The Blue Ridge Parkway

I realized that I've repeated a couple of photos, but I know you don't mind, right?   

Well, let's keep going and get caught up....

After leaving Arizona, we flew to BWI, Baltimore Washington Airport in Maryland.  I used to live in Columbia, MD, so I'm fairly familiar with the area.  It lies between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., so I've frequented both cities frequently.  Our goal was to take not quite 5 days and do as much as we could to see Fall leaves along the Blue Ridge Parkway....

so, come along with me!!

Historic Savage Mill: home to Wonderful antiques!!
Click HERE to read more about it!

When we were finished shopping for antiques at Historic Savage Mill, we went out to our rental car which would not start.  Long story short.... our trip lost several hours waiting for a new car to be delivered to us and our first towed away....

so, on with our journey.... we took this wonderful old ferry called WHITE'S FERRY

You can see a good picture of it HERE  They just don't make them like this anymore!

It crosses the Potomac River. 

We then drove through Lexington, Virginia, home of VMI or Virginia Military Institute

And then on through windy roads of lovely colors

We had to hurry through some of these parts because we lost those hours waiting on a new rental car....but the Blue Ridge Parkway was not far away now....

We were told that the colors of the Parkway this year were 'average' due to an earlier storm that stripped many of the trees and left others less than spectacular.  Our Fall 2010 trip to New England and Martha's Vineyard was much more spectacular with colors, but we still enjoyed this so much!

I gathered a huge bag of acorns to bring home for our Thanksgiving tablescape....

 The days were warm, the nights crisp and chilly...
  And we walked through the leaves, like kids being silly
   

One of the vistas along the parkway

some of the reds I found along the way

and there are MANY tunnels on the parkway.... they are lovely

And yes, you're reading it correctly; that's TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY!!

In my next post, I'll tell you where we stayed; you won't want to miss it because it was spectacular!!

So much to catch up on!

This is one of those 'stream-of-consciousness' kinds of writing.   I've been lax in my writing and now I'm paying the price for it...where to start and there's so much that's been going on.  

As most of you know, my youngest daughter moved to California...she sent me this photo of her in San Francisco at Miette.  I LOVE the little scalloped cookbook and told her to go there if she had a chance and so she did.... ahhhhhhh, I just love it! 

Of course, after she moved there, it didn't take very long for her sister and I to fly out there to see her...here we are enjoying iced coffee, frozen yogurt and beautiful sunshine....

   This phrase is so important..... and a constant reminder to me. 

oh yes, and youngest daughter got her CA vet's license, so now she can work as a vet there as well as CO.

 We've been looking at houses all summer and Fall....this one had a spectacular view of the lake but was rather old and rather expensive for what it was....still the view....ahhhhhh

 We flew back to Ohio for my 40th class reunion.  I was a high school librarian for 4 years and was actually voted 'librarian of the year,' oh yes I was!!!  Here I am in that same library....  40 years later!!

The 40th reunion was lovely...I so enjoyed seeing dear old friends...

Here's all of us posing together.... can you find me?

We visited a county fair and loved seeing the bees...I thought of my lovely friend Rachel in England whose husband is a bee keeper....what a lovely hobby!

Out of order, but I couldn't leave it out, this gorgeous old Victorian in Davis, CA

We enjoyed seeing the town and all the new and special spots

At the county fair, we watched the horse teams, so lovely and precise

I love the times I spend with my family and cherish each and every moment.  Here, these little miniature homes were being auctioned off for charities....

And no visit is complete with a wonderful trip to a cupcake shop...I'm always looking for the most darling shops, gathering ideas, looking for inspiration.  Here, my youngest daughter gets ready to find a vanilla vanilla, her favorite!

Of course, one of our go-to favorites in cupcakes in Sprinkles.  Yes, I'm GF, but it doesn't stop me from looking, right??

And Sherry....here we are again at Paris in a Cup in Orange, CA  I've recommended this incredible tea spot to many....remember, make reservations!!

Inside Paris in a Cup....yummy!!

This was the first annual event that my youngest daughter wasn't able to attend....we had a wonderful Fall Harvest time, but of course, it wasn't quite the same without her...

Recently (in October), we flew to Arizona to see my mom and took her out for tea...she LOVES to go out for tea and had a wonderful afternoon there....I think we were there for about 3 hours!

We also had an excellent dinner in northwest Tucson....here was the view of the mountains as we sat outside in the early evening enjoying our fantastic meal

But then it was time to leave Arizona....but we didn't fly home....

Where did we go?

Tune in next time!! 

A Summer Full of Memories...

The fires were absolutely devastating....

It's been a wild and crazy summer, full of events....some very expected and wonderful and some not anticipated and not so wonderful.  Some made us laugh while others made us cry out loud....

Our beautiful blue Colorado skies were filled with thick dark smoke and it lasted for most of the summer.  The sky is still not perfectly clear as there are lingering fires whose smoke still fills our skies.

But the community was so thankful

 We had some REALLY FUN TIMES, too.... like shucking corn with my granddaughters....

Here, the youngest one gets her first full ear completed

My middle and youngest daughter at the pool....just like when they were little

A lemonade stand to help raise money for the humane society

And a certificate received by my granddaughters when they brought the $50.00 to the humane society

Fishing and being outdoors

and celebrating my birthday at a lovely teahouse in Boulder, CO

taking a painting class with all of my daughters

and showing off our 'almost identical' paintings!

taking my granddaughters to a local farm to feed beans to the chickens and turkeys

and getting them matching hats to wear in the sunshine

going to Red Rocks to hear James Taylor sing live and sitting in the 5th row

and visiting my youngest daughter at a local vet clinic and seeing her ON DUTY as a real doctor for the first time

and having tremendously hard good-byes as she moved away from Colorado

and watching that big truck pull away

and cleaning out the place where she lived and re-lining shelves

and redecorating her home with finds that we painted and refurbished

and flying to Ohio for my 40th class reunion

and going to my favorite fair from my childhood and seeing all the farm animals

and visiting family in Virginia and driving in 'the old car'  ah....ooooga!

and having 'girlie' week in CA with two of my daughters while the 3rd went with her husband and daughters to Disney World in Florida

and enjoying my favorite spot on the beach....and enjoying the emptiness of the beach in September

and having to say good-bye again and leave the youngest in CA while daughter #2 and I flew back home to CO

I am back home and looking back on my summer, it was quite wonderful.  I still don't have a home to call 'ours,' and I don't have a b&b or a tea shop or an idea of what to do next....but I'm full of love and thankfulness for all that I do have which makes me feel tremendously blessed....

Thank you for reading and being there with me along the way.... xoxo