Nancy's car was on the fritz, needing a new clutch or something, so
she rented a behemoth with handicap-friendly features. On the whole
it was not too bad but with a lot of quirks, including a substantial
hesitation when she hit the accelerator, a dismayingly wide
wheelbase, and a Garmin with a mind of its own. I rode with
her, the Shipps going in their own vehicle.

We got a timely start and were rolling out of there after Washington
rush hour and in time to beat Richmond-Fredericksburg rush hour. We
went what we thought was the Garmin shortest route, but instead of
taking us on the Beltway, it wanted to route us through DC, so we
said uh-uh to that and got us on the Outer Loop and then down 95,
with the thing complaining at every exit until we figured out how
to mute it. On the way we sought out all the classical stations
we could, and Nancy put them into the presets, which we hope but
doubt the next renters will appreciate. Speaking of which, when we
stopped, I checked the GPS presets, and the thing was programmed
to avoid all highways, which we fixed.

It was an uneventful trip, taking a tad over 4 1/2 hours, and we
got to the Hafflys' pleasant abode in the mid-afternoon. We were
welcomed with snacks and sweets, and we hung around until Dale and
Gail arrived, rather tardily. It turns out they'd been a bit behind
us, and between the time we took I-85 and when they got to that
intersection, there was some kind major tie-up, and their own GPS
took them up hill and down dale, as it were, and they did a bunch
more miles than we had.

There were mushrooms in the yard, and I was hoping that they were
Armillaria mellea, but on major consultations with the Internet,
Steve discovered that they were A. tabescens, a species that is
less tasty and more inclined to cause digestive upset. We decided
that that risk would be a lousy idea for a picnic weekend, so we
figured a dish of foraged mushrooms would not go on the table.

At some time it was decided to find dinner, and after a false start
we went to a favorite near their church, Forks cafeteria. We got
there at what appeared to be near closing time. It is a large square
room with lots of tables, few of which were being occupied. We were
told that for some meals, especially the Sunday after-church buffet,
there would be a line out the door, with the lucky few getting to
sit on a sofa or an armchair in a cute little mockup of a living
room (complete with fireplace) in the corner.

Standard but good cafeteria fare from a normal cafeteria line, which,
as we dithered a lot, went slowly. The line help didn't seem to mind,
as it was close to closing and the clientele was dwindling.

A fried pork chop was tender and pretty good but salty; ditto with
the fried chicken thigh, which was juicy though well done and
probably previously frozen.

I tried Dale's fried catfish and found it probably the best of the
lot, juicy and not very pondwatery-tasting.

My sides were white corn, which had suffered from having sat for
probably all evening, very sweet but by this time a little tough,
and fried okra, good standard.

I tried Steve's field peas, of which the consensus was that they
were like stewed blackeyes, but I thought better; the Shipps
thought they were perhaps not as good.

Things I didn't try included collards (reported tough), cabbage
(reported vegetarian), and grape salad (reported to be grapes,
nuts, and (ugh) lots of mayo).

The Shipps got lemon meringue pie. The rest of us had been clued in
to a stop at Lumpy's ice cream, a friendly spot down the road just a
little, where I tried the "stupid hot" flavor, made with chocolate
peppers and others from the species. It has a strong sinense flavor
and substantial heat, too much for normal people.

I tasted the fig, which was kind of nice, but I found the flavor
too mild, and then went for a double cup with chocolate and
nondairy chocolate. The former was a standard milk chocolate,
rather good for that; the nondairy was deep dark and flavorsome
but sort of crystalline. The counter man apologized for the
hardness and the shardiness.

Back at the house Stephen's pulled pork became an object of
interest. He pulls it with these horror-movie claws that are
said to be easier and more efficient than the two forks method
I am familiar with. He presented Nancy and me each with a square
of fat and rind - delicious, though a bit on the salty side, as
one might expect. This weekend was to be an indulgent one.

Back to the house for sweets and chats, and then the Shipps and
I went off to the AirB&B, a bit less than ten miles down the
road in Raleigh.
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