Food, Friends, and Festivities in Winston-Salem

When we planned our two-month summer sojourn in North Carolina, one of the main objectives of the Winston-Salem leg was to get our fill of urban amenities that are lacking in our very beautiful but very rural home community. I think I can say without reservation that we achieved that goal. After suffering through my … Read more

Winston-Salem, a College Town

The heyday of cigarette and underwear companies as employers in Winston-Salem was during the middle years of the 20th century. Eventually automation, the lower cost of overseas labor, and general market changes led to much of the manufacturing exiting the area, leaving Winston-Salem relatively bereft of major employers. The 1980s were not a great time … Read more

Overcoming Smoke and Rain in Western North Carolina

This was a good week to be somewhat more modest in our hiking and sightseeing ambitions, since a north wind brought a lot of Canadian wildfire smoke to the area followed by several days of rain. Not only did we get hit with air quality advisories, but the airborne particles pretty much destroyed the nice … Read more