A special visitor and a celebrity encounter

For three days recently, I had the honor of hosting a good friend who lives in Vienna, Austria. First of all, it was GREAT to see her, because I hadn't seen her since February 2009 when I was last in Vienna. But having her visit me in North Carolina was extra special, especially since it was her first trip to the USA!!!

We went to the farm in eastern NC, then drove down to North Myrtle Beach so she could see the Atlantic Ocean from "this side of the pond." Meanwhile, back in the city, we toured Charlotte and had a wonderful meal at a vegetarian restaurant. It just so happens we were there at the same time as actor/musician Mandy Patinkin, who sat just a few feet away from us! (Apparently he was in town filming his TV series Homeland -- which happens to be one of my current favorites -- because we saw the film crew filming on Tryon Street that same evening.)

We all enjoyed her visit, and hope she can come back again and stay longer next time! :-)))