October 23 – November 9

We’d have just one night with Ann and Rendy and so a quick drink after our arrival set us up for dinner at a local favorite Ridge Shrimp and Oyster.  It’s a single store wide location that doesn’t take reservations and so, it not being Tuesday Shrimp Night) we were able to get a table right away.  Joanna ordered the Founder Sesame special, marinated fish on lettuce wraps while I had the Mahi BBQ with hush puppies and cole slaw.  The fish here is always fresh and reasonably priced which is why we keep returning. 

We lingered at the house the next morning with some time to kill before heading down to Kannapolis for a couple of nights with Joanna’s sister Debi.  On the way we stopped at Sweet Dough Bake Shop, another of those places we make a habit of visiting.  We picked up a loaf of Banana Bread to take with us and treated ourselves to their version of a Kouign-amann, a sweet, round Breton laminated dough pastry, originally made with bread dough, but also made with laminated viennoiserie dough.  We’ve had these before at other shops and this one was as good as it gets. 

Our time here would be spent with Debi and her grandchildren, dinner at her place one night and a lunch or two out.  We did have one of those as Lee’s Sandwich Shop a few blocks from her house, an old school North Carolina joint with simple food at budget friendly prices.  I enjoyed yet another chili dog southern style and Joanna made short work of a Pulled Pork sandwich, yet another meal with a hometown feel.

On Thursday we drove down to Charlotte for four nights at Dianna and Jim’s place, heading up to the University area for our usual hangout at the Wine Vault with our good friends from UNC Charlotte, John, Doug and Ann, Keith and Diane, and Katherine.  As is our habit, many, many bottles of wine were consumed.  Later that weekend Jim H. and drove up to Huntersville to meet up with Jim K. who lives near Statesville and was our maintenance Manager at the UNC Charlotte Student Union.  Not only did he do a great job of running his department, but he is also a furniture craftsman who built many of the custom fixtures that are still being used today.

Before the end of the weekend, we’d enjoy breakfast with Sarah and Hans and our usual dinner and drinks with Lyndsey and Dave.  Monday, before heading up to Concord for a final three nights with Diane and Loren, I hit the Student Union as I try to do every time we are in town to see what has changed.  It is hard to believe that in a couple of years the building will be twenty years old.  A major change was the transformation of what had been an informal student driven gaming space into a full-blown gaming lounge. 

I had tried to do this at UCLA before my departure in 2008 and although it had been realized after my departure, it didn’t last too long as a concept there.  It was great to see it fully realized here and proved that if you pay enough attention to what your students are doing informally, they will support it when you provide them with a permanent solution. 

We flew home on Wednesday and then I turned around and drove to J.B.’s in Wildomar where Evan met us to continue out to Palm Desert to meet Doug for Cisco Fest 2025 2.0.  As Doug had not been able to join us in July at J.B.’s 75^th, we endeavored to meet up before the end of the year to make sure he was included.  We picked him up at his Sister Marlene’s place in Indio and brought him to the Airbnb we’d secured, where got pizza delivered for dinner and spent the rest of the evening doing what we’ve been doing for fifty or so years.  Talking, drinking and more talking.

The next morning, we set out for Louise’s Pantry which was crowded when we arrived, a good sign.  I enjoyed their very good veggie omelet and everyone else was happy with their selections.  Often these gatherings involve an outing or two, but this time around we hung out at the house the entire time while Doug controlled the TV remote allowing us to chase down innumerable rabbit holes in search of something closely resembling the truth.  Not sure if we ever found it, but there you go.  It did give us what we needed which was to just spend time together without any distractions. 

For dinner we returned to Ci Bon in Rancho Mirage, where J.B., Doug and I ate the last time we were here in 2020.  That reunion was compromised as it was the tail end of the first Covid year, but the three of us did manage to pull it off and not get sick.  I didn’t take any pictures or note what I had this time around but seem to recall that it may have been the Seven-Ounce Filet with Green Peppercorn Sauce.  I can say it was again another outstanding meal and would return there any time we are in town. 

Our last meal together, breakfast on Sunday at the Palms Café was the most disappointing of the trip.  J.B., Doug and I ate here in 2020, and I had some of the best Machaca in recent memory.  Not available this time around Doug and I both had French Toast with bacon and all elements were substandard.  The toast thick and hard to cut, artificial maple syrup, and by far bacon so awful neither one of us finished ours.  We all drove back to J.B.s and then Doug and I returned to my house for his flight home later that day.  And so, getting Doug for the weekend made for a successful Cisco Fest year. 

Links

Ridge: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ridge-shrimp-and-oyster-oak-ridge

Sweet Dough: https://www.sweetdoughbakeshop.com/

Louise’s Pantry:

Ci Bon: https://www.sibon-sogood.com/

Palms Café: https://thepalmscafeca.com/