And finally…
Back in Charlotte (thank you, Rick, for letting me eat lunch at Cracker Barrel on the way!
), we checked in at our hotel then met up with the folks and eventually went out to dinner. I’m pretty certain they liked me… no doubt they love their son, but I’m not sure they’ll forgive me for stealing him away to Mexico!
After dinner, Rick shared one of his old favorite haunts with me, the Double Door Inn. No one was even there when we showed up, except the bartender who recognized Rick from… how many years ago?? So we spent some time and quarters playing pool and I came THIS close to beating Rick, though he’s way better than I am.
Finally, the live music started (yeah, the musicians all knew him, too) and it was good stuff.
Though we would have loved to stay longer, we headed back to our airport hotel so a little sleep could happen before Rick’s 6 am flight. (Thank goodness mine was not ‘til 10!)
It was a great trip, getting to know Rick’s roots a little more and getting the opportunity to spend such a wonderful time with good friends whom I think we’ll stay close with for a long, long time.
THANK YOU, JACK AND LINDA, from the bottom of our hearts! (And folks, you GOTTA go there sometime! Here’s their website if you haven’t already seen it:
Highland Lake Inn (click here))
(Disclaimer: I might have gotten some of the photos labeled wrong, so, Jack… help me out here and I’ll correct them immediately!)