I hadn't been back to North Carolina in almost four years, and it was great to finally go back and see family!

Grandpa!
Grandpa's getting older and crankier and is blind now, but he's still fun and still quite a story teller!

The House
It was only the second time I'd been back to the house since Grandma died, but her memory is not forgotten...

The Family
Most of Bobbie's gang was out of town for the holiday, and we forgot to take the photo when Tom's gang was here, but it's a start. I did get to see lots of folks I hadn't seen many moons! (Many thanks to Terry, our gracious host for the weekend!)

Just the Girls
My cousin Steph had little Jordan 4 years ago! What a cutie!

Mark & Prentice
Was great to see Mark before he had to get back on a plane for work...

Tanning
Grandpa's pool has always been a favorite place to hang out with family. Deb and Prentice apparently spent a good deal of time out here in the sun. (Grandpa uses baby oil and jokes that he doesn't know what sun screen is). Mom and I enjoyed some nice time in the sun over the course of the weekend, but were considerably less tan than the locals.

The Happy Couple
Who doesn't love funoodles?

Siblings
Mom (oldest of the 4 kids), Tom (youngest of the 4 kids), and Tyler (youngest grandkid of 11!)

Grandma's old shoes!
Mom found this cool pair of old shoes... the house is a treasure chest of neat stuff!

Boys and their toys
For example, other neat stuff includes these toys I found sitting on Grandpa's bar shelf :)

My cousin Zach
We got to see Zach and meet his new girlfriend (she was great, and will hopefully come visit Seattle sometime soon)

Not Amused
Mom didn't look too excited about Charlie's new camera

Prentice & Stef
However, these two looked quite excited

Steph and Jordan
Jordan is the first great grand kid of the family... she's adorable and very shy

Angry Monkey
If you were a monkey forced to wear diapers and spend your Saturdays at the flea market, you'd probably be angry too. (Of course, Mom & Dad go every time they're in town, and Terry goes every weekend! I had fun, and wouldn't have minded rescuing the monkey from the market).

Only in the South!
Dairy Queen had cakes with designs of NASCAR racing and of fishin'... I love it!

All in all, I had a great time seeing family over the 4th of July was it was nice to finally have a relaxing weekend by the pool. The End!