Lake Norman (Charlotte, NC)

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We made a three day stop to visit the North Carolina DeVoes in Lake Norman in the Charlotte area.

Lake Norman is lovely and our weather was great. We parked in Ray & Cindy’s driveway driveway for a few days.

C&R and family are great hosts. Ray, Jr. made a wonderful welcoming dinner - Chicken Parm! C& R Took us to our first Trader Joe's in downtown Charlotte on our way to Elise's XC Meet. I can see why these no frills, compact Trader Joe's stores have caught on. Next day, C&R took us to scrounge for great suff at a wonderful old factory mill, which is now a 400 plus vendor antique center in Cornelius. We followed up with Asian fusion at Eez in a charming “life-style community” aka an updated version of an old fashioned pedestrian friendly "downtown" with apartments above the well designed shops & restaurants. It's Birkdale Village near Huntersville. No clotheslines amid this well mulched "perfection;" but it's an appealing concept. If you're in the Charlotte area, check it out.


Cindy and I had a grand old time shopping at Good Will and came home with great bargains. Later that day, we went by boat for a very nice lunch at North Harbor in Davidson. We celebrated our departure with a home cooked dinner with a few of C&R’s friends and neighbors. Love those Southern accents.


Our Magellan GPS got us into a bit of trouble on our way to Ray & Cindy’s home. It led us to a very tight "cul de sac - dead end!” A proposed connecting road never got built, but it made it to the Magellan data base. To turn the big rig, Wes had to unhook the Jeep, and maneuver - backing up ever so carefully to avoid nicely tended lawns and mail boxes. NOTE: a local map backing up what the GPS directs would be a wise thing to have. Another GPS oops was that Fox Trail Rd. (the location of the campground in the Fancy Gap blog entry) was misnamed Fax (as in Fax Machine) Trail Rd. We're learning not to put our full trust in the GPS.

It’s so nice to be able to be spontaneous and travel at our own pace. Our reservation at Fort Desoto was for Monday, so we hopped off the interstate for a two-night stop in Jekyll Island, Georgia. Stay tuned.

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Photos

Wes & the Samuri at the Antique Mill
We bought a flask, a "tree & well" steak platter, a deviled egg dish, and a few postcards. C&R got a tropical framed poster and a few other items. Fun day. We missed the Race Car Track to do this! TY to the decision makers!

Cindy and the Boys
We met Tucker & Bailey. Nice puppies! They're bigger than we thoought they'd be.

Dinner at "Eez" Asian Fusion
Birkdale is a planned "life style" community that encourages pedestrian traffic. Residents of all ages live in apartments and condos above the restaurants and businesses - just like a real downtown, Main Street! It's a little Disneyesque; but really a great concept.

Birkdale Looking Toward the Theatre
Check out this lifestyle community if you are near Charlotte, NC

Ray & Cindy's Dock
Lake Norman is very low. Rain is needed. The DeVoes normally do not have a beach!

Lake Norman Scene
These homes are located on a golf course. This is "cocktail harbor."