This is the last post on my Winston-Salem series, where I’d like to showcase several eye candies from all around town. Before this trip, I never realized that Winston-Salem has such a vibrant arts scene or that it is recognized as the City of Arts and Innovation. There are artworks to be explored literally everywhere in town!
Starting off with what the locals call ARTivity on the Green, which is located right by Trade Street. This is Winston-Salem’s very first public park. It is packed full with colorful murals. Right in the middle is the bright red sculpture in the shape of stacks with different heights. These were said to signify the city’s past industrial background.
เริ่มต้นกันที่จุดเด่นใจกลางเมืองที่มีชื่อว่า ARTivity on the Green บนถนน Trade Street ที่นี่เป็นสวนสาธารณะแห่งแรกของเมือง Winston-Salem นอกจากจะมีสตรีทอาร์ตสีสวยให้ชมกันอยู่รายรอบแล้ว ตรงกลางสวนยังมีผลงานประติมากรรมสีแดงสะดุดตาเป็นท่อเหล็กสูงต่ำต่างระดับที่ทำไว้เพื่อตั้งใจสื่อถึงภูมิหลังทางอุตสาหกรรมของเมืองนี้
Nearby on Trade Street, more street arts can be found in abundance, within just a few blocks of one another!
ถัดมาบนถนน Trade Street มีผนังหลากสีหลายลายให้ดูไม่ซ้ำกัน ยังไม่นับผลงานประดับยอดตึกเก๋ๆอีกหลายชิ้น
This one was right across from Benton Convention Center.
ตรงข้าม Benton Convention Center
And this one was by the parking spots at Slappy’s Chicken.
ที่จอดรถร้าน Slappy’s Chicken
Beautiful lamp post, right by Cardinal Hotel.
เสาไฟฟ้าเยื้องๆกับโรงแรม Cardinal
This one was near Winston Tower.
ใกล้ Winston Tower
And these were right outside the lot downtown where we parked, just around the corner from Trade Street.
หน้าลานจอดรถที่เราไปจอดกันในดาวทาวน์ ใกล้ๆถนน Trade Street
At Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company…
ที่โรงเบียร์ Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company
At Wise Man Brewing.
อีกโรงเบียร์ Wise Man Brewing
Now, moving on to what I consider the highlight of this post: Art-o-mats! I had never heard of them before I started doing research for this trip. Winston-Salem used to be one of the biggest tobacco producers in the country. As a result, there used to be these cigarette vending machines everywhere in town. When smoking started to become a thing of the past, these machines were decommissioned and they just sat around collecting dust, until a local artist came up with this genius idea to turn them into arts dispensing machines! We went to Delurk Gallery, the studio where Clark Whittington produces his unique pieces that are now displayed all over the world.
The first one above was a surprise find, right outside our room at Wherehouse Art Hotel! And the other one was inside Krankies, the coffee shop downstairs!
รูปแรกข้างบนนี้ไปเจอะเข้าโดยไม่ได้ตั้งใจ เพราะว่าตั้งอยู่หน้าห้องพักของเราที่โรงแรม Wherehouse Art ส่วนอีกอันนั่นอยู่ในร้านกาแฟ Krankies ชั้นล่างตึกเดียวกัน
This one was inside Mary’s Diner, on Trade Street.
อันนี้อยู่ในร้านอาหาร Mary’s Diner บนถนน Trade Street
And this one was inside Wise Man Brewing.
ในโรงเบียร์ Wise Man Brewing
This one was at Benton Center, where we attended the Big Sip Festival. We actually ended up purchasing this original piece of artwork in the picture and brought it home with us as a souvenir! It was a painting by David Philips Hodge, which reminds us of the California sea and dessert. 😊
ส่วนอันสุดท้ายนี้ไปเจอที่ศูนย์ประชุม Benton Center ที่เราไปร่วมงาน Big Sip Festival กัน เราไปเจอผลงานศิลปะที่ถูกใจจากศิลปินชื่อคุณ David Philips Hodge เลยได้อุดหนุนกลับบ้านมาเป็นที่ระลึกหนึ่งชิ้น ตามที่เห็นในรูป 😊
Last but not least, since I happened to snap this picture during our trip to Winston-Salem… I’d like to offer it as a tribute to the ongoing countrywide protests for social & racial injustice. Here’s to the hope that since justice did prevail then, it would do so now!
Welcome back to the third installment of my Winston-Salem series. This one features different places we deem worth seeing around town. The last time I came here, the only one tourist spot I knew of (and hence the only thing my friends and I ended up seeing during that trip) was the infamous Old Salem historic district. It turns out this beautiful old town has a lot more to offer that just that!
ขอต้อนรับกลับมาสู่ตอนที่สามของซีรี่ส์นำเที่ยวเมือง Winston-Salem ซึ่งรอบนี้จะพาไปชมสถานที่น่าเที่ยวต่างๆของเมืองเก่าแก่แห่งนี้ เมื่อคราวที่แล้วที่มาที่นี่รู้จักอยู่แค่ที่เด่นดังที่เดียวก็คือเมืองเก่า Old Salem เลยได้เห็นกันแค่นั้น พอมาสืบเสาะเอาจริงจังถึงได้รู้ว่าเมืองนี้ยังมีของดีให้ดูอีกเยอะแยะ
First up was a cool relic in the form of a seashell. 😆 We checked out the last Shell Oil Clamshell station in town, located in a quiet residential neighborhood at the corner of Sprague and Peachtree Streets. It’s obviously been a long time since it has gone out of business but the location was pretty well preserved. The two tall pumps still sit out front and the clamshell structure houses a little store whose front door and windows offer you a peek inside to get a glimpse of how business might be conducted back then.
From there we headed over to UNCSA – University of North Carolina School of the Arts campus. I admit this is a rather odd destination, but it was a beautiful place, very fitting for its purpose. The best part was how deserted it was on a late Friday afternoon. I enjoyed spending time walking around admiring this section in the middle where they have a miniature movie studio. My favorite was the sign Joel spotted above, right next to a large green dumpster! 😂
ต่อไปเป็น UNCSA – University of North Carolina School of the Arts มหาวิทยาลัยศิลป์ของรัฐนอร์ทแคโรไลน่า ซึ่งดูเผินๆไม่น่าจะมานับเป็นสถานที่ท่องเที่ยวได้ แต่เผอิญไปรู้มาว่าเค้ามีโรงถ่ายหนังขนาดย่อมๆตั้งอยู่ในนั้น เราเลยเข้าไปลองเดินเที่ยวกันดู วันนั้นที่ไปเป็นบ่ายวันศุกร์ คนแทบจะไม่มีให้เห็นซักคน เลยได้ถ่ายรูปกันอย่างสบายๆ มีช่วงตึกสั้นๆที่เค้าเอามาจัดตกแต่งไว้ได้บรรยากาศประมาณหนังฮอลลีวู๊ดเก่าๆ เพิ่งจะรู้ว่าที่นี่เป็นโรงเรียนสอนการถ่ายทำภาพยนตร์ระดับต้นๆของประเทศเลยทีเดียว คุณสามีตาดีแอบไปเห็นป้ายนี้ที่เค้าติดไว้ตรงถังขยะอันโตข้างโรงเก็บของด้านหลังที่เขียนว่า ถังใบนี้สงวนไว้สำหรับของวิเศษเหลือใช้จากการถ่ายทำภาพยนตร์โดยเฉพาะ 😂
We headed to the Stevens Center downtown, which is UNCSA’s largest performance venue, hoping to check out its majestic interior. Unfortunately, we found out it was closed to public when we got there, so I could only get pictures of the building from the outside. 😔
We took a mini coffee break at the Camino Bakery in Brookstown, and spotted this cool looking guitar store nearby. Not far from it was the Winston-Salem visitor center, housed in the old cotton mill building.
About 15 minutes drive from town is the Bethabara Historic District which was an old Moravian settlement that came before Old Salem. There were only a few buildings left to be seen, including an old church, dye shop, distillery, and community garden. All were well-preserved to reflect the lives of the old settlers from hundreds of years ago.
จากตัวเมืองขับรถออกไปประมาณ 15 นาทีเป็นย่านประวัติศาสตร์ที่มีชื่อว่า Bethabara ที่นี่เป็นที่ๆชาวโมราเวียรุ่นแรกๆอพยพมาตั้งรกราก ก่อนที่จะย้ายไปยังเมืองเก่าที่ Old Salem ถึงเค้าจะอนุรักษ์ไว้อย่างดี แต่ก็มีแค่ไม่กี่ตึกเหลือไว้ให้เห็น มีโบสถ์เก่าแก่ ร้านย้อมผ้า โรงกลั่นสุรา และสวนสหกรณ์ชุมชน พอจะให้เห็นภาพชีวิตความเป็นอยู่จากเมื่อหลายร้อยปีก่อน
Last stop of the day was Quarry Park, which offers a wonderful view of the downtown skyline. We arrived there just after sunset, which made the already stunning vista even better! It didn’t hurt that we were pretty much the only people there! 😊
เราไปจบรายการทัวร์วันแรกกันที่ Quarry Park จากที่นี่ท่านสามารถมองเห็นวิวตึกสูงในดาวน์ทาวน์ได้อย่างชัดเจน เราไปถึงตอนพระอาทิตย์ตกพอดิบพอดี แสงกำลังสวยจับตา แถมคนก็ไม่มี เหมาะแก่การถ่ายรูปเป็นอย่างยิ่ง 😊
We spent the next morning exploring the infamous Old Salem. There was a fee if you want to get inside some of the buildings on the ground. We didn’t have a lot of time, so we were just planning on checking out the buildings from the outside, which apparently you can do for free. It was actually a little sad there weren’t more people there. 😢 I heard that their flagship restaurant, The Tavern (pictured above), which supposedly served really great food, just closed down this past December due to lack of business. But management did announce they plan to have a new business open there by next Christmas. Unfortunately, with the current ongoing quarantine situation, that may no longer be the case. 😔
เช้าวันรุ่งขึ้นเราไปแวะที่สถานที่ท่องเที่ยวชื่อดังประจำเมืองที่เรียกกันว่า Old Salem เค้าเก็บค่าผ่านประตูสำหรับเข้าชมด้านในตัวตึก แต่เรามีเวลาน้อย เลยตั้งใจไปเดินดูกันแค่ด้านนอก ซึ่งเปิดให้ชมฟรีไม่ต้องเสียตังค์ ไปถึงแทบจะไม่มีคนเลยทั้งๆที่เป็นวันเสาร์ ดูแล้วบรรยากาศน่าเศร้าเล็กน้อย 😢 ก่อนไปอ่านเจอว่า The Tavern ร้านอาหารประจำชื่อดังของที่นี่ (ในรูปด้านบน) เพิ่งจะประกาศปิดตัวไปเมื่อปลายปีที่แล้วหลังจากเปิดให้บริการมาตั้งแต่ปีค.ศ. 1972 ทีมผู้บริหารบอกว่าขอปิดปรับปรุงและมีแผนจะเปิดให้บริการอีกครั้งก่อนวันคริสมาสต์ปลายปีนี้ แต่มาเจอพิษโควิดเข้าอย่างนี้จะได้เปิดกันรึเปล่าก็ไม่รู้ 😔
This marker for an old well was right in front of the Old Salem visitor center.
ป้ายบอกตำแหน่งบ่อน้ำเก่าหน้าศูนย์บริการนักท่องเที่ยวของ Old Salem
This beautiful wooden bridge connects the visitor center and the parking lot across the street with the main streets of Old Salem.
สะพานไม้อันนี้เชื่อมต่อระหว่างตึกที่ขายตั๋วและลานจอดรถกับถนนหลักของ Old Salem
This is a living history museum that replicates the lives of early Moravian settlement from the 1700s. The buildings here were restored to reflect their old shining glory, 70% of which were original.
This little plaque in the heart of town commemorates the very first official celebration of our Independence Day, on July 4, 1783. It was placed there on July 4th, 1966, on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the city of Winston-Salem.
Beautiful architecture can be seen everywhere around this old part of town. Some of my favorites include the statues of these three ominous-looking creatures, this prominent-looking door on one of the mansions, and these uniquely-shaped banister tips.
We stopped by C. Winkler Bakery to sample some of their freshly baked goodies. This was one of the few places on the premise that you can enter without tickets. Unfortunately, we were not very impressed with anything we got from here. 😬
เราไปแวะชิมขนมอบใหม่ๆจากร้านเบเกอรี่ C. Winkler ที่นี่เป็นหนึ่งในจำนวนไม่กี่แห่งที่เราสามารถเข้าไปชมด้านในได้โดยไม่ต้องมีตั๋ว แต่ขอบอกว่าซื้อของเค้ามาลองหลายอย่าง กินแล้วไม่อร่อยซักอย่าง 😬
My most favorite section of Old Salem was the Salem Moravian God’s Acre, the cemetery located at the north end of the property. Those of you who know me well will remember my strange obsession with old graveyards, so this should hardly come as a surprise! 😊 Lush green grass interspersed with orderly white headstones create a beautiful landscape against the bright blue sky backdrop, giving the sense of humble serenity one can experience while walking around this peaceful forever resting place. The departed were buried chronologically according to the time they were laid to rest. Men, women, and children were separated into different sections. The children one was the most heartbreaking to see…
This Mickey Tin Coffee Pot sits just one street over from the cemetery. Built by the Mickey tinsmith brothers to promote their shop back in 1858, it was quite a site to be seen from the street!
We drove around to see old buildings in Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne styles, some date back to the 1800s, and others were a more modern interpretation. Most were located within what they call the West End Historic District.
ก่อนกลับเราขับรถวนดูบ้านเก่าๆสไตล์ Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, และ สไตล์ Queen Anne ซึ่งหาดูได้ทั่วเมือง ส่วนใหญ่ตั้งอยู่ในย่านประวัติศาสตร์ West End บางแห่งสร้างขึ้นตั้งแต่สมัยช่วงต้นคริสต์ศตวรรษที่ 19 แต่บางหลังก็เป็นบ้านใหม่ที่สร้างให้ดูเป็นสไตล์ย้อนยุค
Downtown Winston-Salem also houses other historic structures such as this R. J. Reynolds smokestack, right across from Bailey Park, next to the Wake Forest Biotech campus. The glowing red little building in the last picture is the Reynolds Building, which is the inspiration behind the infamous Empire State Building in New York City. Built in 1929 by the same architecture firm, it won the Building of the Year Award that led them to commission the Empire State job a few years later. Rumor has it that the staff of the Empire State send the Reynolds a Father’s Day card every year! 😂
ใจกลางเมือง Winston-Salem ยังมีสิ่งก่อสร้างเก่าแก่ให้เห็นอีกหลายแห่ง เช่น ปล่องไฟของโรงงานยาสูบ R. J. Reynolds ซึ่งตั้งอยู่ตรงข้ามสวนสาธารณะ Bailey Park ไม่ไกลจากศูนย์ Biotech ของมหาวิทยาลัย Wake Forest ตึกยอดสีแดงที่เห็นในรูปสุดท้ายนั่นคือตึก Reynolds ซึ่งเป็นต้นแบบของตึก Empire State ในนิวยอร์ค ตึกนี้สร้างขึ้นเมื่อปีค.ศ. 1929 (ก่อนหน้าตึก Empire State ไม่กี่ปี) โดยบริษัทสถาปนิกเจ้าเดียวกัน หลังจากที่ได้รับรางวัลตึกยอดเยี่ยมประจำปี บริษัทนี้ถึงได้รับการว่าจ้างให้ไปสร้างตึก Empire State ซึ่งขึ้นชื่อโด่งดังกลายเป็นสัญลักษณ์ของเมืองนิวยอร์คในเวลาต่อมา เค้าว่ากันว่าพนักงานประจำตึก Empire State ส่งการ์ดอวยพรวันพ่อมาให้กับพนักงานประจำตึก Reynolds เป็นประจำทุกปี 😂
This is my second post in the Winston-Salem series, featuring our gastronomic journey through this beautiful old town. One of the main reasons we picked Winston-Salem as our destination was because of the Big Sip Festival. This is an annual event, where local venues gather to showcase their craft beverage offerings. We were lucky that this took place right at the very end of February. Had it been scheduled just a few weeks later, it would surely have been canceled, like all other events around town, because of coronavirus!
นี่เป็นโพสต์ลำดับที่สองของซีรี่ส์นำเที่ยวเมือง Winston-Salem ซึ่งเราจะพาไปชิมของอร่อยๆที่ได้มีโอกาสไปลิ้มลองกันมาในเมืองเก่าแก่แห่งนี้ ที่เราเลือกมาที่นี่นั้นมีต้นสายปลายเหตุมาจากที่คุณสามีไปอ่านเจอว่าเค้ากำลังจะจัดเทศกาลที่มีชื่อว่า Big Sip Festival ซึ่งเป็นเทศกาลประจำปีที่เหล่าบรรดาผู้ประกอบกิจการค้าเครื่องดื่มท้องถิ่นแถบนี้มารวมตัวกันเพื่อนำเสนอสินค้าตัวใหม่สู่ผู้บริโภคอย่างเราๆ โชคดีที่ว่างานนี้จัดขึ้นตอนปลายเดือนกุมภา ถ้าเลทไปอีกไม่กี่อาทิตย์คงจะได้ถูกแคนเซิลกันตามระเบียบ ด้วยอภินันทนาการจากพิษโควิด-19
The event took place at Benton Convention Center, right in the heart of downtown. We opted for the earlier admission round at 1 pm, hoping to avoid the crowd, which turned out to be a good call. We waited about 20 minutes in line before it was our turn to get in.
งานนี้จัดขึ้นที่ศูนย์ประชุม Benton Convention Center ซึ่งตั้งอยู่ใจกลางเมือง เค้ามีรอบให้เข้าชมสองรอบ เราเลือกรอบเช้าบ่ายโมง ด้วยความหวังว่าคนคงจะยังไม่เยอะนัก ไปถึงคนก็ไม่เยอะจริงๆ เข้าแถวรออยู่ประมาณซักยี่สิบนาทีก็ได้เดินเข้างาน
There was a decent number of people but I wouldn’t call it too crowded, which was very nice. Some booths were more packed than others, but we didn’t have to wait that long to get samples of anything. There were so many interesting concoctions being offered, and these guy were generous with their pours! 😆 I had to dump some (they have waste buckets everywhere, I imagine for this very purpose) in my attempt not to get too boozy. 😅
My most favorite drink of the day was this heavenly mixture called the ‘Morning After’ from Cultivated Cocktails Distillery in Asheville. It was coffee liqueur, mixed with salted cocoa nibs, syrup, lavender water, and cream – aka perfection! 😍It was so addictive I went back a couple of times to keep getting more and more. 😊
Aside from craft beverages, they also have a mac & cheese cook off at this same event. We sampled all the creative inventions from participating local restaurants. Each has its own flair, from 5 different kinds of cheeses to Mexican style with nacho chip, topped with cracklins, or southern style with pulled pork barbecue – all delicious in their own unique ways!
Besides the festival, we also got to check out other popular eating spots around town. First up was Slappy’s Chicken, where we tried their famous juicy fried chicken with spicy homemade sauce. The chicken was as good as advertised, as were their sides!
Spotted this cool building on 4th Street while walking from Foothills to Mozelle’s.
เดินผ่านตึกสวยตึกนี้บนถนน 4th Street ระหว่างทางที่เดินจากร้านเบียร์ไปร้านอาหาร เลยอดถ่ายรูปเก็บไว้ไม่ได้
Next, we had dinner at Mozelle’s. Everybody said not to miss their tomato pie, so of course that’s what we ordered! It was very good, although I have to say not quite as good as Joel’s homemade tomato pie with our home grown tomatoes, but it was pretty darn close. 😊Their other dishes were really good too. We got the brussel sprouts appetizer and the lemony chopped kale salad, both of which were super yummie. 😋
The next night we switched gears to Mexican, with dinner at Crafted. The service here was top-notch, despite how crowded it was. And food was really good too. We had the stuffed avocado, which came highly recommended, and certainly did not disappoint. They had a wide variety of choices for tacos – the two we picked were both delicious!
For our last meal in town, we stopped by at 18 Malaysia, because I was craving Asian food, 🙄and this seems to be one of the best choices in town. It was a bit out of the way, but proved to be well worth the detour. After eating in, I ordered a bunch of to-gos so I could eat off of it for lunch when we got home! 😊
มื้อสุดท้ายก่อนกลับ เราเกิดความอยากอาหารที่คุ้นปากขึ้นมา 🙄ก็ไปเจอร้าน 18 Malaysia ของประเทศเพื่อนบ้านที่เรทติ้งดูดีไม่น้อย ถึงจะออกนอกเส้นทางไปเล็กน้อย แต่ก็คุ้มค่ากับการเสียเวลา อาหารอร่อยจนกินเสร็จแล้วยังแอบสั่งตุนกลับบ้านไว้ไปกินเป็นมื้อเที่ยงต่ออีกรอบ 😊
During the one-week break in between our Winter and Spring Hiking Series, we took the opportunity to go on a mini weekend trip to Winston-Salem. I had been there once, years ago, with friends in college, but don’t really remember much about it. Joel, on the other hand, had never been. This was right before the coronavirus outbreak situation became serious in this country. Looking back on it, we were so glad we decided to go! We don’t know how long it will be until we can safely take another trip anywhere again… 😔
Despite it being a short weekend trip, the weather was perfect so I took a bunch of pictures 😊. I was debating on how to organize these, and ended up deciding to break them up into 4 different posts; stays, eats, sees, and arts. This post is the first in the series.
I’m starting with this place we did *not* stay at, but totally wish we did 😆! The Graylyn Estate came highly recommended by numerous travel guides I read about on Winston-Salem. We considered booking a room here, but it was a little further from downtown, where we would like to be, and also the price point was a little higher than what we were planning on spending. We did however make a trip there, just to see what the fuss was all about. And I get it. The place was immaculate. It would probably have been well worth the price tag they are charging, judging from what we saw.
The property sits on a large piece of land, with a little pond on one side. The stone bridge at the end added to the picturesque quality. This spot would be perfect for a morning or evening stroll. This is one of the largest private residences in North Carolina, second only to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
Now, moving on to the place we actually stayed at… Right before the trip, I got a referral email from a dear friend who just found out we had never stayed at an airbnb. I browsed through the list of offerings in Winston-Salem and this particular tiny house caught my attention. I showed it to Joel and he was on board, so we went ahead and booked it. Initially we planned to stay for both Friday and Saturday nights, but by the time we decided on it, Saturday night was already taken. We reasoned that it was probably for the best, since this place too was quite a bit away from downtown. We decided we could stay for one night, just to get a taste of what it was like, then move downtown for the second night. As it turned out, one night in the tiny house was more than what we needed! 😝
We stopped by to check in on Friday afternoon. This place was only 10 minutes drive from town, but felt like a world away! There were two different tiny houses on the property, which was some kind of a farm. The red barn was also another airbnb rental.
Having seen tiny houses on TV, this was the first time we had seen one in person. It was indeed tiny, as advertised! There was just barely enough space for the essentials, not to mention room for the both of us. Joel has had his fair share of practice from our numerous trips to Asian countries, so he was quite an expert on how to maneuver one’s self in tiny spaces. 😆I, on the other hand, kept bumping into things as I moved around. I was a little apprehensive when I first found out that the place came with a compose toilet. But I convinced myself it would be ok, we were only staying there for one night after all. Without going into too much details, all I’d say is that it was quite an experience, and I was so grateful for my dearest husband who took care of ‘cleaning things up’ as the manual instructed before we checked out. 😝
We left to do some more sightseeings, then grabbed dinner in town. By the time we got back, it was freezing cold. Even inside. With the heater on high! 🥶Joel immediately set about trying to start the fire in the little Kimberly fireplace they had installed in there. There were detailed instructions in the manual on how to do that. It took us over an hour before we successfully started the fire and had the place finally heated up. Then came the question, how do we keep the fire going through the cold, cold night…? 🙄 Joel wanted to set the alarm for every hour so he could get up and tend to the fire. The problem with that is the fact that our bed sits on the loft, with these steep steps and no banister! I was worried he would tumble and fell down half asleep 😬. In the end, we decided to just leave it and hope for the best. 😅
We spent our second night in Winston-Salem in this place called Wherehouse Art Hotel, right in the heart of town. This was another airbnb property, but it couldn’t be more different. It was such a perfect eclipse of an experience! 😆 I guess that was the beauty of airbnb – they have everything to suit every taste!
We stayed in the Screening Room. The entire place, including our room, felt more like an art museum than a hotel. The room was very spacious, especially compared to what we had the night before. It was very wildly decorated. The walls were beautifully painted. Every piece of furniture was a piece of art form. It was an eclectic symphony of mismatches that somehow seemed to fit beautifully together in that one space.
Since we seemed to be the only ones there, I peeked around and took a snap of some of the other rooms they had to offer there, all equally beautifully decorated!
Haydee, our lovely host, met us at the front to check us in and showed us around. She told us this staircase that leads to the hotel part of the building was once a chimney! Again, this area was artfully painted and the walls were adorn with many pieces of art work, most, if not all of them are for sale. That last one with the connected hearts was Joel’s favorite! 😏
I was just beginning to think that we would never get any snow this winter. Normally, we would have at least one or two rounds by now, but somehow this year we made it through mid February without any trace of the magical white fluffiness! Granted, it had been very unseasonably warm, but I have never seen an NC winter with no snow ever since I moved here.
Finally, on Thursday night, we were blessed with a whopping 2 inches of snow! 😆Having grown up in a tropical climate, I can’t help getting excited every time I see snow. 😊One thing I love about living here in North Carolina is that we do have the change of seasons, and I get to enjoy that without having to endure the harsh winter. For me, a few rounds of snow per year is just the perfect amount. I was getting worried that the inevitable effects of climate changes from global warming had robbed that from us forever, but I’m glad to report that’s not the case, not just yet anyhow!
Joel and I made our traditional snow pilgrimage, as we usually do every time it snows. And here are the beautiful sceneries from all around our neighborhood for y’all to enjoy! 😍
We had an interesting Saturday volunteering as part of this weekend’s bottling crew at Mystic Farm & Distillery in Durham. We took a tour there a few months ago and Joel loved it so much that he thought it would be fun to sign up for the task. We got an offer earlier in the week and decided this would be the perfect way to start off our weekend! 😆
We woke up early and reported for duty promptly at 9 am. Once there, while waiting for the guys to finish setting up the bottling line, we got to enjoy shots of sweet and aromatic Mystic Bourbon Liqueur in their cozy lounge – such a great way to warm up for the arduous task ahead! 🤪
They spent a few minutes explaining to us briefly about the entire process. Then, the crew was divided into different groups, each for the different tasks. Joel and I got assigned to labeling.
My main task was to catch bottles coming out of the heat shrink machine, inspect them to ensure they were properly sealed, then set them on a table ready to be labeled by Joel. I thought I got an easy job, then quickly realized that it was no joke, when shrunk-wrapped bottles started to come flying out and one almost fell from the conveyor belt before I could catch it! 😳 In the end, another lady stepped in to help when we realized there was simply no way I could transfer bottles and inspect them fast enough at the rate they were coming out!
Joel’s job was to man Martha, the labeling machine. He would take a bottle I set out on the table, lay it on a mold, first on its back, pump the foot pedal to apply the back label, then flip over to the front to apply the front label. Towards the end, I decided catching bottles was a bit too stressful for me 😣, so I switched over to grab the readily-labeled bottle and smooth them on to get rid of air bubbles before passing it over to the boxing team instead!
After a hard day of work, we were rewarded with the fruits of our labor 😉 – a bottle each of the Heart of Mystic single-barrel bourbon whiskey, from the batch we just finished!
หลังจากที่ตรากตรำทำงานมากว่าครึ่งค่อนวัน ท้ายที่สุดเราก็ได้รับค่าเหนื่อยเป็นเหล้าเบอร์เบินวิสกี้ Heart of Mystic คนละขวด แกะกล่องมาจากที่เราเพิ่งแพ๊คเสร็จไปหมาดๆนี่เอง 😉
All in all, we had a lot of fun. Mystic seems like a really great place. These people truly love what they do and are serious about their products. They only make a few things and make them extremely well. You can really taste the quality in every sip 🥃.
They also have a beautiful farm 👨🌾 where they grow their own wheat and corn for the distillery. They even keep their own bee hives 🐝 for the honey they use to blend into their bourbon. Speak about dedication, that’s it, right there!
I never thought I would have another Christmas lights post up again so soon ☺️! We had a late Christmas get-together with Joel’s family at his brother’s house in Charlotte this past weekend. One of the many activities accomplished was a visit to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, which is just a little over half an hour drive from Charlotte.
แหม นึกว่าจะต้องรอถึงปีหน้าถึงจะได้มีโอกาสได้ไปดูไฟคริสต์มาสอีกที ☺️ ปรากฎว่าเมื่อสุดสัปดาห์ที่ผ่านมาไปฉลองคริสต์มาสย้อนหลังกันที่บ้านพี่ชาย Joel ที่เมือง Charlotte เค้าชวนไปดูสวน Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens ซึ่งตั้งอยู่ที่เมือง Belmont ใช้เวลาขับรถจาก Charlotte แค่ครึ่งชั่วโมงกว่าๆเท่านั้น
From the weekend after Thanksgiving to the weekend after New Year, they have an annual event called ‘Holidays at the Garden’ where they put up colorful LED lights to brighten up the entire garden. Inside the main building, they also have Christmas displays featured. The highlight was this Christmas tree made entirely from these beautiful white orchid stems, located right in the middle of the lobby.
ที่สวนนี้เค้ามีจัดรายการ ‘Holidays at the Garden’ เปิดให้เข้าชมกันได้ตั้งแต่หลังวัน Thanksgiving ไปจนถึงหลังวันปีใหม่ เค้าเอาไฟมาตกแต่งประดับประดาจนสว่างไสวไปทั่ว แถมในตัวตึกยังมีของตกแต่งเข้ากับบรรยากาศคริสต์มาสอีกด้วย ไฮไลต์ก็คือต้นคริสต์มาสต้นใหญ่กลางล๊อบบี้ที่ทำขึ้นมาจากดอกกล้วยไม้ล้วนๆ ชอบไอเดียมาก ดอกไม้สีขาวบริสุทธิ์ตัดกับใบสีเขียวขจีดูเก๋ไม่ซ้ำใคร
We were there late on a Saturday night, right after a burst of rain, so there wasn’t that many people there. The place looked magical! 😍 It was a great way to get enjoy the last of the holiday spirits!
At the far end of the garden, they have a little kiosk set up where you can buy snacks and hot drinks. We got some s’mores kit and were able to grill the marshmallows right on this fire pit they have set up nearby. Perfect treats for the chilly night!
Another special exhibit they had on display was this Stickwork sculpture by NC artist Patrick Dougherty called the ‘Magnificent Seven’. Joel and I had seen another one of these at the Riverwalk in Hillsborough during our hike at the Mountains-to-Sea Trail there so we recognized it immediately! 😊
One of my most favorite things to enjoy 😍 during the holiday season is the colorful 🎄Christmas lights display. We have made it our annual tradition for the past few years to set aside a night for Christmas lights hunting. This year, my dearest husband decided to jump on the bandwagon and started decorating our house for the first time ever! We happened to have a pair of built-in Christmas trees, right in front of our house, which serves as the perfect vessel for Joel’s beginner artistic outlet. 🤣 We shall see what next Christmas will bring, in terms of creative expansion.
Now on to the tour. This first house, or shall we say mansion, at 1012 Holt Road in Apex, made the headline on the local news channel just the night before, about their traffic squabble with law enforcement 🙄. Fortunately they were able to work it out with the police and resumed their light show for us general public. The traffic was still brutal 😓 but that became understandable once we had witnessed the sheer amount of lights they had put on on their 12-acre piece of property. Unfortunately, due to said traffic, I wasn’t able to get many good pictures to demonstrate the monstrosity of the display 😐, but it was one of the largest we had seen on a private property!
This house, at 700 Bay Bouquet Lane, also in Apex, and the next few, are one of the ones with the synchronized Christmas songs on the radio, which is always fun to watch. The most popular song this year appears to still be the theme song from Disney movie Frozen!
บ้านหลังนี้ซึ่งตั้งอยู่ที่ 700 Bay Bouquet Lane ในเมือง Apex กับหลังถัดๆไปเป็นสไตล์ที่เค้าเปิดไฟเข้าจังหวะกับเพลงคริสมาสต์ที่ออกอากาศทางวิทยุ หน้าบ้านจะมีป้ายปักบอกไว้ว่าให้เปิดวิทยุไปที่สถานีไหน สรุปแล้วปีนี้เพลงประกอบหนังดิสนีย์เรื่อง Frozen ยังคงครองตำแหน่งเพลงยอดฮิตประจำปีไม่ต่างไปจากปีที่แล้ว
This one is located at 203 Billingrath Turn Lane in Cary. Wishing those cars weren’t there in the driveway to obstruct our view, but oh well it is their house 😆!
หลังถัดไปตั้งอยู่ที่ 203 Billingrath Turn Lane ในเมือง Cary เสียดายหน้าบ้านมีรถจอดบังวิวอยู่หลายคันมาก แต่จะว่าไปมันก็บ้านเค้าอ่ะเนอะ 😆
This one, at 101 Chestone Court in Cary, we have seen many many times on our way to H Mart, and always told each other we had to check it out. And we finally did!
หลังนี้ตั้งอยู่ที่ 101 Chestone Court ในเมือง Cary บ้านนี้เราขับรถผ่านอยู่หลายครั้งมาก เพราะอยู่ระหว่างทางไปซุปเปอร์มาร์เก็ตเกาหลี H Mart ผ่านทีไรก็ว่าจะต้องแวะมาดูตอนเค้าเปิดไฟ (เพราะปรกติไปตอนมันยังไม่มืด ไฟเค้าเลยยังไม่เปิด) สุดท้ายก็ได้มาเห็นจนได้
This one, at 1033 Hortons Creek Road in Cary, was also very well-done.
หลังนี้ที่ 1033 Hortons Creek Road ในเมือง Cary เรียบหรูแต่ดูดี
We arrived at this one, at 416 Waverly Hills Drive in Cary, just as they were turning the radio synchronization off 😆, but we did still enjoy their cute display anyway!
This one, at 2932 Green Level West Road in Cary, was a little different than the rest of the bunch – no music, but tons of lights and inflatables!
หลังนี้อยู่ที่ 2932 Green Level West Road ในเมือง Cary อันนี้ไม่มีเพลงให้ฟัง แต่ไฟตรึมมาก เห็นสะดุดตามาแต่ไกลเชียว
This next to last one was located at 1001 Hemby Ridge Lane in Morrisville, where every square inch of the little yard was packed full of inflatables – what a sight to behold!
หลังนี้ตั้งอยู่ที่ 1001 Hemby Ridge Lane ในเมือง Morrisville ซึ่งจัดหุ่นยางสูบลมมาอัดแน่นกันให้ชมเต็มสนาม ดูกันละลานตามาก
This very last one was right around the corner from our house. These little colorful Christmas trees brought a smile to my face every time we drove past it. Finally, we stopped by to take a picture, which did not seem to do it justice. And that concludes our Christmas lights excursion this year – looking forward to finding more holiday creativity next year!
This weekend, there is a special event in downtown Durham called ‘Bull Moon Rising‘ where an art piece called ‘Museum of the Moon‘ by UK artist Luke Jerram is being presented. This is a touring installation that has been traveling all over the world since 2016. According to their web site, ‘Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface*.’ Apart from celebrating Durham’s 150th Anniversary, the event also honors the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
สุดสัปดาห์นี้ที่เมือง Durham เค้ามีงานฉลองครบรอบ 150 ปีของเมือง ซึ่งประจวบเหมาะกับวันครบรอบ 50 ปีที่ยานอวกาศอพอลโล 11 ไปลงจอดที่ดวงจันทร์ เลยมีการจัดงานพิเศษ ‘Bull Moon Rising‘ เอางานศิลปะที่มีชื่อว่า ‘Museum of the Moon‘ มาแสดงให้ชมกัน ผลงานชิ้นนี้เป็นฝีมือของ Luke Jerram ศิลปินชาวอังกฤษที่จำลองดวงจันทร์ในมาตราส่วน 1:500,000 และใช้ภาพถ่ายจาก NASA ในการแสดงพื้นผิวของดวงจันทร์ มาเป็นผลงานประติมากรรมขนาดเส้นผ่านศูนย์กลาง 7 เมตร ส่องสว่างจากภายใน ขึงด้วยลวดสลิงลอยอยู่ใกล้แค่เอื้อมมือ
The moon was out in all its gloriousness. There was a lot of people out on this chilly night. We were happy to have made the trek to witness this weirdly wonderful art piece in person!
The night before Halloween, we went out to explore this infamous Halloween House in the Oakwood District of downtown Raleigh. We first stumbled upon it a few years ago, on our way out of Oakwood Cemetary, which is right down the street. We got to chat a bit with Mr. Jesse Jones, the owner of the house and the mastermind behind all this awesomeness. He is an attorney by day and a Halloween aficionado by October nights. This is truly a labor of love. The decorations get moved away at the end of the night, and put back again the next day. Mr Jones said he had to do that because somebody was stealing his props. 😣
We were lucky that night because they forecasted for rain so not that many people were around and we got to enjoy the many scary monsters, zombies, rabid animals, tombstones, skeletons, and other weirdly wonderful creepy ghouliness 👻 pretty much crowd-free.
I wanted to get this post up before Halloween, but unfortunately didn’t get a chance to. 😣 If any locals happen to read this and want to go check it out next year, the house is located at 504 Oakwood Avenue, at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue & N East Street, in Raleigh NC. Happy Belated Halloween!
ตอนแรกตั้งใจว่าจะขึ้น post นี้ก่อนวันฮัลโลวีน แต่ด้วยความที่งานยุ่งมากเลยไม่ทัน 😣 ถ้ามีใครอยากไปเยี่ยมชมกันปีหน้า บ้านนี้ตั้งอยู่ที่เลขที่ 504 ถนน Oakwood ตัดกับถนน N East ในตัวเมือง Raleigh นะคะ แฮปปี้ฮัลโลวีนย้อนหลังค่า
