Wilmington

Just how far will grandparents go for quality time with a grandchild? Patty and I, apparently, will go at least 600 miles, to Georgia . . . again . . . our third visit in just over six months. This time we will watch over the youngest grandchild while her parents attend a no-child-allowed wedding near Eatonton, a town we passed through last Fall as we trailed Sherman's army to the coast. Who knew we'd be back so soon?

The prospect of 9 or 10 hours in the car is a little daunting, however. My search for options roughly halfway to Georgia lands soon enough on Wilmington, NC. This port city is one of those places that feels tantalizing close . . . and worthy of a visit . . . every time we speed south on I-95 but realistically is too far off track to justify a detour. Until today: it becomes our first day's destination, though not the day's first destination. That honor belongs to Parker's BBQ in Wilson, for little reason other than it's on our route, although 10:30 feels a little early for a barbecue sandwich.

No, wait . . . that's crazy talk. Why shouldn't we enjoy a mid-morning barbecue snack? And we're not alone as a handful of diners are scattered throughout the ginormous dining room . . . social distancing is easy enough . . . including a trio of middle-aged men earnestly discussing a schism in their local church.

Parker's has a couple more things going for it in my book. It's a local tradition, opening way back in 1946. They still smoke whole hogs . . . about 150 each week . . . which are chopped and seasoned with a vinegar-and-red-pepper sauce in classic eastern Carolina style. Unfortunately for whole hog snobs (surely not me), they made the switch from wood pits to gas smokers in the 1950s. Still, it's the best barbecue I'll have all day.

The weather gods threaten us with light rain showers off and on all day but miraculously hold off as we explore Moore's Creek National Battlefield . . . site of the first significant victory for Patriots over Loyalists . . . and a section of boardwalk along the Cape Fear River. We've arrived in Wilmington too late to experience most of what it has to offer . . . the city seems to roll up its sidewalks pretty early, except for the exorbitant number of waterfront bars and CBD parlors. I can only imagine . . . since I'll never experience . . . a fairly lively scene after dark.

Friday we plan to explore a section of North Carolina coastline. Here's hoping the weather continues to cooperate.Read more