acting up by throwing things, running around, yelling, and talking. None of the parents made a move to stop any of this disruptive behavior. I’m not sure why these families even bothered to show up, none of the kids and parents could have heard one thing the tour guide was saying. Anyway, the lemurs were interesting and we got to see a large variety, including the adorable bush baby.

After the tour, we hit Red Robin for lunch. Then we went home to prepare for the Virginia Tech/Clemson game. Before the game, Doug made some salsa out of the Farmers’ Market tomatoes and peppers, and some home made Belgian frites. We sucked the fries down with a variety of toppings, including the traditional Belgian way (mayonnaise), English style with vinegar, and Eastern Shore style with old bay. Delicious.

Then we settled in to root for the Hokies. I liked their chances right from the start as Clemson was sporting their ill-advised all purple uniforms. My prediction was correct as the Hokies soared to a 41-23 upset victory over the Tigers.

Sunday we enjoyed a lazy morning while we basked in the glow of victory from the previous evening. In the afternoon we went to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. In the outside area we toured the butterfly house, the black bear and lemur habitats, and the Catch the Wind exhibit. We really enjoyed the sailboat pond where we all piloted our own boats. Before heading out we hit the indoor part of the museum including the North Carolina wildlife exhibit and the Space exhibit where Ashley became an expert at launching silver balls to Mars.

After touring the museum, we drove through the UNC campus and returned home in time to watch the Red Sox complete their sweep of the Angels. In the evening we enjoyed some take out and another round of board games.

Monday the fun came to end when Lynn and Ashley flew home. A great time was had by all. We can’t wait to see who our next visitors will be!