Midland, NC

Finally!  A perfect Carolina blue sky day.  My husband and I opted to spend our Sunday together in Midland, about a 40 minute drive from our house in Cabarrus County. There is not much to this this 2 stoplight town.  The only restaurant we found open was D'Anna's Kitchen Family Restaurant.  Nothing fancy but we were pleasantly greeted and the decor was homey.  The menu consisted of the usual fare ... but we went for the chalkboard offerings .... every Southerner's favorite meal ... meat with 2 sides and cornbread or biscuit and of course sweet tea!  We both got the country fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy.  For my second side I know I should have gotten the greens or some sort of vegetable but instead I couldn't resist the macaroni and cheese.  I am so glad I did!  It was really delicious.  But whoa! I'll have to spend more time in the gym to work off this meal!

We then drove into "downtown" Midland which consisted of 4 or 5 abandoned buildings.  This apparently was once a town midway on the railway system between Charlotte and Oakboro which is how the town got it's name but apparently not much else happened in this sleepy town.  Cool little buildings though.

The town does boast 2 attractions though worthy visiting .... Reed Gold Mine http://www.reedmine.com/ the site of the first documented gold find in the US and Rocky River Vineyards http://www.rockyrivervineyards.com/  If our son had been with us we would have done the gold mine but since he had to work his summer job today we decided to be grown ups and go to the vineyard.  It's a beautiful setting there ... a small white house with tables in and out to enjoy the wines.  There is also a pavilion with rocking chairs overlooking the vines where private parties could be held.  We did the $6 tasting that included 9 wines: chardonnay, Cabernet sauvignon, chambourcin dry, scarlet merlot blend, white zinfandel, niagara, white gold, rockin' red and 2 slushy mixes. The muscadine wines were made with the grapes grown on site.  I won't pretend to know much about wines but I thought they were all tasty.  The peach wine slushy seemed like the perfect summer drink so we ordered a large one and took it out to the rocking chairs to sip and enjoy the view.  

Maybe Midland is the in the middle of nowhere but we found it to be a great somewhere to be on a sun-filled Sunday.  Definitely worth a visit.

My Morning in Matthews

I had the house to myself today and nothing pressing to do which is a rare thing on a Saturday morning but instead of reveling in the quiet I decided to go out for an adventure.  I hopped in the car and drove the 30 minutes or so down to Matthews, NC.  The cozy town center was a buzz.with pedestrians and traffic but there is ample public parking which makes life so much easier.  The most striking thing in town are all of the beautiful flowers in hanging baskets and large pots.  This added so much to the charm of the town.

My first stop was the Matthews Holiday Haus.  www.holiday-haus.com  This gift shop has so much more than just Christmas decor.  Pretty much every holiday is covered but also great gift items, jewelry, home decor and more.  I have started filling my house with little birds and found a pair of silver birds to rest somewhere in my home.  

There is not a lot of shopping.  There's a cool ol' timey hardware store, a bike shop and a Habitat ReStore to browse.  There was no antiquing to be found in this area that I could see.  However there was a wonderful farmer's market going on.  It was filled with farm fresh fruits and veggies, meats and eggs, plants and herbs, baked goods and handmade crafts.  I loaded up on peaches and squash as well as some tasty treats made by a Turkish couple.  

I decided for lunch I would try something totally new to me ... Korean food.  The restaurant/Korean market

combo is within walking distance but the road is very busy so I opted to drive.  PePeRo is very authentic

no doubt about that.  They don't have a web site.  It's in a non-descript building that I passed by the first time.  The young girl who waited on me was very helpful as I tried to navigate the menu. She suggested the Dol Sot Bi Bom Bob so I went with that.  It was very yummy but I wasn't quite sure what I was eating or how to eat it!  I struggled with the chopsticks and maybe because of that my server said to use my spoon ... that's how they eat it.  Don't know if that was true or if she just felt sorry for me but I gladly finished my meal with the spoon.  

Most of Matthews feels like a continuation of Charlotte but on the corner of W. John St. and S. Trade St. you can escape city life and get that small town feel.  It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday to myself.

 

Beautiful Belmont

It has rained here every day for almost two weeks but I was not going to let a few drizzles stop my husband and I from enjoying our day off together.  With our son settled for the day at a friend's house we made the quick twenty mile journey to the nearby town of Belmont, NC.  I had been before and knew it was charming but today I wanted to look at it through the eyes of a traveler ... a tourist.  I like the idea of "collecting" small towns.  Yes big cities are full of excitement and lots of things to see and do but the small town experience can be just as fulfilling if not more so.  This is what I want to blog about ... my experience in the small towns of NC as I every weekend continue "collecting" them.  Hope you join me!

Our first stop was Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. www.dsbg.org  The sky was gray but the gardens were a splendid display of color.  We strolled the brick paths reading the names of the exotic plants.  Fountains splashed, butterflies flitted about and even the sun came out a bit as we sat on a bench taking it all in.  The orchid conservatory is impressive as well.  I felt as if I could be in the tropics.

Next we went into downtown Belmont.  It is truly a picturesque little town filled with antique shops, boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants.  We had lunch at Sammy's Deli & Neighborhood Pub www.sammysbelmont.com  It has a casual sports bar atmosphere.  Even though the Sunday crowd was starting to line up we were immediately seated and waited on.  The menu is nothing fancy ... burgers, salads, sandwiches all reasonably priced.  I had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich and my husband had the Black and Blue burger which were served in short time after we ordered.  We both enjoyed our meals.

Because it was Sunday most of the businesses were closed but a few of the antique shops were open.  I especially enjoyed Piccolo Antique Mall.  www.piccoloantiquemall.com  It was filled with rustic treasures, frilly finds and man cave accessories.  We spent a good hour perusing the many rooms upstairs and down.

Even though we were still so full from lunch,  we couldn't resist stopping in at Tastebuds Popcorn.  www.tastebudspopcorn.com  They have every flavor of popcorn you can imagine!!  I tried the curry coconut and the blue cheese flavors and my husband tried Cajun pickle.  He went with the pickle and I ultimately went with sour cream and chives.  We each got a small bag to munch on on the way home.

It was a delightful day .. and I didn't even have to pack suitcases or board the dog to go on this vacation!