It's beginning to feel a lot like....... Christmas?!

Wow. It is warm. Too warm for December! Check it:

Statement as of 1:50 PM EST on December 10, 2007

... Record high temperature set at the Raleigh-Durham international
Airport today...

As of 150 PM... the Raleigh-Durham international Airport has reached
a high temperature of 80 degrees. This breaks the previous record for
December 10th of 76 degrees... last set in 1972. In addition... 80
degrees ties the record high temperature for the month of December
... Which was reached on 12/6/1998 and 12/7/1998. This product will
be updated later today once the official high temperature has been
reached.

The normal high temperature at the Raleigh-Durham international
Airport for December 10th is 55 degrees.

More winter weather?!?!?!

I'm blogging while eating breakfast because apparently we had/are experiencing some winter weather. It took everyone by surprise! I swear when we watched the news before bed there was NO MENTION of anything frozen falling from the sky.

Apparently it's a pretty big problem on the roads - especially ones with bridges. The local news is reporting that I-40 is just about shut down because of multiple accidents due to the SURPRISING slick roads. My commute includes 4 major bridges - 2 I never want to cross when slick (Neuse River bridge at Falls Lake damn and the Atlantic Avenue - up hill and curvy- bridge over the rail road tracks). So I'm going to wait until the sun comes up before going out.

Here's the latest winter weather advisory (although I think it will be extended beyond 7am because of the amount of precipitation and below freezing temps that hover over northern Wake county):

Statement as of 6:29 AM EST on December 07, 2007


... Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 7 am EST this
morning...

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 7 am EST this
morning.

A fast moving upper level disturbance will cause scattered light
sleet or light freezing rain before daybreak. Though only trace
amounts of precipitation are expected... even trace amounts can
cause slippery conditions on roads... especially on bridges and
overpasses. Extreme caution is advised for early morning
motorists in the Highway 70 east corridor through the central
coastal plain and between Raleigh and Wilson.

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of frozen or
freezing precipitation will cause travel difficulties. Be
prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities... and use
caution while driving.

UPDATE AT 7:30am:
70 accidents reported in the area

Wooo! First snow!(flake)

Quick weather report: "A mix of mainly spotty drizzle...and a few snow flurries will continue to be possible across the northern counties of North Carolina through noon. Areas likely affected include The Triad east through the Triangle...and into the northern coastal plain. Any precipitation will be brief... and will begin to taper off after noon. Temperatures will continue to rise into the mid 40s."

It's official! I saw the first snow flakes in Raleigh this morning. I also heard that it's coming down at a pretty good clip just west of here, so hopefully we'll see a few more flakes! It's not exactly a winter wonderland, but it is SNOW!

Thanksgiving (pt 2)

The weekend after Thanksgiving was spent in the [cold] mountains of Asheville. We decided to stay somewhere different and choose the Bent Creek Lodge. It is listed as a "Bed & Breakfast" but it is a wonderful, semi-rustic, cozy mountain lodge just south of Asheville (address is Arden). If the weather had been warmer/dryer and Paul's bike wasn't broken, it would have been the perfect place for us to mountain bike. We stayed in the "tree room" and enjoyed sitting by the fire, watching birds and eating the amazing breakfast. If you're looking for an alternative to the overpriced, under impressive hotels in Asheville, check out the Bent Creek Lodge.

Paul enjoying the fire & reading materials in the common room


While in Asheville, we did the usual things - eat at Apollo Flame, Tupelo Honey (buy honey to take home), walk around the Grove Arcade, visit UNCA, pay $6 to park/visit the NC Arboretum, you know the usual things we do. It's more fun to say it with pictures:



Interior of the Arcade


Exterior of the Arcade


Paul at the riveting NC Arboretum exhibit (the history of flowerpots, seriously)


Mom & Dad at the quilt garden


Yews are serious plants (ha!)


Bonsai Garden (the cold wind was sucking the life out of us, but it was an awesome garden)


Gates at the Bonsai garden


Size perspective


Can you tell we liked the Bonsai?


Visiting the Alma Mater (it has been 5 years since we graduated!) - check out the new science building being built next to the library - it is a MONSTER!






The University Seal - me squinty

Our different meal was SUSHI! with mom & dad. We ate the Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse in Biltmore Village. Their sushi was ok, nothing like our neighborhood sushi joint, but it sorta hit the spot. Mom, Paul and I split "sushi for 3" which means it comes out on a BIG BOAT (dad stuck with hibachi shrimp).






And our trip to Asheville wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Grove Park Inn. This time of year they host the "National Gingerbread House Competition" and it is one of my favorite things to go and see. This year did not disappoint. They only had the "top winners" on display at the Inn (other entries were around town, like at the Grove Arcade). I'm testing the slide show for these photos (let me know if it works for you and if you like it/not).

Gingerbread Houses at the Grove Park Inn (and other superfluous photos of us and the parents)


Want to see more pictures of the gingerbread houses? Go here (they aren't mine and show a little more detail)