Library – Bill Gibson, II

I decided to make another trip to Asheboro, North Carolina today. I needed to return a gift to Jeff in Aberdeen, and decided that the extra distance to/from Asheboro would be dooable, especially since I really wanted to eat at No. 1 China Buffet again, and David’s, for breakfast, wasn’t a non-incentive either. I like the food at both places, and I like the Asheboro library. They are all comfortable.

I decided to go via Hwy. 87, Hwy. 421, and then Hwy. 64 and I detoured through Ramseur again. I had thought I might tour Ramseur on the way back and then I realized that I would be going back a different route because I needed to go back to Fayetteville via Aberdeen. The trip is about an hour and a half, one way.

About four miles west of Siler City on Hwy. 64, I passed a gigantic facility (to be the largest of it’s kind in the U.S.) that was still under construction. I finally saw a sign, “Wolfspeed” which I thought might be an Internet Provider, but I see just now online that it is a microchip manufacturer. “Why Wolfspeed Stock Plummeted 84.7% in 2024 and Is Sinking Even Further in 2025“

The John Palmour Manufacturing Center for Silicon Carbide in Siler City NC

And now I see that Wolfspeed has filed for bankruptcy. Sort of saw that one coming, but damn, that’s a billion dollar factility they’re building. Ain’t no tariffs gonna bring that one back to America.

David’s Restaurant

I still don’t know how they do it. A breakfast special for $5.69 plus tax, including coffee, and you get 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, a large sausage patty, and hash browns. But you could get bacon, or toast, or grits instead. Oh, and they have sugar free syrup also.

*They open at 8 am, and I asked why they open so late. I’ve never seen a breakfast restaurant that opened at 8 am. Most of them want to get the morning rush hour people that have to be at work by 8 am and for that you probably have to open by 6:30 am. The food is consistently good.

Burge Flower Shop

Burge Flower Shop is located next door to David’s Restaurant.

It was before Christmas, when I heard on WRAL TV5, that Burge Flower Shop was highlighted in the current issue of Our State Magazine. The Editor of the magazine, Elizabeth Hudson, had grown up in Asheboro, North Carolina, or near there. When I heard them mention Burge, I thought that I had seen this shop when I had eaten at David’s Restaurant. After breakfast, I was sitting in my car and watched a woman walk into Burge’s, and some time later, I watched her leave. I had never been in Burge’s until today (01/15/25). I can honestly say, they had nothing that I was interested in, or even thought I might have a place for it in my apartment… except for the “classic” candies, of which I bought a bag of the Peanut Butter Logs, and a bag of Orange Slices. I haven’t had either of these in years. I opened the Peanut Butter Logs bag (it was resealable), unwrapped one, and ate it.

And enjoy listening to and reading along with, “From Elizabeth Hudson: By Bread Alone” *I see that this posting was published on January 15, 2025, yesterday, and the day I visited Asheboro, North Carolina again.

Asheboro Public Library

I don’t recall if I ate the orange slice before I went into the library, or after, but here is the photo of me, after biting into the Orange Slice candy. I loved them as a child, and they are still good.

I looked through the current issue of “Our State” Magazine, January 2025 and then two cookbooks and an “Emerging Technologies” book that gave me some ideas for what things might be coming along the “Pike.” *As in “Turnpike,” not “pipe,” as in “down the pipe.” But I understand that either phrase is interchangeable.

There was a recipe in “Our State” for a vegetable/chicken soup. I have a bunch of rotisserie chicken (from Harris Teeter) that I need to use. I just need to get “poultry seasoning,” which I don’t know what spices are included in it. Actually, I just looked on one of the images for this product and see that some spices include: thyme, sage, marjoram, black pepper & nutmeg.

The next day, I went shopping for the few ingredients that I didn’t already have for this “Fireside Stew,” that included celery, frozen garden peas & the poultry seasoning. The one ingredient in the poultry seasoning that I didn’t mention above is rosemary. The stew was good, but not great. I even tried a variation by adding a little sweetener and some Spicy Chili Crisp. I had thought that maybe creamed corn might also be a good addition, but I didn’t try that.

I saw an interesting idea in one of the cookbooks. You thread string beans on a string and hang them up to air dry. After they have dehydrated they are called “leather britches.” I really do like green beans, but I overlook them quite often. I had some at No. 1 China Buffet today and went back for seconds, and I’ve made a really tasty side dish at home of green beans, white potato & bacon. And, I recall that Essie Davis about 45 years ago made a delicious dish of green beans, bacon & white potato for a Senior Citizens’ Pot Luck Lunch at Queens Creek. They were so good that I went back for seconds for them instead of having dessert.

No. 1 China Buffet

I knew I was going to have to try and come back to this Chinese buffet from my first visit, and funny they sat me in the exact same seat as I had sat in the first time.

I enjoyed their seasoned green beans, and the chicken on a stick. I mix the won ton soup and the egg drop soup, add some chopped green onions and eat it with some of the fried won tons. I peel the shell off the shrimp. I think you might call it Jalapeno Pork.

I am writing this to help me get a feel for Asheboro, North Carolina.

Distances & Populations

Asheboro (pop. 23,000)
25 MIles to Greensboro (pop. 302,000)
28 Miles to Lexington (pop. 20,000)
42 Miles to Winston-Salem (pop. 253,000)
44 Miles to Salisbury (pop. 36,000)
49 Miles to Pinehurst (pop. 18,000)
66 Miles to Raleigh (pop. 482,000)
67 Miles to Charlotte (pop. 911,000)
83 Miles to Fayetteville (pop. 210,000)
182 Miles to Jacksonville, NC (73,000)
191 Miles to Wilmington, NC (pop. 122,000)

[ 01/04/24 ]: I was looking for library book sales online yesterday and came across the online site for the Chapel Hill Library (friends) bookstore. I saw there was a pickup area where book purchasers could come to pick up the books they had bought online. *I did drive all the way to Chapel Hill and drove into the Staff Parking area, where there were a couple of “pickup” parking spots for the two days designated. I then drove around and parked in the Library parking area and made a call to the Publix in Fayetteville to reserve a “Roasted Chicken – Original.” I told them I would stop by to pick up the chicken at about 4:30 pm, and within a few minutes of that time, I was there. They were busy, but I saw what I wanted on the hot counter. I took the bag with the roasted chicken in it and went to the Service Desk, where I was able to pay and where I asked them to notify the “Prepared Foods” section that I had already picked up my order.

While looking online, Google Maps, for the Chapel Hill Library location, I viewed the aerial view of the location where the old Southern Seasons store was located. But, there was nothing there, or very little. The store was gone, or a good portion of it. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at a view from a long time ago, or something more recent. But, when I actually drove by this location later in the day, “Yup, it’s gone.” And, I just checked online and they started to demolish the Southern Seasons building back in March 2023.

I liked visiting & shopping at Southern Seasons. The store was large, had a cafe/restaurant section accessible from inside, but maybe not a part of Southern Seasons proper. There was a large coffees/teas section, cheeses & deli meats, a wall of candies, a wine and spices section and a large area of kitchen utensils. I think this is where I first purchased “Grains of Paradise.” They also had “tongue” baloney. They had the Hot “Chinese” Mustard that you could add water to, for egg rolls.

Once, I seem to recall buying the various ingredients to make a sandwich lunch in my car. I had a tongue baloney sandwich and I think I bought a single serving bottle of special ginger ale.

On my way up to Chapel Hill, I stopped by Golden Hex in Cary, walked up and down the various isles, past the cheese and deli meats section, and only ended up buying some pickles. As I am watching more closely what I am eating, I know I don’t need the fatty sausages and deli meats. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy the different flavors, but I know at this time I don’t need to buy any more. I wish Golden Hex well though!

After Golden Hex, I drove over to the Cary Wegmans and went in. I had been thinking of buying a single Miami Onion Roll (@$1.10) but when there decided against it, and although a large blueberry bagel would have been delicious, I didn’t buy one of those either. I looked at the Andouille sausages, but didn’t buy those either, although an Andouille & Lentil soup would be good (today is much colder than yesterday).

I did buy a puck of Bucheron (semi-soft, tart, goat cheese) and also some yellow/orange grape tomatoes. I looked for unsweetened dried cranberries, but they only had sweetened ones. I did buy dried Currants that were supposedly unsweetened, but later noted that they had a bunch of natural sugar.

I walked out to my car and drove to a less crowded section of the Wegman’s parking lot and ate the lunch I had brought with me, along with a little of the Bucheron cheese. I had carried my homemade Greek Salad, with dressing, a cooked hamburger patty, a slice of sweet onion and a slice of wheat bread, cut in half and dressed with my mustard/horseradish/sweetener on one slice and Duke’s Mayo on the other. I had a couple of the rice crackers I like with my salad. They don’t become soggy, but these had become tougher to chew.

This Wegmans is in the flight path for RDU Airport and it is amazing how many large jets fly overhead in a twenty minutes period of time. There must be at least two runways, set slightly askew, because all the jets took one of two different angles toward the airport.

After going by the Chapel Hill Library, I headed back through the UNC Campus & Chapel Hill on a slight “scenic” tour. I drove past my old dorm (Aycock), who’s name was changed a few years ago because Charles B. Aycock was racist. But in his day, he was the next Governor of North Carolina after Lindsay Russell (Republican and distant relative). But, they had a mutual respect for each other, and Russell left the Governor’s Mansion better kept and stocked for his successor.

When I lived in Aycock Dorm in the early 1970s (1972-74) it was a standalone three level building (4 if you count the basement). I lived on the 3rd floor, 318 I think. But some years ago they built a connector to an adjacent dorm and completely got rid of the small courtyard and bicycle parking area at one end of these dorms. Oh, there was a Lewis Dorm at that time. Probably still is. But, I had a slightly younger roommate that would call out from our 3rd floor window and say, “Lewis. Leewisss…, Lewis.” And someone from Lewis Dorm would inevitably say, “What,” to which my roommate would reply, “Eat Shit!” *This roommate also taught me the art of cussing.” I think to that point my cursing vocabulary only consisted of “shit,” “damn,” and the occasional “fuck.” But this roommate would string together a bunch of dirty words in a quite artistic manner.

I don’t recall the name of this roommate (he wasn’t Keith Smith, my first roommate at Carolina, and Keith a Senior), but he was a very good tennis player and had nice rackets. I was never interested in tennis while there, but only a year or so later when attending Campbell College (it was a college then) did I take up the sport of tennis, and after several years was an okay player, and even taught both youth and adults (through Onslow County) tennis.