We don’t have many friends on the east coast, but we do have a few and we were really excited to spend some time with Julie and Bill Hill!
Julie had worked with Doug in the Bay Area at Solta Medical for many years. She and her family moved to North Carolina after the company was purchased and I think they’ll stay. She had a sign in her house that said, “Say what you will about the South, but nobody retires to the North.” Ha ha! This is so true!
Julie and Bill bought a Wake Forest home on good sized chunk of land as Bill loves nice cars and has laid the foundation for a large garage. Shortly after moving to Wake Forest, Bill purchased a Porsche 718 and the Hills joined a Porsche club that’s enabled them to meet some really nice people in the area…and yes, do some “spirited drives”. He took Doug out one morning on a club drive and they stopped by a dealership on the way back to the house. Doug showed amazing restraint in not suggesting that going forward I could drive the RV while he raced ahead in the Porsche.
They drove us into Raleigh, North Carolina’s capitol, and we talked the Hills into touring the capitol building with us. Then we stopped at the Hibernian Pub, a lively Irish pub for some lunch and libations. We talked while there about a family trip they’d taken to Ireland which sounded really fun! I’ve made a note to circle back with them if we ever have the opportunity to go.
Hibernian Pub
The next day they drove us to Duke Gardens which is on the Duke University campus in Durham. You can walk 5 miles on the paths that wind through 55 acres of landscaped gardens. We were here in November, which likely disappointed Julie and Bill since they’ve seen it in the spring when everything is in bloom, but we really enjoyed it.
We had some great BBQ at Prime Barbecue, Mexican food with Julie and Bill’s daughter Nicole and fiancé Erick, and enjoyed some of the best bourbon we’ve tasted since Kentucky in Zebulon North Carolina at The Olde Raleigh Distillery. It would be so fun to meet them in Kentucky along the Bourbon Trail someday.
As usual, we had mail sent to the Hill’s home; appreciated the use of their internet to back up phones and download new software; took advantage of their washer, dryer, and heavenly showers; picked their brains on books, TV shows and podcasts; and introduced them to the card game “Wizard” over several glasses of wine.
All of these little moments were for us, the best part of the visit. They were such gracious hosts and we had an amazing time.
