North Carolina - Utopia Plantation

My niece, Kim, my brother's daughter, has lived in North Carolina for many years with her partner, Laurie, and for the last 20 of those years on a 150 acre farm, Utopia Plantation, in the countryside about half an hour south of Raleigh.  

She has retired from her two previous careers, the first in the military, the second owning a commercial construction company and now raises hay on the farm.

 I've fantasized about visiting her there for years and now that she's poised to sell and move back to California, I thought I better make the trip.  Early October is one of two times of the year when the weather is tolerable so, on September 30, I flew to Raleigh where Kim met me and drove me to the farm.  Yes, it was warm and humid but very tolerable and her farm is beautiful, undulating hills and dense forest, a pond and the muddy, brown Deep River at the bottom of the property.  

We were met by the menagerie:  Oliver, a Pomeranian who I think kind of runs the show,

Caliph, a totally blind black lab who runs around that farm like he can see perfectly,

 
Sadie, a little three legged mutt who races all over like the wind, 

Cody, a very old, mostly lame and very sweet black lab, 

Lula, a very traumatized dog who stays well away from everyone,

 and Sassafras, a big old mostly deaf Great Dane.  

Kim and Laurie are very involved in an animal rescue organization, CARA (Carolina Animal Rescue and Adoption) hence all these damaged dogs.  Those animals are a bunch of characters and a very big presence on the farm. 

Oh, and the two horses, Sister

and Sherlock 

and the cat, Mama Cat (sorry, no photo).  Day one started with the daily morning walk with the dogs through the fields to the river followed by breakfast and I can't remember what else except an emergency trip to the CARA office to repair a water leak, a story in itself.  

Some other critters at the farm:

Alfonso

Alfonso Díaz Infante Capdevielle (Poncho for short) owns Anys Hostal where I've been staying on my last several visits to Mexico City and we've become friends over the years.  

He's not your average Mexican having come from a wealthy family.  His grandfather was a doctor and the head of Red Cross in Mexico City for 30yrs.  Alfonso created the hotel in grandfathers big old home so the rooms in the main part of the home are quite grand and it's located in a vibrant, up and coming neighbourhood of the city. I've been encouraging him to come and visit me in Victoria and, to my surprise, he took me up on my offer this fall.  We had a great time.  The weather was perfect and we spent a lot of time just exploring around the city.  

 Chalk art festival

 

There was the obligatory visit to Butcharts Gardens which he thoroughly enjoyed.  

A kayak outing, a first for him, bike rides out into the country, bluegrass night at the Cornerstone Cafe with a gang of friends.  A lovely lunch with friend Phyllis at Point No Point on the coast west of Victoria.  

Phyllis and Alfonso

 A distant glimpse of maybe humpback whales?

And so forth.  It was great fun to host him and I think he had a good time.