Another First

My mom came down for Mother's Day. Making her our first houseguest as a couple!

Of course, the travel between the land up north and here down south could not have gone without SOME sort of hitch. It turns out the plane she was leaving on had a loose screw (I kid you not), so her arrival was delayed for 5 hours.
Needless to say, she was more than happy to be treated to a margarita upon her arrival. Fortunately, the weather here was cooperating and we were able to enjoy them on the porch.
We then took her on a brief driving tour of our lovely (if quiet) community and stopped for dinner at Sweet Potatoes-- a nice little restaurant downtown in the Arts District.

Good food. Friendly staff. And we didn't feel self-conscious about being underdressed. A winning combination in my book. We'll definitely go back.

Stormy weather forced us to shuffle plans around a little bit. So, instead of hiking over to our original destination on Mother's Day, we instead went to Reynolda House.

Self-guided audio tours are free. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside, so this is all you get. Also unfortunate is the fact that they don't give you any of the good gossip on the Reynolds clan. On the flip side, one of our wicked friendly neighbors is a longtime resident of the area and clued us in.

My mom and I share a love of the Gilded Age as well as well-to-do American families so this was all in good fun. Just for the record, we've also been here, here, and here. And, like a good gay son, I took her to this.

The next day, we went to our original destination.

Another self-guided audio tour. Again, none of the good gossip. But, the thing is friggin' huge! (I think the tour had 63 rooms on four floors.) We were pretty wiped out afterward, so we only did a little bit of the grounds...





... before heading up to the winery.

Hello!
Reminder: check on transportation of liquids (including wine) if you're travelling. Mom made it home with no problem after we packed it up tight and gave her an extra suitcase to check.
One last stop for some regional barbeque...

... and it was back up north for Mom.

All in all, a good visit. Granted, we've only been here for just over two months, but I'd missed her and it was nice to have a little slice of home.