The kindness of strangers (internet era version)
We loaded up all of the computing machinery we thought we might need (and then some!) before we headed out east for our holiday. But there was one thing we forgot to arrange, and that was net connectivity of any sort.
Fortunately wireless networks have become popular, and quite a few of the ones that are set up are deliberately left open so that nearby neighbors can piggyback onto the connection before they (tardily) call the local vacation isp and get a modem connection for a week.
(And, since this is North Carolina, they've got barbeque. The barbeque we can get in Portland is pretty good, but it's not even close to being in the same league as some of the little greasy spoons. BBQ plus considerate wireless networks is a very nice thing to be greeted with after a 2500+ mile airplane flight across the United States.)