By Rosie Moore

Many months ago I wrote about Durham, North Carolina, where my son and his family reside. Once again I visited there and, although he still lives there, I have two granddaughters who now live in Raleigh, North Carolina, so I decided to write about it. It is a beautiful city named the “City of Oaks” for its many oak trees which line the streets in the center.

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and the second-largest city, next to Charlotte. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It was named after Sir Walter Raleigh and is an early example of a planned city. It was originally laid out in a grid pattern with the State Capitol in Union Square at the center. Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the area known as the “Research Triangle”.

It was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, a busy man, who was an English gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer. He was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth who knighted him, but was accused of treason by Elizabeth successor, James 1st. and imprisoned in the tower of London and eventually put to death. He tried to establish a colony near Roanoke Island which he named Virginia but never set foot there himself. Although he was the queen’s favorite he was not popular. His pride and extravagant spending were notorious.

Every country and every state in the U.S. has beautiful areas. Some have many and some have a few. There will always be places that have slums, ghettos, and undesirables areas but they are overrun by the beauty of God’s scenery He made for us and that we humans added.

We had a great time. As with every big city, there is a lot to do, a lot of hotels, restaurants, museums, etc. I ate a lot, laughed a lot and enjoyed my visit with my family.

I didn’t want to leave there but was glad to get back home. Isn’t that the way one feels when going to and from a trip?

Thought for the day: The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.  Wallace Stevens

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