The first leg of our journey took place right in the Raleigh area. We spent our first day goofing around. We took the kids to some places they had never been such as the Disney Store and Build a Bear Workshop. I think they were in awe of the amound of traffic and people as much as they were of all the stuff at the Disney Store. If you see those things all the time, you take for granted the wonder someone else might feel at seeing such a thing. The things I take for granted are: quiet, mountains, clean water and air, easily accessed and clearly marked roads and a general slow down in the pace of life that I get to live here in Montana.

The afternoon was spent at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History and Sciences (I think that is the name of it anyway) where we saw all kinds of stuff. Maya and Owen really liked the Arthropod Zoo and Butterfly Pavillion. I have been to this museum before and I like it better every time I go there. We wrapped up the day by having dinner at Tir Na Nog - a local Irish pub - and then collapsing into bed once again.

On Friday, we drove to Asheboro and spent the day at the NC Zoological park. Owen pouted for about the first hour we were there because I made him ride in the 'kid buggy'. If I call it a stroller, this will be met with tears and forthright assertions that he is not a baby - he is a big boy. It was apparently field trip day at the zoo and the place was crawling with large groups of kids. I was afraid that one of my kiddos would get swept up in a group of kids and get lost. Hence, the kid buggy. After a while though, I let them both get out and walk with someone.

This is a zoological park - and they mean park. It is a pretty good hike around there to see all the animals. The kids were fascinated to see animals they had only seen on TV. Some favorites were the gorillas, flamingos and alligators. We had a great time. The only hiccup was when my sister Jill misplaced her camera somewhere. We check Lost and Found, but it was gone.

Saturday was spent in Winston-Salem at the Highland Games. I had never attended an event like this one before. Having been to Scotland, I will say that any sensible Scot would *cringe* at this specticale. I know the feeling being from the West. When non-westerners try to do western stuff it falls short and I am sure that these Highland games would be a similar experience for someone who is used to a large Gathering. All of that aside, I was amazed at watching the kabor toss. I was in awe of the strength and agility it takes to compete in that event. It was a wonder to watch a man pick up a 15 plus foot tree trunk and toss it end over end. And, many of them did it several times. A wonder! After visiting a couple of the tents selling all manner of stuff, we were on our way back to Raleigh.

Sunday was Mother's Day and we went to the Farmer's Market to buy supplies for a picnic. It has been a long while since I have been to a real Farmer's Market. I must admit a bit of jealousy at not being able to grow all the stuff you can grow in North Carolina. I love to garden. While North Carolinians are harvesting their first crop of strawberries, it snowed about 4 inches here this morning. Can't grow a lot of stuff here at 5,000 feet about sea level!

We went to the Rose Garden in Raleigh and had a lovely picnic and played for the rest of the afternoon. It was very relaxing and I enjoyed it a lot. Then, it was back to the hotel to pack and get organized for the second leg of our journey!

More to come.......