Daughter Lise and friend Magda did not push the first few days they were here, giving themselves time to adjust to this time zone. They live six hours ahead of me. They were eager to walk, though, and had a chance to chat with neighbor Joyce on their first full day.

To help me, they moved totes in the garage where seasonal things are stored.

The first tourist thing we did was go to Winchester Creek Farm. We saw alpacas, llamas, and other less exotic animals. Our guide knew all about the animals, including things about their breed, names, ages, quirks, and stories about them.

Our trip started the next day with a lavish brunch buffet at the Grove Park Inn just north of Asheville. I think most standard breakfast foods were available from eggs Benedict to shrimp and grits, scrambled eggs with bacon or sausage, pancakes, Wagyu beef, banana bread French toast, pastries, and desserts. Being people who love to eat, we three were in hog heaven.

After breakfast, we settled in to drive all the way across the state to the Outer Banks, an area new to all of us.