To Charlotte, named after Queen Charlotte, she who was married to George III, the mad King I believe. One of the districts is called Mecklenburg, another one of the Queen's names, and yet they revolution was strong in this area. There are many inconsistencies in history and this one makes me wonder. General Conwallis billeted his men in the town and called it a "Hornet's Nest" because of the resistance he encountered in the area. In true American style, the people promptly adopted a picture of a hornets nest as the towns symbol. I spoke to a woman in the visitor centre who has lived here all her life. She was impressed to have attracted a Northern Irelander into the town as opposed to a free stater. It was only after I left that it occurred to me that she was the first person I have met to know there was a difference.

She told me that the town was a "sleepy little ol' southern town" until a few years ago, and truth to tell, it is not that far from that time even now. It has charm and some elegance but it can be appreciated in a day. Nevertheless it is a place that I instinctively liked.

It is a little cooler today, a relative term. Around 78 Degrees F I am told, whatever that is in Celsius. Tomorrow I'm off to the mountains for coolness, wine, history and whatever else comes along.

Post script. I was served at dinner by a boy from the area who spoke very like a young elvis, more of a mumble that anything else. His name, he tol' (sic) me was Malachi which he pronounced as Mah - la - Kai. I told him in Ireland the name is pronounced as Mal - ak - kee. "You from Ireland"? "Boy, y'all having a bad time right now" he said. I didn't know what he meant. "It must be hard fir y'all" he repeated, "Living so close to Iraq an all."