Sunday, December 10, 2017

NC Mountains 2017


In October, Bill and I headed to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina! We were so happy that our son and grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law and grandpup were also able to make the trip! Unfortunately, our daughter-in-law, Bertha, was not able to come.   We were looking forward to some family time, cooler temperatures, relaxing, exploring, enjoying some delicious food and making memories! 



The cabin we rented was located in the beautiful mountains of Maggie Valley, NC. It was at an elevation of 4,900 feet and was like being in the clouds! The views were amazing! 
We had several curvy mountains roads to manuever! Thank goodness for GPS! 





Whew! At the end of a long drive, we had finally arrived!



We never got tired of the gorgeous views from the deck! 









Grace and Brian were so excited to discover a treehouse on the property!





Blue spruce were everywhere! It made me think of Christmas!



On Sunday, we took a short drive to beautiful Lake Junaluska.  After a quick walk around the lake, we headed to the playground! Grace and Brian had fun burning off some of that energy!
With our grandson, Brian!

Awww...Beth and Cory!
Two handome young men...Brian and Cory


Brian and Grace had so much fun at the playground!

During the week, the weather turned chilly and the cool air was so refreshing! On Monday, we bundled up and went into Waynesville to have lunch at Bogart's.  



After lunch, we took a short drive to Barber Orchards. Of course, we wanted to buy some  apples, and I was so happy to find they still had some Honeycrisp! They were so crisp and yummy!

Beth and Cory were so sweet to buy apple cider donuts and apple cider for us to sample and enjoy! They had waited in a very long line to get these delicious treats! As we were driving back to the cabin, our grandson said, "Let me tell you, that was a really good donut!"  Haha!! Those were my exact sentiments! He certainly has a way with words! 

Mmmmmmm...so delicious!
Grace and I decided to stay warm in the truck while everyone finished 
their cider and donuts! Isn't Grace's hair pretty! Grand Beth had braided 
and styled it for her earlier in the day. "Grand Beth" is what Grace and Brian 
have always called their Aunt Beth and she loves it!  

On Tuesday, we had lunch at Haywood Smokehouse in Waynesville! It was a great time, and the food was so delicious! We highly recommend it! Even Grace and Brian gave it a thumbs up!

It was almost time for Cory as well as Brian and the grandkids to return home.  We wanted to take everyone to see the elk which were located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the Cataloochee Valley. The entrance road to Cataloochee Valley is a narrow gravel road with some steep drop offs, and there are no guard rails! Yikes!!

What an unforgetable and awesome experience we had seeing the elk! It was quite a large herd. We even heard an elk, with HUGE antlers, make his bugling sound to let another smaller elk know that he was not welcome! 









Some of my favorite family pictures taken during the week...









Bill, Beth, Louie and I spent the rest of our week going into Ashville, riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopping one more time at the Mast General Store and Haywood Smokehouse in Waynesville.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway, the leaves were slow to change colors even in the higher elevations.  Even so, it was still an amazing and beautiful time riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway!






This is Lake Logan Episcopal Center which is near the Blue Ridge Parkway. The air smelled so sweet! What a beautiful and peaceful place!



On the last morning, we got up early so we could enjoy one last gorgeous sunrise! It was spectactular!






We had such a wonderful time in the mountains and were so sad to know our vacation had come to an end. Can't wait to visit again!

Bye-bye!

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Bobbie


Saturday, August 26, 2017

August 2017 Beach Trip

We had the pleasure of joining our daughter, son-in-law and grandpup at North Topsail Beach, NC earlier this month. Heading to the beach in August sounded like the perfect thing to do and it was! 

Cory and Beth rented a lovely and comfortable beach house that was conveniently located across the street from the beach. For Bill and me, this was our first time to visit North Topsail Beach, which is also a barrier island. It's a small beach town that has dog-friendly beaches and where everyone we met was so friendly! The beaches aren't very crowded, and the traffic is not bad at all!  If you want to relax, it's the place to be! I loved it! One interesting thing I learned is that the locals pronounce Topsail as  "Top-sul." If you say "Top-sail," they know you aren't from around there!

The drive over the intercoastal waterway bridge, to the island, looked like a painting! So picturesque with all the colorful beach houses and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean in the background!  You would not believe all the seashells and seaglass on the beach!  It was so much fun finding the perfect seashells and seaglass!  We had such a wonderful and relaxing time with Beth, Cory and Louie!




Of course, we...I mean I...had to take our first selfie on the beach!


Ahhhh....Feels so good to be walking on the beach!


Our sweet and beautiful daughter and precious grandpup!


Can't hardly believe we are finally here!



Bill taking a stroll on the beach while looking for seashells.


Beth and Cory prepared some delicious meals! 
We had lobster, potatoes and corn on the first night!  
It was absolutely AMAZING!  
Cory grilled everything to perfection!


Spending some quality time with Louie! 
He's holding his favorite stuffed toy, Lamb Chop!




It could not have been a more perfect beach day!
 If you are a good schnoodle, you get doggie ice cream at the beach!




Louie loved running on the beach with Cory!



Unfortunately, beach erosion is very real at North Topsail Beach. 
There is even a sandbag wall!



We saw this cutie-pie eating some Knock Out roses in someone's yard! 
She looked like a statue as we were riding by!



Me and my girl!


 The Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune is located nearby.  
Not only did we see helicopters flying over the beach, 
we saw several MV-22 Osprey as well!  So cool! 


Beautiful sunsets everyday!


 Surf City Pier


Sand dunes, seashells and blanket flowers


Enjoying our last evening on the beach! Our time together went by too fast!



 So peaceful and beautiful! Can't wait to go back again!




Beth and Cory, thank you so much for everything! 
We had a fantastic time!! ♡