After the big night........................

We really 'went to town' for New Year's Eve!

A chilly night, but no wind or dampness, so it wasn't 

bad out if you bundled up. We pinned on our 

First Night 2014 buttons (thank you people who 

support the arts and worked so hard 

to make this such a great night), and joined 

the merrymakers to.......

• Walk, a lot!
• March in the People's Procession.
• Enjoy fabulous music venues from Mozart on a huge church organ, to bluegrass, folk, pure jazz, and a new British singer from Yorkshire who thrilled us with her songwriting, voice and piano skills. Go here to listen to Fran Smith who was here in Raleigh last night - for her first American performance! This gal will go a long way.
• Chow down on Mexican - the only restuarant we could get a seat without a reservation!
• Spend far too long trying to get through 100,000 other merrymakers to get back to the Marriott Hotel.......but made it just in time to get to our room, pop the bubbly, watch the acorn being dropped below us at midnight, and make a rousing well-intentioned toast to you of course, as the fireworks burst so close we could feel the windows shudder!

This morning we were a bit lazy and missed breakfast 

at the hotel. OK though as it meant we could have a little 

lunch which included black-eyes peas, collard greens and 

cornbread, a Southern tradition which supposedly brings  

prosperity in the new year......and who would pass up on a 

chance at that!

We took a little exercise after lunch, 

walking for a while through a favorite 

shopping center.....it was quiet, 

sunny and cool, but a nice way to start the 

new year and chat about plans for the 

coming months of 2014.

Hope your celebration was fun.

Don't know about you but I'm over celebrations

for some time.........but wouldn't you know it, 

stopping at the drugstore on the way home, the 

shelves were bowing under the weight of hundreds of 

very red, heart-shaped chocolate boxes - shame on retail.