Our Fall 2011 "Southern Tour" (in pics)

Could you ask for a prettier day for a road trip?












One of those landmarks that tells us "We're almost there!" (Time to get excited!)










For this Big City gal, our arrival in our destination town was like a step back in time!




Who needs pumpkins when you get greeted by this Halloween Sweetie?!?











The Big Guy auditioned a new partner for his attempt to get on Dancing With The Stars. He might want to get her some higher heels!






The colors in the Great Smoky Mountains (Maggie Valley, NC) were at absolute peak that day. We were on our way up the mountain to Cherokee, NC.









Strange looking "cloud" hanging over the mountain!








Hmmm, our suspicions were right. That IS snow on the ground - in North Carolina in October!! (Okay, so we were pretty high up in the mountains BUT it is the South and it WAS October!!!)





Lots of great food, loud music and loads of fun at the Oktoberfest in Valhalla, SC. (It was super crowded ! I didn't quite expect all those people at an event in such a small town ... and it was competing with a home game at Clemson, just down the road!!)

**Incidentally, Clemson won.




Everybody did a little toe-tapping at the Oktoberfest, even the scarecrow!!














Just one of the reasons to hate running out of time on this visit! (Although an even better reason to return soon!!)



While still colorful, some areas along the Blue Ridge Mountains had already passed their peak on our return trip.





The Tennessee Visitor's Center atop the mountain gave a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains (any direction you looked!) Trees of every color formed a true Autumn palette of color.



Had an interesting lunch at a diner about mid-way up I-81 in Virginia - an "open-face chili burger"! I really liked this one!! Basically they laid the roll out flat and placed an average-sized burger on each half and piled lots of spicy chili on top, topping it off with shredded cheddar and chopped onions. (A blob of sour cream was optional.)




The trees in Harper's Ferry, W still had a lot of changing to do!!







And that brings us back to home!!

Home again - jiggity jig.

Sorry I've been missing in action this past week but when a gal has an opportunity to squeeze in a vacation, she's gotta grab it with gusto!! And it was wonderful!!!We finally managed to get that much postponed trip to the South Carolina foothills. It was a great week to be there, too. The sun was out each day and the temps soared to the 60s and 70s. We even squeezed in an outdoor festival on Saturday when the thermometer actually made 76!!
I had thought I'd be able to blog from there but had my arms full snuggling, hugging and playing with a very sweet and happy addition to our gang. Who could find time to blog?!? Seriously, we were just enjoying spending time with folks we love and miss very much. I didn't want to waste a minute sitting at the keyboard. (NOT that I don't love all of you, too!)
We squeezed a tremendous amount of activity into just a few days and , of course, we feel like there was so much we didn't get a chance to do. Most importantly, we were together! We DID have some fantastic home-cooked meals, ate at a few new restaurants, attended a terrific stage show, did a little sightseeing, went to an outdoor festival (in February!!), sat in on a harmonica workshop (Some things just happen spontaneously!), saw a movie and put together our obligatory jigsaw puzzle (In record time, I might add. some traditions can't be messed with.) I'll slip a few pics and comments about the trip in here and there over the next few days.

Now, it's back to everyday life at home - in the snow. Yep, we left the warm, sunny South and came home to several inches of snow. Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors. We came home to a perfectly clear driveway and steps which made coming in so late and tired last night really easy. Thank you, Tony!!!

Back from "The Good Life in Nebraska"

You've heard of jet lag - well, I think I've had "road lag." We spent 24 hours on the highway between Wednesday and Thursday and then, another 6 on Saturday. Thank goodness for a comfy vehicle!



Our trip to Omaha was relatively uneventful. We spent lots of time with family "just hanging out." The Big Guy and I stayed with his Mom while his sister and brother-in-law got away for a few days. As the 24/7 caretakers, they need an occasional break so we encourage them to get away when we're around. It also gives us some one-on-one time with Mom.



We did get her out a bit to lunches, a couple of community concerts and even a few trips to the casino! She seemed tired but happy with her outings.



I dragged The Big Guy along to Half Price Books for a shopping spree. He hit the CD aisles while I gathered books. I was in my element!! (Love those dollar racks!) We don't have one of these stores near us so I stock pile when I get there. They're all around the country so if you see one, be sure to check it out.

There were family card games, dinners and chats with all the kids. All in all, we had a great time.






We did see something we had never seen there before - CORN in Iowa and Nebraska !!! (Imagine that!!!) Past visits have always been in early Spring or late Fall after the harvest. Now it's obvious why the Big Red are called Cornhuskers! It's EVERYWHERE !!

We came home to a big hole in the front yard. Those who were holding the fort down thought it'd be a nice surprise if they dug out a stump in the front yard. The stump got the last laugh and it's an ongoing project as of today! (Forty year old trees have had lots of time to grow DEEP roots!) We were definitely surprised!! No worries though, that work crew won't rest until they win the battle.

I found my scheduled blog posts had run but not necessarily in the format I'd planned. They did not date correctly and therefore didn't display correctly. Hopefully, you found them all and had a good read each day as I had some great Guest Bloggers help out. I have since gone back and corrected the formatting and dating issues. If you missed them, please duck back and have a good read.

"Onesiegate" struck over at Etsy while I was away! I only had one targeted listing suspended and, ironically, it is an actual Gerber-made product. The trademarked baby's head was clearly visible but the correct wording wasn't there. I have also addressed this issue since arriving home. (More on this later in the week!)

All in all, it was a relatively smooth homecoming. This is the first-time we've left someone here at home while we were gone and it did make a difference. I am, however, still having trouble getting back in the groove. I'm blaming the fact that we again hit the road on Saturday to attend Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA. I'll tell you about that great event tomorrow. It continues through next Sunday if you are in the area.

Now it's Monday and I still haven't unpacked!! Better get on that right now.

You KNEW I had to throw in an Iowa sunrise didn't you?

Pics from top to bottom: Crossing the Nebraska state line, Mom and me at a concert, b-i-l & "the learner's permit kid" entertaining themselves while waiting for lunch at a classy restaurant, our littlest Nebraskan, The Big Guy with his sister with that "soon-to-be" driver;

I missed Wednesday!

Where, oh, where, did my Wednesday go?

Sorry I missed posting last night. Time just got away from me. Or, maybe, I just got away! We finished dinner, spent a few hours doing some competitive sodokus ( The Big Guy and I do this most evenings.), watched LOST, and, apparently, closed my eyes for just a moment… I woke up hours later, slumped down in my chair with a crick in my neck and just barely able to keep my eyes open long enough to stumble off to bed! The Big Guy had said his good nights when LOST went off. I guess I should have followed suit.

I’d had a busy day. I went to lunch with “The Aunts”. There are only three members of my parents’ generation of the family still with us - two of my Dad’s sister-in-laws and my Mom’s cousin - all of whom, incidentally. live in the same retirement village. I try to get together with the two aunts on a fairly regular basis for a lunch and chatter which can fill a day quickly.

We had lunch in the “pub” in one of the buildings there yesterday. After a pleasant meal, we paraded back to the older aunt's apartment for our gossip hour. I say paraded as I walked, one of the gals used her Jazzy power chair and the other traipsed along with her new walker. It’s bright red, complete with a basket and bag to carry stuff in and she refers to it as her “red Cadillac”.

I always take them something. This time, I took muffins. I spent Tuesday afternoon making six different batches of muffins, wrapping and labeling each individually so they could throw them in the freezer and take one or two out at a time. They are very enthusiastic recipients as neither does much baking these days. (The Big Guy was also pleased because there were lots of muffins left over, too.) I also always take something for show and tell and pictures. Neither uses the computer and, therefore, hasn’t been able to view my online shop, so I took some of my newest merchandise with me. All too soon, the afternoon grew short and I needed to head home.

I enjoy the gossip about what everybody in the family is up to, what each of us is doing (they are both still very active in their community there) and, invariably, there are stories from the past. I always leave with pleasant memories of days gone by. After each visit, I start thinking of what to take next time as a “pick me up.” I’m hoping to have some garden flowers ready to pick by next visit and before long, there will be fresh produce available.

I hope you all take time from your busy lives to spend time with the “older” generation. There is so much to learn from them and most thoroughly enjoy the company. They won’t be there forever, so don’t delay. If you can’t stop in to visit, at least give them a call. It does mean so much to these dear family treasures.