34 Great Years Together: Part I

Last Saturday, August 14, Judy and I celebrated our 34th year of marriage. As in the last two years, our special anniversary dinner was out of town. That's not something we really planned strategically, it just happened. Two years ago we enjoyed dinner and music at The General Store in Pittsboro. Last year, we were at the Key Falls Inn in Brevard.

And this year, we headed off to The Ford Place. Yes, that's right, only now it's a fine restaurant, not an auto dealership. This unique eatery is located in Mt. Gilead, NC (I thought I'd better specify the state-- not everybody's heard of it). It's just a few miles past the Town Creek Indian Mound, which is well known locally. In all of our travels, neither Judy nor I could recall ever passing through this nice little town. Interestingly, our route followed NC Hwy. 73 West, the same path we had taken to Hickory on our wedding night in 1976.


I was always a Ford/Mercury guy, until I became a Toyota guy. So the decor was comfortable and nostalgic to me. And Judy didn't mind eating in a former grease pit too much. : )


I don't really know why Topps Baseball Cards were ever advertised in a car dealership, but this reminded me of the baseball card collection I accumulated in my first season of little league. Strange coincidence, but that was 1965, a mere 10 years before Judy and I first met!

We ate near the buffet in the Sports Bar area, but it was comfortable and quiet. This picture is of the Thunderbird Room, where meetings are apparently held by community groups. There was also a large dining area where the old showroom was, facing the main street.

They even had a classic '57 T-bird, with the trademark porthole window. But it wasn't in the Thunderbird Room, it overlooked the buffet.

Judy enjoyed her shrimp and grits and I had a variety of seafood from the buffet. We were both stuffed. We would highly recommend the place to someone curious about different kinds of dining venues. The drive from our house was about 50 minutes, but it was beautiful countryside and we had plenty of time to talk.

Here are a couple of vintage billboards that adorned the adjacent building. We drove all around the town since we didn't know when we'd be back. It was a slice of Americana, complete with live music at The Music Barn, right up the street. In fact, that may have been why the restaurant wasn't more crowded.

Yes, The Ford Place is our kind of place. For an anniversary or any other special occasion.
But this is just Part I of our anniversary celebration. Sometime after Labor Day, we are planning a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee. I'll fill you in then.