Meanwhile....back in NC (December 8, 2012)

Patty and I did one of our favorite things, got out in the car, turned on some Christmas music, got some coffee, and drove around the area a bit to check out some of the houses during Christmas time. This is one of my favorites back home...one of the very old houses on Union Street in downtown Concord. There are some fine places there, and most of them are decorated for Christmas. Unlike Richmond, not really a lot of wild houses, it is a fine but different sort of thing there. Though, as I have noted, there are a few places that really pump out the wattage (and run up electric bills) in the area.  

Lots of nice houses, such as this one at left) in the neighborhood. Of course, it has not felt much like Christmas yet, being as it was last year, warm for this time of year (in fact on Sunday it got up to 70 degrees, which also is what is happening in Richmond, VA as I write this on Sunday December 9). The Charlotte area gets some snow (I read the average for a year is a bit over four inches) but normally the winters are pretty moderate (get a lot more winter upstate, especially in the mountains). This though has been pretty unusual. Nonetheless, it was a very good time, and a nice way to spend a Saturday night in NC.