Author Archives: patsypridgen

Remember when all we used to do to decorate for Halloween was carve a pumpkin the day of, stick it on the porch, and then wait for the trick or treaters? That’s considered pretty lame in today’s contest to have … Continue reading →

Because my husband has an annual fall conference in Asheville, my guaranteed October trip to the North Carolina mountains is this lovely destination. Asheville is a lively blend of old mountain culture—think apple butter and rustic crafts—and a hip, new-age … Continue reading →

What a long, strange summer it’s been. The calendar says it’s October 10, but temperatures are still in the upper 80s here in eastern North Carolina. So I’m still in shorts and flip flops. As of today, we’ve had only … Continue reading →

This past weekend, I was asked for travel advice by a husband and father of two pre-school daughters. “My wife and I want to take our girls to Italy, but there’s no way we can do the museums and cathedrals … Continue reading →

On Wednesday, September 19, 2018, five days after Hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina, Al and I finally made it to Lands End in Emerald Isle—well, sort of—to assess the damage to our beach house. Here’s what we … Continue reading →

I was going to post some funny stories about traveling around Italy in a nine-passenger van dubbed “The Black Plague,” but this hurricane business is all I can think about right now. Although the current forecast (Wednesday, 9/12) shows Florence … Continue reading →

I’m home from Italy, where I ate and ate and ate. My wonderful Italian food experience ranks right up there with seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa and climbing to the top of the Duomo in Florence. My husband and … Continue reading →

School bells are about to ring—but not for me. I retired from teaching almost five years ago. Still, I couldn’t resist buying one of these only-a-quarter composition books at Walmart. I miss buying school supplies, but I can’t say I … Continue reading →

This post is intended for critical thinkers. Warning: there are no pictures. Recently, I attended a three-day writing workshop on the campus of NC State. (Click here to read the column I wrote about my Friday morning parking woes: http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/Patsy-Pridgen/2018/08/12/Campus-parking-poses-a-problem.html … Continue reading →

In just a few weeks, I’ll be in Italy. The Tuscany area, to be exact. Florence, the capital of this beautiful district in central Italy, is where my husband and I will spend the first three nights of our trip. … Continue reading →