We thought we would give a quick update on our whirlwind tour of the states so far. We started off in Boston where we caught a few breaths from our hectic wrap up in Leeds. In Boston I got a full dose of American history in the first day as we walked the Freedom trail. On day two we hired a car (guiltily emitting some carbon) and headed to Maine for Adrian and Alex’s wedding. Maine is gorgeous – very lush and green. It is well known for lobster and blueberries, both of which we managed to eat. We also managed to sneak in a sunset hike in Camden Hills State Park, which gave us a striking view of the Maine coast from its heights. Adrian and Alex’s wedding was lovely and lots of fun — the ceremony, set at Alex’s family homestead, was beautiful and everyone danced the night away in the barn.

On Sunday and Monday after the wedding we made a swift visit to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to catch up with Mark’s friends. Chapel Hill is a trendy little town where Mark did his post-graduate studies and where he has some great friends. As well as the great company, of note in Chapel Hill was a really good goat sandwich from a place called Sandwhich and some gourmet Popsicles at Locopops (cucumber & chilli and mango & chilli). We then headed to the Harris family’s favourite beach spot, the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We spent a week with Jay and Ginny relaxing, eating and drinking in a great little house right on the beach. Ginny cooked up a storm for us; we have eaten non-stop, enjoying lots of fresh seafood, good southern breakfasts and Mexican amongst other things. On our first night she prepared a fantastic meal of stuffed pasta shells with a goat cheese, blueberry, and pine nut spinach salad. Jay mixed up a few tasty margaritas to enjoy with it.

From here we did a whistle stop tour to see Mark’s grandma (“Mimi”) and family in Charlotte, North Carolina and Barnesville, Ohio. Everyone has been so accommodating and welcoming. They have also fed us non-stop. When I think I can’t eat anymore someone will whip up something delicious, for instance Mark’s Grandma made us fried green tomatoes fresh from the garden (I couldn’t resist).

We spent the last week with Jay, Ginny, Amy and the boys in Columbus, Ohio. We have had a great time touring around and getting to know Mark’s home town. We ate at North Market, which is Columbus’s version of Borough Market. We went for cocktails at the Franklin Park Conservatory, had drinks with Josh and Justin at Surly Girl, went shopping in the funky Short North, and watched the Columbus Clippers (the local minor league baseball team) lose one of their last games in their current stadium. I even found a great vintage wedding dress shop!

Tonight we start our railroad adventure across the country…next stop Omaha, Nebraska.

[imgset:72157607094405158,thumbnail,true]

[imgset:72157606985479568,thumbnail,true]