Thanksgiving week in Durham!

What an amazing week we had in Durham! Of course it helped that most of the time the weather was sunny and warm - the first time that I can remember eating Thanksgiving dinner outside on the deck!

Actually we were there 9 days, and Jim spent the first 2 in Charlotte at a conference on higher education, including a presentation with a colleague from NSSE. On the drive back to Durham he stopped to visit with some friends from Cape Town now living in Charlotte - wow, that was special.

Nov 18th was Pete's birthday - "Mom, do you really need to paste the birthday numbers on the front door for everyone in the neighborhood to see?" Yes, of course. And yes, we played the balloon game. And yes, Matt did come down for a day en route home to Port Orchard after some training seminars in Charlottesville. Surprise! So, four siblings in the house at the same time. Kate, are you proud of us/"mad at us"/wish you were there?

Another wonderful aspect of this visit is now having some Wheaton friends living in the area: Mike & Megan (& Milo) are in Cary; and Jay & Rebecca (& 4 kids) are in Durham. We haven't seen M&M in...5/6 years...a long time. Glad we could introduce them to a picnic at Lake Crabtree, and next time we will make it a day's affair and test out a Sunfish. We then spent an evening with J&R, and heard the story of how their path - and friends - has brought them to Durham/Chapel Hill. Naturally Jim attempted self-portrait photos of us...which I think accurately reflects the conviviality of all. (that was for you, Matt)

blogger is acting up, not letting me input text next to photos - sorry!