Charlotte Checkers v Syracuse Crunch @ Bojangles Arena

The boys love their hockey, so we try and get to a couple of Checkers games a year.  This one we think we did a good job on.  Not only did we not tell the boys we were going - they only found out that as we pulled into the parking lot, but we also arranged for 2 other families to come along - friends from school.

Not only that but this game is the Teddy Bear Toss game, where after the Checkers score their first goal, the crowd showers the rink with teddy bears, either bought from home or bought as part of a ticket package.  Even though the Checkers went down a goal early, it took less than 3 minutes for them to score, and stuffed bears rained down from the crowd.  From Row U, I didn't have the arm so we sent all the boys closer down to the rink to make their donations.  In all about 4000 stuffed animals were collected to donate to local charities.

Also there was a hockey game.  The Checkers, in spite of their going behind early, played strong and skated away to a 5-2 win, much to the joy of the 8000 strong crowd.

This is a great family night of sport, not just because of the Teddy Bear Toss, but price wise.  So much cheaper than the Panthers, Hornets or the upcoming Charlotte FC.  And the team are good!   I don't think of us as a hockey family, but we'll keep coming back to see the Checkers.

Charlotte Checkers 5 (C. Fleury 2, C. Carrick, C. Schwindt, S. Wilson) defeated Syracuse Crunch 2 (G. Dumont, S. Ryfors).

Crowd: 8,080.

L, G, B, W & Q @ Bojangles Arena

Home Alone & Charlotte Symphony Orchestra @ Belk Theatre

Because where not going to watch every version a million times over the next month, we also head uptown to see Home Alone on the big screen, with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra playing in the accompanying sound track.

We did this a while back with one of the Harry Potters, and it was a great night.  This would prove the same for Home Alone.  We had great seats on the main floor.  This was good for me, as the orchestra played directly under the screen, it the line of sight.  It was as good to see them perform as it was to see the movie.  At Harry Potter we were on the balcony, and I tended to forget the orchestra was playing because your first sights were the big screen.

I'm hoping they'll do this again with another movie next Christmas.  We'll be back for it for sure.

DLM&B, Home Alone at Belk Theatre, Charlotte

Thrice & Touche Amore @ Underground

I was a bit bummed that Self Defense Family started right at 7.30pm as that is what time the sitter arrived, so I missed all but the last 2 songs of their set.  I did catch up with Alan afterwards.  He was a neighbor up until a year ago.  He is now in Chicago and enjoying this tour - to play and travel has been a much needed joy.

It was not long ago that Drew told me about Touche Amore, so I have been listening to Stage Four a lot since I bought it from Lunchbox Records in May.  I am hoping their energy transfers live.  And I am not disappointed.  In this small venue, the power of the band is strong.  Displacement early was familiar and of the 11 songs they got through, 5 were off their latest album, Lament, which I will endeavor to add to my collection.  The audience were into it as well, a good response for an opener and not the usual lack of enthusiasm from a Charlotte crowd.  Rapture and Flowers & You were highlights for me.  I hope they come back through town soon (after I get my hands on Lament), I'd see Touche Amore any time.

Touche Amore setlist

I know nothing about Thrice, but if they are good enough to invite Touche Amore along for a tour, they definitely are worth a listen.  In contrast to the raw energy of Touche Amore, Thrice are a polished outfit.  The sound is perfect and their crowd are into it.  I don't recognize a song, but the masses know what's going on, and they are into it.  Not for me.  Nothing was catching, and I was still in awe of the previous set.  I probably lasted half the set when I decided to save some money on the sitter instead of seeing out the night.

Thrice setlist

The Crap Facts:

This is my 468th concert.
This is my 6th concert at The Underground.
This is my 88th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 103rd concert in North Carolina.
This is my 271st concert in the US.
Touche Amore are the 543rd band I've seen.
Thrice are the 544th band I've seen.

Flogging Molly, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Thick @ Salvage Station

It's like Charlotte hasn't got the memo yet, that concerts are back on.  So I'm back in Asheville for another show.  This time I have booked a hotel so I don't have to drive home late.

After walking down to over-rated White Duck Taco, I got to Salvage Station in time for Thick to get onto stage.  The New York trio were great, and having the time of their lives on stage.  The humor shows through in the power-pop-punk songs, especially Mansplain and Your Mom.

Thick Setlist

Me First are the reason I came tonight, and I wasn't disappointed.  With CJ Ramone and John Reis (the 4th band I've seen him in) in the band a fun night ensued.  Spike Slawson still has the perfect swagger of a frontman.  His delivery and and between song banter are hilarious.  I love when he introduces the songs as "This next one is a cover...".  Sloop John B's Lobotomy start was a classic.  I enjoyed Straight Up, Me & Julio Down By The School Yard and Rocket Man the best.  But that's from a list of 13 great covers.

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes setlist

I saw Flogging Molly open for Bad Religion 18 years ago.  I don't remember much of that show, only that this is the first time I've seen them since.  I don't know why, but the Irish-punk doesn't really do it for me.  (I feel the same about the Dropkick Murphys).  Tonight, though is different, maybe it's because it's a Flogging Molly crowd, and they are dedicated to the cause.  They are huge fans.  They know every word from every song.  And the band and crowd feed on the frenzy of each others' energy. The mass movement of a dancing crowd (not moshing, but dancing together) was so positive, you didn't know which way to look.  The Worst Day Since Yesterday was probably my favorite, and I'm glad I stuck around for the whole set.  I think the music on its own wouldn't bring me back to another Flogging Molly show, but if the support band was someone I wanted to see, I would miss their set.

Flogging Molly setlist

The Crap Facts:
This is my 467th concert.
This is my 2nd concert at Salvage Station.
This is my 9th concert in Asheville.
This is my 102nd concert in North Carolina.
This is my 270th concert in the US.
Thick are the 542nd band I've seen.
This is my 3rd Me First & The Gimme Gimmes concert.

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes are the 500th time I've seen a band in the USA.

This is my 2nd Flogging Molly concert.

Wilco & Sleater-Kinney @ Salvage Station

Finally.  After 18 months we get live music back.  This coronavirus has been an pain in the arse. Since I last saw New Bomb Turks, also in Asheville, I've seen tickets to Billy Joel, Tool, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Hoodoo Gurus go by the wayside.  Not to mention countless shows I would have seen.  But alas, I'm back in Asheville, at this great outdoor venue, to see Sleater-Kinney (a bucket list band) and Wilco (of which I know nothing about).

Sleater-Kinney opened to a good sized crowd.  People are still wary of each other so no one is near anyone else, but that suits me to a tee.  A different line up than I expected.  Gone is drummer, Janet Weiss, with the band now having an extra guitarist and bass player.  But high energy is the focus, and for the most part it looks like Carrie and Corin would be happy to play just for each other, let alone the crowd in front of them.  Everyone was having a good time, from the first song High In The Grass.  Price Tag was the first song I recognized and from there on it was only songs from The Woods that I knew.  But the set was good enough that I bought The Path of Wellness LP and a shirt.  Jumpers and Modern Girl were highlights until they finished the set with a blistering Entertain.  I got into Sleater- Kinney the wrong way around, only after seeing Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia.  I don't know why they have never been on my radar.  I don't remember them coming to Australia when I lived there, and they've never been in Vegas or Charlotte when I've been around (as far as I know).  I wish I had though.  They are a great band, and superb live.

Sleater-Kinney setlist

I know little about Wilco as well.  But they have a rabid Asheville fanbase.  I have their Star Wars album, which was a free download off iTunes, so Random Song Generator (played 2nd) was the only song I knew all night.  That's not to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the show, because the energy transferred between band and audience was full-on. Wilco have rabid fans, and there wasn't a song the masses didn't know. Because I am in Asheville and I have to drive home, I was only going to stay for a few songs of Wilco and then drive back.  But they kept my interest for the whole set.  Everyone Hides was probably my favorite other song they played.  I bailed before the encore, but could here both songs as I walked back to the car.

Wilco setlist

It's just great to be seeing live music again.  Hopefully things open up more and we can get back to normal.  And tonight's venue is great, even after it was postponed a day because of rain, and the French Broad River nearly overflowing into the venue.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 466th concert.

Salvage Station is the 128th venue I've seen a concert at.
This is my 8th concert in Asheville.
This is my 101st concert in North Carolina.
This is my 269th concert in the US.
Sleater-Kinney are the 540th band I've seen.

Sleater-Kinney are the 1050th time I've seen a band.
Wilco are the 541st band I've seen.

Wilco are the 150th different band I've seen in North Carolina.

Litchfield Beach

We're back at the beach again.  And back in our regular condos.  Last year we had to stay at Bridgewater, as Covid had closed the pool in the Sandpiper apartments.  Our stay is basically beach and pool time, with some trips to some regular restaurants.  This year we rented a cabana from Sand & Sea for the week, which made it so much easier to stay on the beach for longer each day.  Will be doing that from now on.  Dinners included visits to Rustic Table and Chive Blossom, where we sat outside each night.  Covid is back on the rise, and we played it safe as possible.  Did our nightly visits to Paradice Ice Cream and made a new discovery, Parlor Doughnuts, where we will definitely come back to.

DBM&L, Sunrise, Litchfield Beach, South Carolina

Knoxville, TN

So before we drive back to Charlotte, we head back over to Ijams to take on Navitat, a ropes climbing and Ziplining course in the trees.  We are in the first group of the day, and after the many instructions we head into the bush to try our luck.  Man it was fun.  But a lot of hard work getting through the ropes.  But the couple of short ziplines we did were fun.  The boys had a bit of trouble clipping on and off the ropes, so it limited our time.  Otherwise they were fearless and gave me a run for my money.  We left at around midday to start our journey home.  There is another one of these in Ashville, so maybe we can drag mom up there one day and do this again.

My brother-in-law used to do an annual trip with Mase and took him somewhere new every year.  I hope this is the first of many trips I can take the boys on.  We picked Knoxville because with Covid we didn't want to get on a plane, and they had never been to Tennessee before, so we've ticked off another state for them (that's 10 US states for them - not bad for some 10 year olds).

BD&L, Navitat, Knoxville, TN

Knoxville, TN

One of the reasons to get out of Charlotte was to escape the heat.  This has not work.  It's as hot as blazes here in Knoxville.

This morning we drove out to Ijams Nature Center, to see what was out at the park.  A quick visit to the Visitor's Center, before checking out Navitat, the ziplining activity in the trees.  It's booked out today, but we are going to come back tomorrow on our way out of town.  We then headed down to the Tennessee River to hike along the boardwalk.  I was aware that the boardwalk had been washed away but some of it was still accessible, I didn't realize how little we could walk.  The river is not very pretty here, and still, and it's just a battle against heat and insects so we didn't stick around long.  I do hope one day they repair the boardwalk, just for something different to walk around than your usual trail.  We went over to see Mead's Quarry Lake, but we are not prepared for swimming, so we sit a while, mouths agape, as others cool off in the man made lake - floating around in tubes, or kayaking.  I really didn't prepare for this very well.

B&L, Boardwalk, Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville, TN

A few neighbors attended UT, and said we had to eat at Calhoun's, so this is where we stopped for lunch because....BBQ.  An hour and a half wait to sit inside, so we took a seat on the the giant deck, right near the equally giant fan, where we cooled off and enjoyed lunch overlooking the Tennessee River.

After lunch we headed over to the UT Campus to go to the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture.  This free, and practically empty, museum provided respite from the heat and the boys really enjoyed it, particularly the Native American exhibit.  Once we got back to the hotel it was straight to the pool for the boys.  For all we did, this may have been the highlight of the day for them.

For dinner we decided to go to Babalu in downtown.  There used to be one in Charlotte, and it was a favorite of ours, but I'm not sure it is the same brand.  I'm not sure if we'd just had it, but tonight's meal seemed painful for the boys, and I end up eating most of the food.  At least the ice cream at Kilwins rescued the night.

Sylva, NC to Knoxville, TN

We got up early this morning and had breakfast at the hotel.  It was a little too early to head to Bryson City as we are on a 1pm train ride. So we made a quick 17 mile detour into Cherokee.  We had never been here before and had a quick drive through town.  Nothing was open here either.  Except for the mini golf at Golf n Gifts, so we stopped and had a quick round.

It was a winding 10 miles from there down to Bryson City, where we are here to ride the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.  We have enough time to scoot around town, grab a snack and look through the railway museum before getting on the 1pm Tuckasegee River Excursion.  We are in the open-air cart for the hour and a half ride to Dillsboro.  The ride is relaxing, as we follow the picturesque Tuckasegee River south east.  The highlight was seeing the props used for the movie The Fugitive (I'll have to get the boys to watch it now).  We arrived in Dillsboro and head up to Haywood Smokehouse for lunch.  This is so good, and so much.  The boys and I can barely walk out of the restaurant.  But we do and take a quick look around town before getting back on the train for the food-coma ride back to Bryson City.

BD&L, Great Smoky Mountain Railway, Bryson City, NC

Over the Tuckasegee River, NC

We head off straight away as we still have 2 hour drive to Knoxville.  We arrive late in the afternoon and the boys are happy to get into the pool again once we've checked in to the Hampton Inn.  A migraine is brewing, so dinner is in the hotel and movies in bed are the order of the night.  Tomorrow we check out some of Knoxville.

Sylva, NC

It feels like we haven't left the house in 16 months (because basically we haven't).  So I decided to take the boys on a road trip to get them out of the house and to give Mom a break from having us there all the time while she is working from home.  We are headed to Knoxville, TN, as the boys have never been to Tennessee before and wanted to tick that of the list of states they've been to.

First we head down the I85 to Clemson where, after a Chick Fil A Lunch, we head to Issaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel. The Falls are flowing well and from our vantage point half way down we can get a good view of it and the surrounding forest. It started pouring as we got into Clemson (hence we didn't go over to the university), so the steep trail to get to the bottom of the falls was too muddy to continue on.  

B&L @ Issaqueena Falls, SC

Just 5 minutes away was the Stumphouse Tunnel.  This pre-Civil War, uncompleted railroad tunnel was supposed to connect Charleston to the Ohio River in the 1850's, but budget constraints meant the project was abandoned by 1859.  Today you can walk the 1/4 mile tunnel and escape the summer heat, as the tunnel remains constantly at 50 degrees.

B&L Indiana Jonesing out of Stumphouse Tunnel, SC

Afterwards we drive up to Sylva, NC, where we are to stay the night before heading to Bryson tomorrow to ride the Great Smoky Mountain Railway.  The boys are happy, as the Holiday Inn has a pool, and there are more than happy to spend the early evening playing here.

Charlotte Independence v New York Red Bulls II @ Memorial Stadium

It seems like forever since we've interacted with friends, and now with Covid settling down a little bit, we took the chance to hang with the Lochmans and go to the opening of Charlotte's revamped Memorial Stadium.

We met them at 1900 Mexican Grill for dinner al fresco before walking the 2 blocks down to the stadium.

The stadium looks great, and we have seats with our backs to the setting sun.  For an opening night, it is a little disappointing to see the stadium not half full, but it is blazing hot and people are still weary about being around other people in these strange times.

The game itself was a good one.   It was good for the boys to be so close and to hear the way the players and coaches communicate.  Unfortunately the result was not the best for the Independence, though it always looked like the game could go either way.  The night finished with a massive fireworks display before the short drive home. 

It will be interesting to see how successful this move is for the Independence with Charlotte FC joining the MLS next season and taking home at Bank of America Stadium

Charlotte Independence 2 (Dane Kelly 19, 41) vs New York Red Bulls II 3 (Jeremy Rafenello 13, Omar Sowe 70, Austin Brummett 79)
Attendance: 4,231

Charlotte Independence:  Brandon Miller, Hugh Roberts, Christian Dean, Kevin Riascos, Marcelo Palamino, Brandt Brianco (Noah Paravincini), Jake Areman, Clay Dimick (Blake Pope), Dane Kelly, (Jordan Bender), Irvin Parra (Sylvain Marveaux), Valentin Sabella (Tresor Mbuyu)

Unused Subs: Distel Zola, Austin Pack

New York Red Bulls II: Luca Lewis, Emir Tombul, Joseph Zalinsky, John Cortez (Samuel Williams), Matthew Acosta, Serge Ngoma (Austin Brummett), Daniel Edelman, Michael Knapp (Kyle Zajec), Omar Sowe, Jake Lacava, Jeremy Rafanello (Nicholas Nee)

Unused Subs: Timofey Timchenko, Samuel Joseph

Lynchburg, VA

After this morning's hearty breakfast at The White Hart Café we went to Bikes Unlimited to rent some bikes and ride along the river in Lynchburg.

The morning was spent cruising alongside the James River on the Riverwalk Trail.  A relaxing 2 hour ride, before the heat was turned up, made for a fun morning.  

B&L, Lynchburg, Virginia

Dad, L, B & Mom - Riverwalk Trail, Lynchburg, Virginia

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Crisp for a somewhat healthy lunch.  By the time we were back it was hot (again) and we spent a while just relaxing, trying to decide what to do in the afternoon.

After reading the hotel literature we opted to drive to the half hour east out to Appomattox - the sight of the end of the Civil War.  The boys weren't enthusiastic at first (no learning during Spring Break) but that was all to change.  We virtually had the place to ourselves upon arrival.  It seemed weird that such a significant historical event happened in this rural area near absolutely nothing.  Again, my knowledge of the area and event are minimal, plenty of volunteers and readings make sure that's not the case when you leave.  After a month or so of retreating west and a lack of supplies, both ammunition and food, General Lee surrendered at Appomattox when surrounded and outnumbered by General Grant's army.  Here, in the McLean House, the first treaty to end the Civil War was signed marking victory for the Union.  This well kept area has an eerie feel to it, but it is amazing feeling to add another landmark I've been to that I could never imagined 21 years ago when I left home.

McLean House, Appomattox, Virginia

Our last Lynchburg meal was at the much lauded Hot & Cold Café.  This Indian / Mediterranean restaurant had been spoken highly of by a lot of locals and hotel staff, and was a great meal to finish our Spring Break adventure before we head home in the morining.

Mom, Dad, L & B at Hot & Cold Café, Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, VA

Today we headed north an hour to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.  American history was not taught in Australia, so what I knew of Jefferson and this place was minimal.  Obviously Amy knew a lot, and the boys had started to learn a little about this period of time during the school year, but still this was going to be educational for all of us.

I learnt that Jefferson inherited the land and knew immediately where he wanted to build his home - on the favored hill of his childhood.  He started building in 1768, but changed design after 1794, after his time living in Europe.  The property was used to grow tobacco and wheat, but sadly under the labor of 600 slaves.  Jefferson continually worked on the house until his death in 1826.

Monticello

When you arrive, you are greeted by an actor portraying Jefferson, who tells a cheery story of Jefferson's life and legacy.  When you get up to the house, it is somewhat a different story.  While Jefferson's achievements are celebrated i.e., the Declaration of Independence, his presidency, founding of University of Virginia, etc., it is overshadowed when you are informed his use of slaves to achieve his greatness.  His slaves' stories are not shied away from, especially that of Sally Hemings - a sister-in-law, and slave he inherited from his father-in-law, who gave birth to 6 of Jefferson's children.  It was a real eye opening experience, even for Amy.  While the beauty of the house and its surrounds are magnificent, the foundation on which it was built is quite ugly.

After our tour we headed into Charlottesville to find lunch.  I think we left it too late, as the heat and hunger took hold of B and he started to feel unwell.  We hung out in the shade, in a park near UVA until he felt well enough to get back in the car.  

We sort air-conditioned comfort in the hotel for the afternoon, before walking to Bootleggers for dinner.  This bar and grill allowed for us to sit outside looking over the James River.  An after dinner walk saw us finish the evening eating giant ice creams at MayLynn's Creamery.

Lynchburg, VA

After a great night's sleep we did a quick walk around Lynchburg, before heading to My Dog Duke's Diner for breakfast.  I am pretty sure we've had our fill for the day after this smashing meal.

After breakfast we drove west for an hour to get to Natural Bridge State Park.  This park, as the name states, has a 215-foot natural arch, under which a mile and a half trail runs beside Cedar Creek up to Lace Falls.  The arch is pretty spectacular (bigger than anything I'd remembered at Arches National Park).  And the trail was an easy one in the beautiful weather.  The small Lace Falls makes for a good halfway point/photo opportunity/quick rest stop before heading back to the entrance.

L, M & B at Natural Bridge State Park, Virginia

Afterwards we drove up to Lexington to have a look around town, including lunch at The Palm.  A quick walk up and down main street before we were in the car headed back to Lynchburg along the scenic James River drive.

Took it easy in the afternoon, and while I thought we'd eaten enough for a lifetime today, we are travelling with two 10-year-olds, who can definitely put away some food.  We found a restaurant, La Caretta, within a 5 minute drive for dinner.  With Covid still ravishing the country, this is the first time we've eaten dinner in a restaurant since March of last year.  Got to admit, it felt kind of weird.  I hope this is the start of us working our way back to normality.

Charlotte, NC to Lynchburg, VA

So this year for Spring Break we took the boys on a Virginia Adventure.  Basing ourselves in Lynchburg, we have some plans to explore the area.

The trip started with a 3-hour drive to Salem to see Dixie Caverns.  We just missed a tour, so lunch at Which Wich to fill in the 1/2 hour wait before we headed in.  As soon as you're inside, the temperature becomes comfortable, as the claustrophobia kicks in, as you head down into the cavern.  Some great rock formations all throughout as we spent an hour inside.  The tour ended with the obligatory lights-off-for-complete-darkness, though the guide left the lights off a little too long for most people's liking.

LM&B @ Dixie Caverns, Salem, Virginia

While the plan was to go into Roanoke in the afternoon, we, instead, went onto Bedford to the National D-Day Memorial.  This Memorial is dedicated to those who fought during World War II (obviously, especially D-Day).  Not just America but all of her allies as well.  The out of the way site was chosen because Bedford had many of it's sons in regiments and lost 23 people during the attack.  While the physical number feels small, Bedford's population in 1944 was only 3200, a proportionally high number for a small community.  We spent an hour here, wandering the grounds and paying our respects.  A great (unexpected) stop.

National D-Day Memorial, Bedford, Virginia

A short drive after and we were at the Virginian Hotel - our home for the next 4 nights.  Mom and the boys went looking for dinner as I stayed in trying to control a migraine.  A good first day!  Looking forward to seeing some new places in the next couple of days.