Mom, me and Phil enjoying happy hour in Saxapahaw, NC (August 2012)
I went to North Carolina this summer to visit my mother and brother, and we made a list of things we wanted to do while I was there. Phil brought up the idea of going to a town called Saxapahaw because he had read that it was a great day-trip option for foodies. It’s a small, sleepy town west of Chapel Hill, where my family lives, that has begun to gain renown because of the renovations and eateries that are being added:
- Saxapahaw, N.C., Middle of Somewhere, Becomes a Draw
- The Impulsive Traveler: Details, Saxapahaw, N.C..
We made the half-hour drive in high spirits and with high hopes. Yes, it was a hot and steamy day in August, but how bad could that be once we were lounging comfortably on the back deck of a Saxapahaw café, overlooking the beautiful Haw River and enjoying local gourmet food and beer?
Now, I don’t want to complain too much, but it was actually a little weird. Perhaps we went on a bad day—it was in the middle of the week in the afternoon—but there was nothing at all that we could find to “take in” about the place. And we only saw a handful of people during the few hours we spent there! I’m thinking maybe Saxapahaw has a really good PR person. 😉
Luckily, we ran into a man on the street who had bought and nicely renovated a portion of the old mill and turned it into The Eddy Pub. We took our rest there over an appetizer plate and some nice local beers. In the end we had a good time because, let’s face it, the company is always more important than the locale. And best of all our waitress graciously took this lovely photo of the three of us.
Product/technique notes:
I followed the November Club CK sketch, below, and am entering it in the challenge. The background paper (which put me in mind of designs you’d find in an old pub) is from Fancy Pants’ The Good Life collection, the butterfly stamps are by Martha Stewart Crafts, the flair is from BasicGrey’s Fact and Fiction collection.
