Greenville, South Carolina

May 8th

We bid farewell to the Sea Islands and Beaufort and drove to the Upcountry. The highway gradually became more hilly and curvy. Somewhere between Columbia and Greenville, we crested a hill and were rewarded by a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This was very exciting for a couple of Floridians.

We checked into our hotel in downtown Greenville and then went for a walk in Falls Park on the Reedy, a very pretty park that I always look forward to seeing when I visit. The hotel had upgraded us to a corner suite, so our good friends from college Hope and Dave Murtaugh joined us for a little wine and cheese and a lot of laughter and catching up.

Hope and Dave's eldest son John and his wife, Kat, had just bought their first house, so we stopped by for a little tour before going out to dinner. (We sold a house, they bought a house, and the universe stayed in equilibrium.)

May 9th

We celebrated Mother's Day with a brunch at the Murtaughs in their big, beautiful house. Dave made his famous omelets - delicious! Their other sons Daniel and Sam joined us, and as a bonus, so did Jacob Montgomery, who grew up in the house across the street from us in Tampa and is an honorary Wilson kid. Jake recently moved to Greenville for a new job.

It is always a huge treat to spend time with Hope and Dave! We're hoping to see them again at another stop (or two) in our Epic Road Trip.