Blogs from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, North America

Well it’s been a quiet week here in Chapel Hill, our home town. It hasn’t actually been particularly quiet, but the words bring to mind the calming voice of Garrison Keillor, which is always nice to channel. And neither is Chapel Hill our “home town” now, in any heartfelt way, though Sally and I did, both together and separately, spend multiple decades in the Triangle area. So perhaps I should just go back and scrub that opening and take a different angle, but that would be bowing to the God of Perfection, so Ima leave it and move on. Gotta say, though: being back in NC does feel weird, just as a return to any of my former haunts has felt surreal and dislocating. While Thomas Wolfe’s “you can’t go home again“ surely comes to mind, ... read more

The offer was received and countered. We accepted the counter and have paid our earnest money. Closing will happen in a couple of weeks. We can take possession on October 15th. It all seems to be falling together. Which means we're moving to Montana. Here in NC, we've got a big job ahead of us. We're going to pack very lightly. Take those few items which seems personal and important to us. Take our complete tool kit. Then we turn the rest of the house into an Air BnB, while we ponder if, or when, to put the house on the market. Running the house as an Air BnB allows us to leave behind our furniture and make enough money to cover our costs while we figure out what to do on the other end. Since ... read more

I awoke at 6:30 to find Sally already up and active. Seems she'd been awake since about 3:30, itching from chigger bites (as are we both) and worrying over early morning fears. It is no small thing, to be venturing out into the world at this surreal point in history. I put the kettle on for coffee, but Sally was ready to start making the bed and sweeping floors and such, bustling about like a cleaning lady on a tight schedule. Our plan is to get to the North as quickly as we can. We're both so tired of this summer Tarheel heat and humidity that we could scream, and when I read that overnight temps in Missoula this week would be in the upper 40s and lower 50s, we both got a dreamy look in ... read more

The University of North Carolina was the first public university to open in America, sharing claim of the "oldest public university" title along with the University of Georgia and the College of William and Mary. It's considered one of the eight "Public Ivy" schools, meaning this campus is a showcase of argyle socks and walking advertisements for Vineyard Vines and Southern Marsh. And with the likes of Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm having passed through these halls, these grounds are some of the most sacred in collegiate sports. Pair that strong school spirit with an indelible sense of tradition and UNC makes for a world-class educational institution, albeit a little pretentious. A visit to this college town will convince you the students are color-blind, for any apparel not baby blue is strictly prohibited. Men's basketball is ... read more

For the first time on my travels, about half way through my journey of exchange, I got smacked with it. It's like someone took a glove, put syringes on it and whacked it so hard across my cheek that it feels real. It's called homesickness, and there's only one cure: time. So tonight, whilst in my first bout of the disease, I thought I would take to writing to see if it makes me feel any better. I have skipped over my recent travels to Charlotte, Richmond and DC and all the latest developments in Chapel Hill BUT I feel like shit so don't boss me around. It started rather happily actually. Siobhan, my bestest best friend, the Timon to my Pumbaa, the Gogo to my Didi, the other half of me sent me a package ... read more