but first... adventures in raleigh

There are some friends in our lives with whom we need no plans. Running errands at BJs or wandering spontaneously around town can become the best adventures when these people are around. Yesterday my friend Travis (whom I absolutely adore) and I had one of those types of afternoons. He's one of the few friends I have who gets excited about the same random things that I do from open sun roofs to socially conscious slam poetry. And he's usually up for going along with whatever crazy plans I dream up.

We had planned to get coffee, but instead went to some of my favorite places around Raleigh in search of the best dictionary/ phrasebook for my trip. Reader's Corner did not have what we were looking for, but I bought some vintage postcards and Travis got a record. Yes, a vinyl record. We're very retro like that. :O) Todd who hosts monkeytime on the public access channel was working, and it was amusing asking him the questions I have always wanted to ask about segments they've done in the past.

Quail Ridge was next on the list. I finally did find the perfect slim volume that contains grammar, phrasebook, and dictionaries. So useful! In addition, I of course also found a new journal just made for the next six months- Alice in Wonderland with great quotes from the book throughout the journal. Shopping concluded, I figured we would say goodbye, but I thought of one more place we had to go.

As it turns out, Travis had just been to the Arboretum, and he made an excellent guide. I had been there once before in the winter, and I don't think I saw one tenth of it that time. If you've never been, and you live near Raleigh- go! Right now may be one of the best times. It's near NC State by Neomonde off of Hillsborough Street. (Another great place!)

Travis proclaimed that we needed to start with the succulent garden. Before I could even make a joke, he cut me off teasing me about my "fetish for innuendo." It's true! (And very well put.) So we continued exploring the various gardens... Winter Garden, Asian Garden, etc. Everywhere we went there were gorgeous plants to see and smell and sometimes even taste. We made our way to a fig tree with fully ripe fruit and couldn't help but try some. Sorry City of Raleigh! I think the last time I ate figs off of a tree was seventeen years ago in Italy when my family was immigrating.

Despite Travis's better advice, I also tried some of the ripe flying dragon fruit we came across. The fruits themselves looked like tiny tangerines only with fuzzy peach-like skin. They smelled far too fragrant to be poisonous, I decided. Sure enough, when I sucked the juice, it was tart but slightly sweet and extremely aromatic. Totally worth it. I looked the plant up online later, and it's a perfectly safe if uncommon citrus.

My favorite things in the Arboretum though have to be all of the places with water, especially the miniature waterfall into the pond with fish and stunning lavender water lilies. Maybe it's a Pisces thing. There was also a weeping elm that looked like something out of a storybook, and we made it a point to sneak in under the canopy and play for a bit under there. It somehow reminded me of the twisted old olive trees I saw in Israel ten years ago.

I can't believe I'm going back there so soon! Reality washes over me more and more often, but each time it's still a fantastic surprise that it's really happening. Actually, the desert plants reminded me that in a week I will be hiking through the Negev and sleeping underneath the 1,000,000 star sky. (I'll be sure to count and get back to you about the accuracy of the nomenclature.)

I'm really looking forward to living in another country rather than simply visiting for a period of time. I can't wait for a winter holiday season without Christmas things in every store. Although I hear there really isn't very much in the way of Chanukah in Israel either, since it's a fairly minor holiday in Judaism. Purim should be great and Pesach too. What do you say in place of "Next year in Jerusalem???" There's also this issue of it being the seventh year in a cycle, and so technically Jewish farmers can't grow anything on their land. Should be interesting!

Three more days...