October 2 – 8, 2024

We had a relatively short drive to Kannapolis the next day for an overnight at Debi’s house (Joanna’s middle sister) but first we needed make multiple stops to begin closing out Joanna’s Mom’s (Joan’s) estate.  This would involve a visit to her bank branch in Huntersville to clean out a safe deposit there and take possession of a stash of coins, both gold and silver.  Then on to Ballentine to Atlantic Metals Xchange to cash them in.  As we would come to discover, many of the coins were pre 1965 vintage and thus actually contained silver. 

To fortify ourselves for the long day, we decided to return to Sweet Dough for another healthy helping of decadent baked goods, only to find that we arrived before they opened.  Fortunately for us, there was a local outlet of the east coast chain Duck Donuts and so we dropped in for two different breakfast sandwiches, a sausage egg and cheese donut with chopped bacon and maple drizzle and a bacon, egg and cheese on an English muffin.  Washed down with a nicely brewed large cup of coffee it would easily sustain us as we went about our errands. 

The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the circulating United States dime and quarter dollar coins.  It also reduced the silver content of the half dollar from 90 percent to 40 percent; silver in the half dollar was subsequently eliminated by a 1970 law.  The folks at the Xchange were upfront and easy to deal with and we walked away with more money than anticipated and with more knowledge than we had before we entered.  We returned to the bank in Huntersville to deposit our newfound loot and close out the safe deposit box, then drove to Debi’s for dinner and an evening full of chaos with her  grandchildren from daughter Kristen and husband Brian and son Shaun (who had to work that night) and his partner Hannah. 

We survived the evening and the next morning before heading down to Diana and Jim’s house we met Debi, Kristen and baby Alexander at Breakfastime, a local chain with six locations near Charlotte and Winston Salem.  It was crowded when we arrived and one look at the menu would explain why, enormous portions at ridiculously low prices.  Joanna ordered the Chilaquiles special of the day while I thought I could do justice to the Corned Beef Hash and eggs.  And surprise, neither of us came close to finishing. 

After hitting a Harris Teeter for supplies, we checked in at Diana and Jim’s place for the next four nights and after some catching up with each other we all made our way to the Wine Vault near the University, the regular rendezvous location for those of us who worked and met at UNC Charlotte.  Home to a carefully crafted inventory of wine and beer, ranging from the affordable to the unimaginable, this joint along with the nearby Flying Saucer both were as close as I’ll ever get to having a bar I could call home.  Included in our group were the three guys, Jim and Keith (along with their wives) and Doug that I worked for or with at the university along with others, Kathryn and John, who were our partners in getting the new student union built and opened on campus.  Moments like this help to keep flourishing an important period in all of our lives. 

The next morning I dropped Joanna off at the Amelie’s in the Park Road Shopping Center to meet her good friend Dee while I parked and took off at the nearby trailhead for a ten mile ride on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, a linear park and stream restoration project that when completed will consist of twenty miles of trails and paved walkways running from Cordelia Park just north of uptown Charlotte, then south through midtown Charlotte, and continuing all the way to the South Carolina state line.  The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a key part of the Cross Charlotte Trail (XCLT) and a segment in the Carolina Thread Trail, a regionwide network of trails that pass through 15 counties.

I’ve written before about Charlotte’s extensive system of greenways (riding on the street there is an exercise in insanity) and Little Sugar Creek is one example of how much they have accomplished since we first moved to the city in 2008.  I did have to make a slight detour through Freedom Park as the museum on its border is expanding, cutting off access to the trail, but it was an interesting diversion riding in a popular park, full of all kinds of activities. 

Upon reaching the end for me and turning around, I returned to Park Road (we bought two bikes here at BikeSource and often started Sunday morning breakfast rides from the parking lot with Charlotte Area Cyclists) to meet up with Joanna and Dee at Amelie’s.  They had already eaten but were nice enough to sit awhile longer while I powered through a delicious Croque Monsieur (Ham, Dijon, bechamel, melted Swiss, on a croissant).  I’m usually not a big fan of croissant-based sandwiches, but this one hit the mark on all levels, the flaky pastry still strong enough to contain all of the ingredients. 

Later in the afternoon we drove out to Dee and Richards house in Davidson for wine and snacks before heading to Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse for dinner.  Long established in Davidson, we’ve been wanting to go there and relished the opportunity to do so.  And we weren’t disappointed.  We all started with a glass of one of my favorite wines, an Albarino from the Rías Baixas area on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain.  Our focus here in America on our two grapes of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay means we miss out on so many other outstanding white wines. 

We all launched into main courses immediately, Joanna and I splitting the Kvaroy Salmon (Spinach Leaf, Parmigiana Risotto, Mushroom Tea, White Truffle Cloud) along with sides of Brussels Sprouts, Tillamook Mac and Cheese, and Parmigiana Risotto, that we shared with Dee and Richard.  The Salmon was amazing, the White Truffle Cloud hovering above the perfectly cooked fish and not at all like any truffle we’ve consumed in the past.  A good meal with good friends is one of the best ways to end our first couple of days in Charlotte, and there would be more. 

Links

Atlantic Metals Xchange: https://atlanticmetalsx.com/

Duck Donuts: https://www.duckdonuts.com/

Breakfastime: https://breakfastimenc.com/winston-salem-breakfastime-locations

The Wine Vault: https://www.headwino.com/

Little Sugar Creek Greenway: https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/little-sugar-creek-brandywine-to-7th

Park Road Shopping Center: https://edens.com/property/park-road-shopping-center/

BikeSource: https://www.incycle.com/pages/retailer/bikesource-charlotte

Amelie’s: https://www.ameliesfrenchbakery.com/?utm_source=local&utm_medium=organic

Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse: https://flatirononmain.com/