Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

April 11, 2009





Riverbanks Zoo & Garden



The drive time from Winston Salem to Key West is about 17 hours and Kathy & I decided to break it up with a few stops on the way home. We always try to find interesting places and this trip we found a few, a huge shopping mall outside of Charlotte, a delightful Whole Foods store in Boca Raton and our favorite stop the beautiful Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina.



Located along the banks of the Saluda River just outside Columbia, the Zoo and Botanical Garden was a very popular place on the Friday prior to Easter. Perhaps it was because the kids were out of school, or maybe it was the perfect sunny spring weather, but the place was the most crowded zoo I have ever seen.





The masses that turned out to enjoy the zoo and the incredible weather were able to see a really wonderful mid-sized zoo with over 2000 animals representing 350 species. The Zoo has a wonderful African Plains exhibit, a Reptile and Aquarium Complex, an Australian





There is a bridge across the river that leads over to the Botanical Gardens on the far bank. We took advantage of the bridge and then walked along the fantastic river trail through a beautiful and newly budding forest.





It was quiet and wonderful after all the hectic activity at the zoo and the gardens were full of beautiful spring flowers. Spring is a season that generally lasts all of about a week in Key West, so it was nice to really enjoy a perfect spring day. It was a wonderful day and a welcome respite from the long ride home.





The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, the traffic wasn’t too bad and we were able to make decent time on our way back. We spent the night in Palm Coast, Florida and stopped at the Whole Foods to do some shopping and to enjoy their yummy salad bar before continuing South to Miami where we were scheduled to attend an art gallery opening featuring a friend from Key West.





Riverbanks Zoo Site

Spa Day

April 9, 2009

The Spa House



Spa Day



In addition to visiting my mother in Winston Salem, Kathy & I managed to slip in a spa day at the country home of my sister Marika and her husband Brian. They have a wonderful home in Stokes County which is about 40 minutes outside of Winston Salem.

View from the Guest House of Main House & Spa

Pat & Brian

Their beautiful property features their home, a beautiful guest house and some other buildings situated around a beautiful and peaceful lake. It was the latest addition that drew us out for this visit along with Marta and my nephew Pat who we picked up at Wake Forest on our way out. Brian’s pride and joy is the amazing new spa house that he recently completed on their property.





Marta

The spa features a small swimming pool, a sauna, shower facilities and a beautiful porch with a fireplace to rest after working out. The spa provided a perfect opportunity to relax and simply kick back after the hectic schedule that seems to follow us on every vacation. Brian grilled a wonderful all-American lunch of burgers and brats and we all enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the beautiful setting.



The spa is truly amazing and the small pool is powered by jets that allow for swimming in place and getting quite a nice workout. The sauna was awesome too. I think Kathy & I need to make plans to visit for a more extended stay in the near future.

Michael & Pat

After a placid day at the spa, we returned Pat to his dorm and then cruised by the home of Sam “The Dot Man” McMillan who is a well known Folk artist who lives in Winston Salem. He was not in, but we were able to see his unique home and the art that populates his yard.





We took Marta out for a final dinner prior to our departure at the Foothills Brewery and then headed back to her house for our final night in North Carolina. The 5 day visit went by far too fast and was way more hectic than we might have imagined. But we had a great time and were sad to head back towards Key West. Thanks to Marta, Marika & Brian and Pat for a great vacation.

Camel City

April 7, 2009

Marta & Jack

Winston Salem

Camel City

Wait Chapel- Wake Forest

Winston Salem, North Carolina has long been known as “Camel City”, the nickname derives from the RJ Reynolds tobacco company which is based there. While the vestiges of the tobacco tycoon are still alive and well there, it has also developed into a wonderful center for the arts and I think that is what makes it the perfect fit for my mother, Marta Blades who relocated there from Indianapolis three years ago.





She has settled nicely into a beautiful condo in downtown Winston Salem that is with-in an easy walk to most everything the city has to offer. Of course having other family in the vicinity has helped ease her transition. My sister Marika & her husband Brian have a beautiful home in the country about 40 minutes outside of Winston as well as a city condo right next door to Marta that they visit often. My other sister Michele is stil in Indiana, but one of her sons, Patrick, is a freshman at Wake Forest University which is located in Winston Salem.

Kathy, Marta, Marika, Pat & Brian

Kathy

Museum of Anthropology -Wake Forest

Kathy & I arrived to great fanfare at Marta’s home for a five day stay and a chance to hang out with our extended family. Marta’s artistic condo has been the focus of all sorts of attention of late, it won honorable mention in a MET homes magazine award and is still up for a reader’s choice award, you can still vote on the link below. And her home is currently the subject of a feature story in Winston Salem Monthly magazine.



Savannah

Marta, her dog Jack and cat Savannah have made quite a splash on the Winston Salem scene. We had a great visit, going out to dinner with Marta the night we arrived and then having Marika & Brian come to the city for a couple of days so that we could all get together.

Pat entering his dorm.

Wake Forest Library

Pat, Kathy & Michael

We also managed to see Pat, picking him up at Wake Forest and in the process, getting a tour of the campus and visiting the Museum of Anthropology that is there. The school has a beautiful campus and we got the full tour, including the library, the famous Wait Chapel and even Pat’s dorm room. In the evenings, we would go out to dinner in Winston, hitting such fine dining establishments as Nomo’s, the Mellow Mushroom, Foothills Brewery and even the Downtown Deli. We also managed to take in a few movies both good (Duplicity, Monsters vs. Aliens) and horrible (Knowing).

Mellow Mushroom

Vote for Marta's condo here!

Winston Salem Monthly Article