November 28, 1992: A Tour of the Crump's Garden Greenhouses
	Return to the Index for 1992

Just before Christmas, I started out on a trip that would take me home through the Christmas holiday, and then down to Florida for a couple of days, and then back to Dallas for New Year's.

I left Dallas very early in the morning on Sunday, December 20th. I could have left on Saturday, but Fred had stayed over Friday night and did not leave for his Mom's house until 9AM on Saturday. That would have been too late for me to leave and still get to my Mom's condo in Charlotte at any reasonable hour, so I waited until the next day.

I simply took Interstate 20 east from Dallas, passing through Louisiana and Mississippi, and then angling northeast through Alabama and around Birmingham to reach Atlanta. Even leaving as early as it did, it was dinnertime when I got there, so I stopped at a Wendy's before continuing on to Charlotte, reaching my Mom's house just before midnight. I had a key, so I let myself in so I wouldn't wake her up.

I played bridge with my Mom twice on Monday down at the Charlotte Bridge Club, and on Tuesday I went up to Elon to visit with my sister for a day. Christmas would be at my sister's this year, and I would be taking Mom up there on Christmas Eve, but I wanted a bit more time with my sister than the single night Mom and I would spend there.

Getting to my sister's from Charlotte is a trip that I have made innumerable times. We did it quite a few times when my Dad was alive, and in the years since I have driven the route more times than I can count. There have been changes over the years as new highways have been built, but it is basically the same route.

I left my Mom's condo and headed south to Tyvola Road, and then west back to I-77, which I took north to the interchange with I-85. Then it's north on I-85 all the way to Greensboro. The road has been widened in sections over the years as the Piedmont cities have grown, and there is now a new bypass around Greensboro altogether. I-85 continues to I-40 just east of Greensboro; actually, I-40 terminates in I-85.

It is in the route to my sister's farm from I-85 that the biggest changes have come, although most of those occurred subsequent to my trip up here this time.

At this point in time, I follow the same route that I have followed since my sister first moved up here from Charlotte and first my Dad and then Mom and I have come up to visit.

I exit off I-85 at Huffman Mill Road, and then double back west on a local street to pick up Williamson Avenue, a street which does not have its own exit from I-85. This I take north through the town of Elon and right through the middle of Elon College (now Elon University) and out the north side of town.

This puts me on Elon-Ossippee Road that angles off to the northwest, and I follow that all the way to Lowe Road, the country road my sister is on. Turning left, I go about a half mile to her driveway.

Like most places, Elon has grown in the twenty years since 1995, to the point where there has been a lot of development near to I-85 (which is now six lanes rather than four) southwest of Elon proper. There has been so much growth in this area that a new road has been built to intersect with I-85; it is called University Drive.

Now I can get to Judy's without the convoluted route from Huffman Mill and without going through the University. This new road connects to a bypass that has been built around Elon, and it connects up directly with Elon-Ossippee Road. My guess is that this cuts fifteen minutes off the trip to see my sister.

You may not care very much what my sister's house looks like, but just to make my album more complete, and because I have access to it now, I want to include an aerial view here.

The pond belongs to the property next door, although her driveway runs quite close to it. Down by the road is the old barn that was there when she bought the property. It is a typical red country barn, and served her well for a number of years.

Other than the barn, she has the house, and all the property to that tree line between her and the farm next door (where they grow cash crops). Judy has horses, and so her pastures are undeveloped.

In October, my sister began construction of a new barn to house her prize stallion, Patrikk, and her other horses and the horses that would be boarded while breeding to Patrikk. Now, at the end of December, the barn was actually nearing completion, and I am glad I had a chance to see it under construction.

I took a number of pictures today here at my sister's house, and I've put them into a little slideshow. To go from one picture to the next, just click on the little "backward" and "forward" symbols in the bottom corners of each "slide". The numbers in the upper left will tell you where you are in the show. Enjoy!

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I spent a pleasant afternoon and evening with Judy and Bob, and returned to Charlotte the next day. Mom and I came back up on Christmas Eve, and we were joined on Christmas Day by Ted and Jeffie. Mom and I returned to Charlotte on Saturday, and played bridge again that evening. I left for a couple of days in Florida on Sunday, and was back in Dallas on the 30th to spend New Year's with Fred, Ron Mathis and Chris up at Ron's house in Plano.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	November 28, 1992: A Tour of the Crump's Garden Greenhouses
	Return to the Index for 1992