5/25/2017
We continued our adventure today in Nashville. First of we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and then ventured out for our own sustenance. We ate at a restaurant called the Sky Blue Cafe. It was OK, but not in my top 50 of breakfast places, maybe not even top 100. That being said it wasn't "bad" and we were able to fuel up the bodies for our busy day so I'll count it as a win.
After breakfast we headed to the home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. This is one of the best preserved plantation houses I've seen and while there were only a few rooms open and most you peered in, it was still a nice visit. The trees hid much of the view of the house itself, but the grounds were stunning. We took a horse and buggy ride through the grounds and generally enjoyed meandering. A couple of tidbits I found interesting:
1) He medicated his slaves, a very rare practice to treat illnesses of slaves back then.
2) He gave them wages occasionally and provided more food for them than most plantations.
3) The slaves got a day off.
4) He had one black gentleman that stayed on after the slaves were freed (actually it may have been his grandson's by then) and that man ended up being buried in the gardens. The only slave buried there we know of and he had a marker which is also quite unique.
5) His son was actually his nephew. His brother in law had twins and gave them one to raise so they would have an heir...
6) His son/nephew couldn't manage money or business very well at all.
7) The first 15 years they lived in a 2 room building out back. They only built the larger house when Andrew realized he would need something larger in order to entertain DC Style.
We spent about 4 hours here - the grounds were more extensive than I had planned so our visit a bit longer. By the time we were done some biting flies had come out and I was ready to go... do you know when they bite it stings? Yea, I didn't either - I do now.
We decided to come back to the BNB and eat left overs for lunch vs. going out. Both us wanted a small nap after being out in the hot sun and neither of us were hungry enough to warrant paying to go out. So we came home, had our snack and laid down. Jack meanwhile was still in meetings.... we tried to be super quiet for him.
We woke up around 3:45 and I could tell Jack was wrapping up so we waited for him to finish. Given his day was over he came with us as we went to visit the Parthenon. Yes, you read right - Parthenon in Nashville, TN. It was building in the late 1800's for an exhibition and they kept it. It is the most comical thing ever... I guess if you had not seen the actual Greek buildings it would be something else to see, but to us it was just well... quite silly. We did enjoy it though and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Athenian statue inside. That thing is massive and on a cheese scale of 1 to 10 it is an 11. I loved it! So worth the $6 entry fee.
All kidding aside the building is impressive and it's in Centennial Park which has some pretty ponds and statues on it's own. We didn't walk the entire park, but we saw the Women's Suffrage statue, sat and enjoyed the water and generally had a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun. I was beginning to get redder on the shoulders than I like so we decided to come on back to the BNB.
Once back we got cleaned up, took additional naps, and headed out to enjoy an evening of Nashville Bars, but first food must be had. As you know I research restaurants well in advance.... We had already eaten at 2 of the 5 options I had selected for dinner, 1 we had dismissed the other night (George Jones for being too loud) and the other 2 just didn't sound good tonight so we went to Yelp. We found a BBQ place near here that Keith had recommended and Jack has been eating for lunch and decided to walk down for that. Upon getting there I realized that they are where you order your food and then sit down... Maybe it's petty of me, but I really don't like those restaurants. I'll eat there to save a penny, but when I'm out for teh night I want to sit down and have my order taken so we headed out.
Next door was McCabe Pub. It only had 3 stars on Yelp so my hopes were not high... boy was I wrong. This was the best meal we've had here and the service was great. We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the night. The pub is in the neighborhood we are staying in --- yes it's in the neighborhood. We don't really have restaurants in neighborhoods back home so that was cool in it'self. Nashville is just a city that is alive and I love the energy that comes off these little areas like this. Love it! Oh and did I mention we walked to the restaurant? Walked! Just love it!
After dinner we headed back to the BNB, grabbed what we needed and summoned an Uber. First we went to WildHorse Salon downtown. It was still in restaurant mode so we were seated and ordered some drinks. This bar is just cool. It has gigantic screens so you can see the artist and the first band they had was really good. We enjoyed sitting and listening to them for about an hour... they then went off and they had an intermission. During intermission the bar had line dancing lessons, which were cute to watch. The 2nd band that came on I didn't care for very much. The guy was trying to sing songs outside his range and well to me it was just noise so we decided to leave and head to Tootsies.
Mama has wanted to go to Tootsies for a long time, because it was where the artist husbands hung out back in the day when the artist were playing the Grand Ole' Opry at the Ryman. Walking to get there was intense and I'm glad I had 3 drinks or I would have had a panic attack. The mobs of people were insane... it was just waves and waves of people. We held hands/belt buckles/whatever we could find and formed a line behind Jack who weaved us through til we got to Tootsies. The line was out the door and well... it was just too many people.
So we proved we were old, called for an Uber and made it back to our BNB before 11:30 PM. That being said, I'm comfy in my PJS and ready to call it a night. I do hope to go out and dance some tomorrow as we didn't get that far tonight, but I'm not willing to deal with those crowds to do it...so we shall see.
Sleep well blogland -- hope you are doing well.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Nashville Day 1
5/26/2017
Today was a great day. I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around. Loved it.
So what did we do today in this perfect weather?
First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work. So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB. After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.
First - Breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy. The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.
It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon. While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good. The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!
After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories. They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved. One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.
After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks. We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some point) and am really glad we did. They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!
After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures. I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol! So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it. It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece. We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.
We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat. We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it. The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it. The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good. I wouldn't wait again. I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.
After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop. The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around. However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive! I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch! That's $21 just to park my car for less than 6 hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved.... Ok, back to our story.
We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library. By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired. So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.
So we came back to the BNB and took a nap. After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.
First we went to the George Jones Museum. It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life. This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it. We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else. The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate there.
It was really good! We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation. We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza. Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.
After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here. It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge. The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was the perfect end to a fabulous day.
We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.
Today was a great day. I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around. Loved it.
So what did we do today in this perfect weather?
First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work. So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB. After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.
First - Breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy. The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.
It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon. While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good. The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!
After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it. I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories. They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved. One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.
After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks. We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some point) and am really glad we did. They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!
After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures. I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol! So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it. It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece. We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.
We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat. We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it. The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it. The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good. I wouldn't wait again. I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.
After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop. The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around. However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive! I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch! That's $21 just to park my car for less than 6 hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved.... Ok, back to our story.
We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library. By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired. So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.
So we came back to the BNB and took a nap. After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.
First we went to the George Jones Museum. It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life. This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it. We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else. The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate there.
It was really good! We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation. We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza. Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.
After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here. It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge. The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was the perfect end to a fabulous day.
We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Nashville Day 0
5/24/17
I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol. Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon. In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house. We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.
On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.
We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so. It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett. He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.
Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville. So far it's a nice fit. I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom. It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault. Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.
Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.
I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol. Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon. In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house. We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.
On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.
We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so. It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett. He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.
Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville. So far it's a nice fit. I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom. It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault. Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.
Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Atlanta Day 2
I could have sworn I wrote a journal about the rest of our Atlanta journey, but I can't find it if I did so I'm writing this a few weeks later. My memory now is better than it will be years from now, but I still wish I could find the original journal entry - sorry!
On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast. This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel. The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts. I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal. It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.
After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide. Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong. He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area. I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.
What was really cool about the tour was Mama. She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's. So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool. At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point. Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think. I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?" It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out. I got plum tickled.
After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.
Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more. We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored. The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away. So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.
The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in. Now, this was a bit of an experience. Everyone had cameras and they said no photography. No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed. It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures. I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up. Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up. It irritated me right from the get go.
While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit. So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly. To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in. It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.
Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church. This is the church where he was a pastor. They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long. What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much? Does that make any sense? Yea not to me either.
While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center. We walked through several of the various exhibits. It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans. I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.
After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot! We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park. Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back. It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times. I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.
So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.
After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit. We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures. We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...
We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally. I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant. We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch. It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it. We sat outside and watched the people wander around. It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!
Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep. Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.
On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast. This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel. The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts. I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal. It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.
After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide. Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong. He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area. I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.
What was really cool about the tour was Mama. She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's. So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool. At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point. Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think. I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?" It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out. I got plum tickled.
After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.
Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more. We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored. The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away. So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.
The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in. Now, this was a bit of an experience. Everyone had cameras and they said no photography. No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed. It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures. I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up. Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up. It irritated me right from the get go.
While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit. So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly. To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in. It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.
Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church. This is the church where he was a pastor. They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long. What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much? Does that make any sense? Yea not to me either.
While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center. We walked through several of the various exhibits. It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans. I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.
After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park. By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot! We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park. Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back. It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times. I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.
So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.
After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit. We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures. We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...
We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally. I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant. We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch. It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it. We sat outside and watched the people wander around. It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!
Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep. Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Atlanta Day 1
This was handwritten on 4/3/17. I'm just now getting it typed up and into the blog :)
Today we got up and left the house around 9:30. We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.
The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12. The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art. I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy. And of course coffee which was delightful. Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good. Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome. The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.
When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car. Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone. I get back to the car and Mama had found it. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.
We then headed to the Carter Library. It was nice. I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world. Talk about a Godly man making a difference. He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today. I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man. Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.
After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB. It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great. It's a 3 bedroom house. Probably built in the 20s. The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going. I love having an entire house to myself.
We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery. I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts. We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(
The graveyard itself was pretty though. Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places. The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.
Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens. I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place. Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn. It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better. We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.
We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again. We then just walked a bit. Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman. Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.
We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr. - I think it's called murder Kroger. Got a parking spot right up front - Woot. Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.
We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank. It is a BBQ joint that had a good review. The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.
Oh, but I forgot! On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH! Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!
We are now back safe and sound. We are calling it an early night. Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!
Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip
Today we got up and left the house around 9:30. We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.
The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12. The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art. I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy. And of course coffee which was delightful. Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good. Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome. The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.
When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car. Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone. I get back to the car and Mama had found it. It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.
We then headed to the Carter Library. It was nice. I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world. Talk about a Godly man making a difference. He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today. I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man. Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.
After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB. It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great. It's a 3 bedroom house. Probably built in the 20s. The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going. I love having an entire house to myself.
We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery. I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts. We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(
The graveyard itself was pretty though. Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places. The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.
Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens. I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place. Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn. It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better. We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.
We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again. We then just walked a bit. Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman. Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.
We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr. - I think it's called murder Kroger. Got a parking spot right up front - Woot. Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.
We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank. It is a BBQ joint that had a good review. The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.
Oh, but I forgot! On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH! Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!
We are now back safe and sound. We are calling it an early night. Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!
Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip
Sunday, February 19, 2017
NY Day 3
2/19/17
NY Travel Journal - Day 3
Today we did quite a few things, but we also rested. It was just the right combination of both - tomorrow I leave Jack up in the Big Apple to work while I go back to GA. He will be busy all week and I'm not an explore NY on my own type of girl + I've seen about all I really "wanted" to see. So what did we do today?
Well, we got up and went to La Bonbonniere. It is a complete hole in the wall, but Trip Advisor said it had one of the best French Toast in NY and they were not wrong. The food was great and the service was quick, which was a blessing because we were running a tad bit behind.
After breakfast, we headed to the 9/11 Museum. I'm glad I went - they did a good job making it a combination of educational and a memorial. That being said - I have no desire to ever go again. It's one of those one time only moments - I cried, I thought about where I was on that day and I remembered. They have a room where they read and show the victims name on a wall and then a family member verbally shares a recorded memory. I don't know how many hours it takes to go trough all the names - I only made it through 5 names before my heart required me to leave. The last one was a 4-year-old little girl. I don't understand hate and evil - I don't get it. I don't understand a belief so fanatic that I would kill thousands. I don't understand and I hope I never do.
After the museum we went and saw the memorial itself - I think it is pretty and moving in its own right. Once we saw it we headed back into the World Trade Center Oculus. This is a very weird alien looking building where all the trains come into - it is also a mall type facility. that being said the food choices are limited and there isn't seating. It is modern, uninviting and weird. We were ready to sit and I wanted a bite to eat so we hopped n the train and went to the next station which was City Hall.
Upon arriving we walked through the park toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Once through there were food vendors so I grabbed a Chicken Gyro and we sat on a bench and rested for a few minutes.
Once I had eaten and we had a few minutes off of our feet we decided to take the walking path that goes onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was super busy, but I had fun and we took a lot of pictures. I thought the Bridge itself was pretty and well just the experience was worth it. I hope the pictures turned out, my lens is not wanting to autofocus - hope it is the lens and not the camera. I'll play around with it when I get home and if necessary ship it off for repair :(
After walking partially across the bridge we turned around, grabbed the metro and headed back to the hotel. We took a slight different walking path back to the metro and took pictures of City Hall, a courthouse, and some other really cool buildings. Some of the architecture you find in NYNY is surprising. You expect skyscrapers but then you find an old world, European style buildings that are breathtaking in a completely different way.
Once back at the hotel we took a nap. I needed it and while I hate that we wasted part of the day, it made it so that we could enjoy the evening.
After the nap, we went back out to Time Square but walked our way there - stopping as we saw fit to shop and meander. Once there we waited in line for over an hour for the Star Dust Diner. They have aspiring Broadway singers working there and they sing while you eat. It was fun and the food was also good. We had Guac as an appetizer, then we both had burgers and fries. After dinner, we got a milkshake and just sat for a few minutes. It was worth the wait!
After dinner it was 9:30 so we headed back to the hotel. My legs hurt from the walking I'm not used to, but the weekend has been fabulous. Jack has been here with me and we've been with each other vs. on our phones. It's been great. I fly home tomorrow afternoon so I get to start my day slowly tomorrow which is also going to be great!
It's been a great time and I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time, I'm ready to be away from the crowds.
NY Travel Journal - Day 3
Today we did quite a few things, but we also rested. It was just the right combination of both - tomorrow I leave Jack up in the Big Apple to work while I go back to GA. He will be busy all week and I'm not an explore NY on my own type of girl + I've seen about all I really "wanted" to see. So what did we do today?
Well, we got up and went to La Bonbonniere. It is a complete hole in the wall, but Trip Advisor said it had one of the best French Toast in NY and they were not wrong. The food was great and the service was quick, which was a blessing because we were running a tad bit behind.
After breakfast, we headed to the 9/11 Museum. I'm glad I went - they did a good job making it a combination of educational and a memorial. That being said - I have no desire to ever go again. It's one of those one time only moments - I cried, I thought about where I was on that day and I remembered. They have a room where they read and show the victims name on a wall and then a family member verbally shares a recorded memory. I don't know how many hours it takes to go trough all the names - I only made it through 5 names before my heart required me to leave. The last one was a 4-year-old little girl. I don't understand hate and evil - I don't get it. I don't understand a belief so fanatic that I would kill thousands. I don't understand and I hope I never do.
After the museum we went and saw the memorial itself - I think it is pretty and moving in its own right. Once we saw it we headed back into the World Trade Center Oculus. This is a very weird alien looking building where all the trains come into - it is also a mall type facility. that being said the food choices are limited and there isn't seating. It is modern, uninviting and weird. We were ready to sit and I wanted a bite to eat so we hopped n the train and went to the next station which was City Hall.
Upon arriving we walked through the park toward the Brooklyn Bridge. Once through there were food vendors so I grabbed a Chicken Gyro and we sat on a bench and rested for a few minutes.
Once I had eaten and we had a few minutes off of our feet we decided to take the walking path that goes onto the Brooklyn Bridge. It was super busy, but I had fun and we took a lot of pictures. I thought the Bridge itself was pretty and well just the experience was worth it. I hope the pictures turned out, my lens is not wanting to autofocus - hope it is the lens and not the camera. I'll play around with it when I get home and if necessary ship it off for repair :(
After walking partially across the bridge we turned around, grabbed the metro and headed back to the hotel. We took a slight different walking path back to the metro and took pictures of City Hall, a courthouse, and some other really cool buildings. Some of the architecture you find in NYNY is surprising. You expect skyscrapers but then you find an old world, European style buildings that are breathtaking in a completely different way.
Once back at the hotel we took a nap. I needed it and while I hate that we wasted part of the day, it made it so that we could enjoy the evening.
After the nap, we went back out to Time Square but walked our way there - stopping as we saw fit to shop and meander. Once there we waited in line for over an hour for the Star Dust Diner. They have aspiring Broadway singers working there and they sing while you eat. It was fun and the food was also good. We had Guac as an appetizer, then we both had burgers and fries. After dinner, we got a milkshake and just sat for a few minutes. It was worth the wait!
After dinner it was 9:30 so we headed back to the hotel. My legs hurt from the walking I'm not used to, but the weekend has been fabulous. Jack has been here with me and we've been with each other vs. on our phones. It's been great. I fly home tomorrow afternoon so I get to start my day slowly tomorrow which is also going to be great!
It's been a great time and I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time, I'm ready to be away from the crowds.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
NY Day 2
2/18/17
NY Travel Journal - Day 2
Well, today was jammed packed. We got up at 8:45 AM and just got back to the hotel at midnight! I'm tired, but it was a great day filled with lots of things... If it's ok with you I'll journal them here :)
First, we got up and went down to Tick Tock diner. This was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. I had the strawberry pancakes. The wait staff were funny and the food was good. We then meandered down to the NY Public Library. On the way, we walked through Bryant Park. It was quaint and peaceful. They have an ice skating ring and I enjoyed watching the people skate. I want to try it but I don't want to get all icky on this trip so maybe another time. After the park, we made it to the Libary. This building is an architectural marvel. It is so ornate and pretty with carved ceilings, paintings, sculpture. It is just incredible. I really enjoyed meandering around in it.
We also go to see the stuffed animals that inspired Winny The Pooh while at the library, which was kinda cool. At this point, they look like really old, sad, stuffed animals.
On a side note I'm taking a photography class and now am shooting fully manual. I was determined this trip to stick with it and I have. It has certainly forced me to learn alot, quickly. NY is ever changing - you go inside its one lighting situation, take a picture on the street another, take another of the tall buildings, different lighting. For every lighting, there are several adjustments with my camera I have to make - NY is the perfect place to force yourself to do it! You aren't going to get it one way and just ride the smooth pony, nope - every 10 minutes of shooting, different situation! It is frustrating because I'm just learning, but I'm trying to be patient with myself. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures on my computer when I get home.
But I digress - I'm here to talk about NY, not my lack of camera skills. After the library, we went down to Rockafeller Center. It is basically a mall with ice skating - that being said - we enjoyed it. We got a sandwich, sat down and watches the skaters. We meandered the halls and just had a good time. Upon leaving we went out the main entrance and I am so glad we did or we would have missed some of the most beautiful, story-telling murals I've seen in quite some time - they were breathtaking.
Upon exiting Rockafeller we headed down to St. Patricks Cathedral, which is just WOW! Jack sat inside and just enjoyed the place while I wondered around and took lots of pictures. It is an absolutely beautiful building - architecture that compares to many of the cathedrals in Europe. Magnificent - I also loved that I saw many people praying. So often when Cathedrals are open for visitation they become just tourism destinations so it was nice to see this one being used for prayer.
We then meandered down and saw another church from the outside that was very pretty. And then we ended our day with a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park. It was expensive for a 45-minute ride, but it was nice to get off of our feet and we saw more of the park than we could have walked today so I'll count it a win. Our tour guide was Irish and I loved hearing the lilt in his voice.
One our ride was over we decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for our night at the theater. We got rested for a few, got dressed and were gone again. We had dinner at Sardis. The food was great - I had Penne Pasta with Chicken and Jack had the steak. Both were fabulous! We had cookies for dessert - I don't recommend those. Our waiter was fabulous though and he made sure we had plenty of time for our show. I really liked how attentive he was and it was just an awesome experience. The restaurant itself has caricatures all around of famous people -- they are all signed so I assume they have all paid the restaurant a visit. I recognized a few faces, but most I did not. I'm so out of the loop.
We then headed down to the Gershwin Theater to see Wicked. The show was fantastic. I loved the twist of the story and the singing was incredible. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it! I loved it. Not sure I loved it enough to buy tickets again, because well, they weren't cheap. But it was an experience I'll treasure.
We then meandered around Time Square for a few, grabbed some cheap travel souveniers and headed home. I will say the Metro here sucks! The signs are confusing and half the time there isn't a sign. It is frustrating for me but makes my husband furious. After a couple of mishaps, we are here.... if I had one piece of advice for NYNY it would be to get consistent signs that make sense at all of the Metro Stops and to have the lighted maps inside all of the trains. But that is just my opinion, I'm sure they have bigger fish to fry!
Overall, we are enjoying the trip. I'm glad to be off my feet for a bit and plan to go to sleep very soon as tomorrow will be another big day! Sleep well dear friends.
NY Travel Journal - Day 2
Well, today was jammed packed. We got up at 8:45 AM and just got back to the hotel at midnight! I'm tired, but it was a great day filled with lots of things... If it's ok with you I'll journal them here :)
First, we got up and went down to Tick Tock diner. This was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. I had the strawberry pancakes. The wait staff were funny and the food was good. We then meandered down to the NY Public Library. On the way, we walked through Bryant Park. It was quaint and peaceful. They have an ice skating ring and I enjoyed watching the people skate. I want to try it but I don't want to get all icky on this trip so maybe another time. After the park, we made it to the Libary. This building is an architectural marvel. It is so ornate and pretty with carved ceilings, paintings, sculpture. It is just incredible. I really enjoyed meandering around in it.
We also go to see the stuffed animals that inspired Winny The Pooh while at the library, which was kinda cool. At this point, they look like really old, sad, stuffed animals.
On a side note I'm taking a photography class and now am shooting fully manual. I was determined this trip to stick with it and I have. It has certainly forced me to learn alot, quickly. NY is ever changing - you go inside its one lighting situation, take a picture on the street another, take another of the tall buildings, different lighting. For every lighting, there are several adjustments with my camera I have to make - NY is the perfect place to force yourself to do it! You aren't going to get it one way and just ride the smooth pony, nope - every 10 minutes of shooting, different situation! It is frustrating because I'm just learning, but I'm trying to be patient with myself. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures on my computer when I get home.
But I digress - I'm here to talk about NY, not my lack of camera skills. After the library, we went down to Rockafeller Center. It is basically a mall with ice skating - that being said - we enjoyed it. We got a sandwich, sat down and watches the skaters. We meandered the halls and just had a good time. Upon leaving we went out the main entrance and I am so glad we did or we would have missed some of the most beautiful, story-telling murals I've seen in quite some time - they were breathtaking.
Upon exiting Rockafeller we headed down to St. Patricks Cathedral, which is just WOW! Jack sat inside and just enjoyed the place while I wondered around and took lots of pictures. It is an absolutely beautiful building - architecture that compares to many of the cathedrals in Europe. Magnificent - I also loved that I saw many people praying. So often when Cathedrals are open for visitation they become just tourism destinations so it was nice to see this one being used for prayer.
We then meandered down and saw another church from the outside that was very pretty. And then we ended our day with a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park. It was expensive for a 45-minute ride, but it was nice to get off of our feet and we saw more of the park than we could have walked today so I'll count it a win. Our tour guide was Irish and I loved hearing the lilt in his voice.
One our ride was over we decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for our night at the theater. We got rested for a few, got dressed and were gone again. We had dinner at Sardis. The food was great - I had Penne Pasta with Chicken and Jack had the steak. Both were fabulous! We had cookies for dessert - I don't recommend those. Our waiter was fabulous though and he made sure we had plenty of time for our show. I really liked how attentive he was and it was just an awesome experience. The restaurant itself has caricatures all around of famous people -- they are all signed so I assume they have all paid the restaurant a visit. I recognized a few faces, but most I did not. I'm so out of the loop.
We then headed down to the Gershwin Theater to see Wicked. The show was fantastic. I loved the twist of the story and the singing was incredible. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it! I loved it. Not sure I loved it enough to buy tickets again, because well, they weren't cheap. But it was an experience I'll treasure.
We then meandered around Time Square for a few, grabbed some cheap travel souveniers and headed home. I will say the Metro here sucks! The signs are confusing and half the time there isn't a sign. It is frustrating for me but makes my husband furious. After a couple of mishaps, we are here.... if I had one piece of advice for NYNY it would be to get consistent signs that make sense at all of the Metro Stops and to have the lighted maps inside all of the trains. But that is just my opinion, I'm sure they have bigger fish to fry!
Overall, we are enjoying the trip. I'm glad to be off my feet for a bit and plan to go to sleep very soon as tomorrow will be another big day! Sleep well dear friends.
Friday, February 17, 2017
New York
2/17/16
New York Adventure, Day 1
I'll be brief tonight as I need sleep. I awoke this morning in GA, packed while Jack worked and we left the house around 11:30 headed to the airport. We received a message our flight would be delayed so we detoured for some lunch first.
We stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings and had a good lunch, although it was boring as Jack was listening to a work call while we ate. We then headed to the airport only to find our flight was further delayed. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things though I was anxious about having to reschedule out of Atlanta.
We took off an hour and half late from Augusta, but when we arrived in Atlanta we found out that flight had been delayed too. This was a huge blessing to us as it meant we actually could make the flight. We made our way to the gate and as I went up to ask the ticket agent to sit me next to Jack (without paying out the nose) we found out Jack got upgraded to 1st class - Yay for him. That of course meant I could not sit next to him. He offered me the seat, but I fit much better in the coach seats so I went on back and by back - I mean the way back. I might as well have been in the tail.
My seat partner was nice, but there was a gentleman behind us who had a breathing issue. For anyone who knows me knows that I have issues with noises. Any kind of noise - people chewing, breathing, cleaning their fingernails - it just drives me insane or makes me angry depending on the moment. Not the guys fault by any stretch of the imagination, but 2.5 hours of that was not something I foresaw being a pleasant flight. I texted Jack and begged for his noise cancelling head phones. He was kind Aden brought them back to me - problem solved!
We then landed in Newark, got our bags, grabbed and Uber and headed into the city. Our Uber driver was super nice and even brought me my phone after he dropped us off as I had stupidly left it in his car. We checked in at the Holiday Inn - downtown Manhattan - corporate discount - $130ish a night! Can you say WOOT WOOT! :)
After dropping our luggage in the smallest room this side of the Atlantic we promptly headed out for Pizza. We ate at NY Pizza Suprema and it was fantastic. You go through a line - get your slice and then sit down and eat. It was loud and they expected you to know how it all works. Which is how I picture NY as being in general. This is not typically my cup of tea, but when in Rome...
After dinner we walked down to Time Square - enjoying the ambiance, but I'll be honest. I was cold, tired and just ready to come back to the hotel. So we headed back - hoping to grab the Subway and get out of the wind. Can I just say that I remember the NY Subway being easier to navigate? Maybe it was because we are tired, but it was all very confusing. Anyway - we are here now. Safe and warm in our bed. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm looking forward to enjoying the day.
Sleep well blogland.
New York Adventure, Day 1
I'll be brief tonight as I need sleep. I awoke this morning in GA, packed while Jack worked and we left the house around 11:30 headed to the airport. We received a message our flight would be delayed so we detoured for some lunch first.
We stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings and had a good lunch, although it was boring as Jack was listening to a work call while we ate. We then headed to the airport only to find our flight was further delayed. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things though I was anxious about having to reschedule out of Atlanta.
We took off an hour and half late from Augusta, but when we arrived in Atlanta we found out that flight had been delayed too. This was a huge blessing to us as it meant we actually could make the flight. We made our way to the gate and as I went up to ask the ticket agent to sit me next to Jack (without paying out the nose) we found out Jack got upgraded to 1st class - Yay for him. That of course meant I could not sit next to him. He offered me the seat, but I fit much better in the coach seats so I went on back and by back - I mean the way back. I might as well have been in the tail.
My seat partner was nice, but there was a gentleman behind us who had a breathing issue. For anyone who knows me knows that I have issues with noises. Any kind of noise - people chewing, breathing, cleaning their fingernails - it just drives me insane or makes me angry depending on the moment. Not the guys fault by any stretch of the imagination, but 2.5 hours of that was not something I foresaw being a pleasant flight. I texted Jack and begged for his noise cancelling head phones. He was kind Aden brought them back to me - problem solved!
We then landed in Newark, got our bags, grabbed and Uber and headed into the city. Our Uber driver was super nice and even brought me my phone after he dropped us off as I had stupidly left it in his car. We checked in at the Holiday Inn - downtown Manhattan - corporate discount - $130ish a night! Can you say WOOT WOOT! :)
After dropping our luggage in the smallest room this side of the Atlantic we promptly headed out for Pizza. We ate at NY Pizza Suprema and it was fantastic. You go through a line - get your slice and then sit down and eat. It was loud and they expected you to know how it all works. Which is how I picture NY as being in general. This is not typically my cup of tea, but when in Rome...
After dinner we walked down to Time Square - enjoying the ambiance, but I'll be honest. I was cold, tired and just ready to come back to the hotel. So we headed back - hoping to grab the Subway and get out of the wind. Can I just say that I remember the NY Subway being easier to navigate? Maybe it was because we are tired, but it was all very confusing. Anyway - we are here now. Safe and warm in our bed. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm looking forward to enjoying the day.
Sleep well blogland.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 7
11/25/2016
Home!!! I'm laying in my own bed as I type this - feeling my own soft pillows. Oh, the goodness.
Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous trip, but there is nothing like home. So what happened today? Other than the obvious travel?
We slept late at Donald's and then visited with the family a bit this morning, heading out around noon. We traveled through Atlanta with intentions of staying with Hapaw tonight before heading home tomorrow. However, on our way their we both realized - we were ready to be home. So, we pivoted.
We stopped by Hapaws and visited. She wasn't feeling well so we went to grab a bite to eat (given she wasn't up to eating) and told her we would be back. We had a fabulous meal at The Trading Post in Villa Rica. By time we got back to Hapaw's, Jack's Mom and Step-Dad were there.
We visited them some more and then headed out around 8 for home. The trip home was uneventful, though there were police everywhere, and now our journey is over. We enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next adventure, but for now we are glad to be home with our kitties and our bed.
Special thanks to Pet Sitter of Grovetown for taking care of the babies for us. They are no where near as needy as they have been when we traveled in the past so I know they got good loving.
Til next time dear Blogland - sleep well.
Home!!! I'm laying in my own bed as I type this - feeling my own soft pillows. Oh, the goodness.
Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous trip, but there is nothing like home. So what happened today? Other than the obvious travel?
We slept late at Donald's and then visited with the family a bit this morning, heading out around noon. We traveled through Atlanta with intentions of staying with Hapaw tonight before heading home tomorrow. However, on our way their we both realized - we were ready to be home. So, we pivoted.
We stopped by Hapaws and visited. She wasn't feeling well so we went to grab a bite to eat (given she wasn't up to eating) and told her we would be back. We had a fabulous meal at The Trading Post in Villa Rica. By time we got back to Hapaw's, Jack's Mom and Step-Dad were there.
We visited them some more and then headed out around 8 for home. The trip home was uneventful, though there were police everywhere, and now our journey is over. We enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next adventure, but for now we are glad to be home with our kitties and our bed.
Special thanks to Pet Sitter of Grovetown for taking care of the babies for us. They are no where near as needy as they have been when we traveled in the past so I know they got good loving.
Til next time dear Blogland - sleep well.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 6
11/24/16
Thanksgiving Day, a day of reflection and thanksgiving. That is the holiday - for me, it was a day of good food, exploration, and visiting of the family.
Yesterday we spent the day resting and visiting with family. We spent the night with Donald & Tina and woke with a house filled with family. Amie and Tyler are here along with Amanda so we had many to catch up and visit with.
We ate Thanksgiving dinner around noon. Tina prepared it and she did an excellent job, the food was great and I'll be honest - it was nice to not to cook it :) It was nice to rest and just enjoy a big meal. But more than the food, the people were amazing. It was nice to visit and relax with family.
After dinner, we went exploring. First, we traveled to Cumberland Falls - it was gorgeous. The water was down, but the falls were still awesome. We went hiking a bit and even climbed into some caves. Even Aimie went hiking (she's 6 months pregnant). It was funny. We went down to the beach - which I think would be under water most of the time. There were a couple of great spots for photos and I had fun snapping photos.
We then drove down to the dam but passed a Lama and a goat farm on the way. That was pretty cool - there was this one Lama that pranced - awesomeness. A prancing Llama. So funny.
We then wondered down to the to the dam and enjoyed the lake and view before heading back to Donalds.
Once there we visited some more, played a lively game of spoons and settled down to watch some old fashioned, TV :)
Hope your Thanksgiving was just as incredible.
Thanksgiving Day, a day of reflection and thanksgiving. That is the holiday - for me, it was a day of good food, exploration, and visiting of the family.
Yesterday we spent the day resting and visiting with family. We spent the night with Donald & Tina and woke with a house filled with family. Amie and Tyler are here along with Amanda so we had many to catch up and visit with.
We ate Thanksgiving dinner around noon. Tina prepared it and she did an excellent job, the food was great and I'll be honest - it was nice to not to cook it :) It was nice to rest and just enjoy a big meal. But more than the food, the people were amazing. It was nice to visit and relax with family.
After dinner, we went exploring. First, we traveled to Cumberland Falls - it was gorgeous. The water was down, but the falls were still awesome. We went hiking a bit and even climbed into some caves. Even Aimie went hiking (she's 6 months pregnant). It was funny. We went down to the beach - which I think would be under water most of the time. There were a couple of great spots for photos and I had fun snapping photos.
We then drove down to the dam but passed a Lama and a goat farm on the way. That was pretty cool - there was this one Lama that pranced - awesomeness. A prancing Llama. So funny.
We then wondered down to the to the dam and enjoyed the lake and view before heading back to Donalds.
Once there we visited some more, played a lively game of spoons and settled down to watch some old fashioned, TV :)
Hope your Thanksgiving was just as incredible.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 4
11/22/2016
Today was another adventure. Donald and Tina picked me up around 10 AM and we headed toward Mt. McCloud, however, we took a scenic route up HWY 25. It was a drive along a creek/river that also had train tracks running along it, very peaceful. It took about an hour to get to our destination. Mt. McCloud is a privately owned mountain and you must have reservations to stay, at the restaurant, or live there to enter. Upon driving onto the mountain you are met by a nice gentleman who asks your business and then lets you on your way. Our reservations were not until 1 PM and it was only noon, so we had a bit of time.
We drove past the restaurant (up one lane winding roads again) to an overlook that was staggering. You walk out over rock jetties that have to be 100s of feet in the air and just look out. You could see the train tracks and I bet it would be neat to watch a train meandering along. The leaves still had a good bit of red to them so it was quite a view - a couple of weeks ago, at the height of the changing leaves, I bet it was breathtaking.
We then drove back to the restaurant area. We walked out onto the balcony and the view was incredible. Just staggering - it was a little hazy, but even with that - just gorgeous. We then went in and the restaurant wasn't busy (at all) so they were able to seat us early. The prices were exceptionally reasonable, the food good, and the view amazing! We watched an airplane fly by at almost our same height. They say in the mornings the clouds settle in the valley and you look out over them, I can only imagine.
The waitress was nice and allowed us to look at the lodging they rent out. The rooms were fantastic!!!! Big, great views, jacuzzi tubs, rocking chair front porches. Just amazing! They also are only $195 a night for a top room - you can't even begin to beat that. Jack and I are coming back, you can believe that! He didn't get to see it today due to working and I can just imagine him sitting on the balcony looking over the clouds. Other than hiking there isn't much to do on the mountain so I can see it being a day or two at the most, but we are totally going to make the trip again. I can't wait.
We then left the mountain and went another way home. We went through a small town and stopped at an antique toy/junk store. My brother loves this kind of stuff and I found the store interesting. It's not organized very well and you can get lost in it, but the owner was kind. I bought a couple of small pieces for Mama's Christmas village.
We then headed back to Donald & Tina's house. By the time we got back it was close to 4 PM and we had made a complete day of it. I took a short nap while I waited for Jack to arrive.
He got to Donalds around 6ish and we had a fabulous dinner that Tina made before retiring to the living room to chit-chat about this and that.
Now we are back at the hotel about to call it a night. Jack is taking 1/2 a day off tomorrow and we will then stay at Donalds vs. the hotel, because he will not need the internet speed/phone to work. Donald and Tina have the internet, just not fast enough to do VOIP that Jack has to have for his job...
Anyway, that was today's adventure. Have fun blogland and I'll see you tomorrow.
Today was another adventure. Donald and Tina picked me up around 10 AM and we headed toward Mt. McCloud, however, we took a scenic route up HWY 25. It was a drive along a creek/river that also had train tracks running along it, very peaceful. It took about an hour to get to our destination. Mt. McCloud is a privately owned mountain and you must have reservations to stay, at the restaurant, or live there to enter. Upon driving onto the mountain you are met by a nice gentleman who asks your business and then lets you on your way. Our reservations were not until 1 PM and it was only noon, so we had a bit of time.
We drove past the restaurant (up one lane winding roads again) to an overlook that was staggering. You walk out over rock jetties that have to be 100s of feet in the air and just look out. You could see the train tracks and I bet it would be neat to watch a train meandering along. The leaves still had a good bit of red to them so it was quite a view - a couple of weeks ago, at the height of the changing leaves, I bet it was breathtaking.
We then drove back to the restaurant area. We walked out onto the balcony and the view was incredible. Just staggering - it was a little hazy, but even with that - just gorgeous. We then went in and the restaurant wasn't busy (at all) so they were able to seat us early. The prices were exceptionally reasonable, the food good, and the view amazing! We watched an airplane fly by at almost our same height. They say in the mornings the clouds settle in the valley and you look out over them, I can only imagine.
The waitress was nice and allowed us to look at the lodging they rent out. The rooms were fantastic!!!! Big, great views, jacuzzi tubs, rocking chair front porches. Just amazing! They also are only $195 a night for a top room - you can't even begin to beat that. Jack and I are coming back, you can believe that! He didn't get to see it today due to working and I can just imagine him sitting on the balcony looking over the clouds. Other than hiking there isn't much to do on the mountain so I can see it being a day or two at the most, but we are totally going to make the trip again. I can't wait.
We then left the mountain and went another way home. We went through a small town and stopped at an antique toy/junk store. My brother loves this kind of stuff and I found the store interesting. It's not organized very well and you can get lost in it, but the owner was kind. I bought a couple of small pieces for Mama's Christmas village.
We then headed back to Donald & Tina's house. By the time we got back it was close to 4 PM and we had made a complete day of it. I took a short nap while I waited for Jack to arrive.
He got to Donalds around 6ish and we had a fabulous dinner that Tina made before retiring to the living room to chit-chat about this and that.
Now we are back at the hotel about to call it a night. Jack is taking 1/2 a day off tomorrow and we will then stay at Donalds vs. the hotel, because he will not need the internet speed/phone to work. Donald and Tina have the internet, just not fast enough to do VOIP that Jack has to have for his job...
Anyway, that was today's adventure. Have fun blogland and I'll see you tomorrow.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 3
11/21/2016
Today was quiet but really nice. I got up around 8:30, got dressed and ate breakfast with Jack at the hotel.
Jack then went to work (in our hotel room) while Donald and Tina picked me up to go visiting. We drove to Corbin KY and walked around the town. It is a tiny town but has its own charms. There is an old train depot with a pretty cool mural painted on it and a couple of old train cars. The town itself was decorated for Christmas and the shops were cute.
We then drove over to London KY and wondered a bit. Tina went to a bakery shop and got some really good deals on snacks for my nieces/nephews that are coming later in the week. And then we went to lunch... now we were going to a restaurant that had good food, but we pulled up to a gas station. I was obviously confused by this and thought a mistake had been made, but no. The restaurant is in the gas station and you know what? They had really good food - teach you to never judge a book by it's cover. I had veggie soup and a grilled cheese and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We also ran to Walmart for a few things and then went back to their house to just relax, which was awesome in itself. I laid on the couch, chatted, played with the dog and well just was. Do you know how nice it is just to be? Their home is pretty in the daytime - there are mules and horses in a pasture next door who came to say hi. I didn't get my camera out today (other than my cell phone) but one day this week I'm going to spend some good time taking pictures with them!
Now during all of this today I have also been fighting with Verizon, can I just tell anyone that will listen - I love Verizon's coverage network, but I hate Verizon. Anytime you have to contact them it is an ordeal. Well, Mama is in TX and yesterday suddenly her phone decides "I need to be reactivated". She went to Verizon yesterday and they replaced her SIM card but needed her apple ID and password. I reset it yesterday afternoon for her, but when she went to reactivate the phone yesterday evening it wouldn't work. So I asked her to go back to Verizon today. She gets there and the guy tells her that isn't her apple ID (has too many letters) and she just needs to buy a new phone to fix it. Needless to say, I told her not to buy said phone and that I would handle. So I call Verizon using 611 on my phone and the kind lady said what I expected "No you don't need a new phone - let me help you get in touch with Apple to fix this." So she connected me to Apple who verified her Apple ID and password were all good and there are no holds on her account. So I have her try it again - I have her try it while I'm on phone w/ her in one ear and Apple on another phone in another ear - can you say fun? Well - no dice because she couldn't connect to the cellular network and has no WIFI where she is. So the only option is to go back to Verizon.
So she goes back.... and the guy says "you need a new SIM card". He calls me to get authorization (something not done yesterday when they replaced it) and says he will get it going. I'm called 15 minutes later -- it's Mama saying that he says she needs a new phone, this one won't work. So I tell her to let me speak to the store manager. I can hear him saying "why" to which I reply, let me speak to the store manager... Suddenly he says "here it works" and all is well. Can you say SCAM???? I'm so going to call corporate about that store when I get a few minutes, they were obviously trying to take advantage of an elderly lady! UGH. Anyway, that took up at least an hour of the day, maybe 2, but she has her phone now and all is right in HooVille.
The day overall was really nice and once Jack was off he came over to the house and we had an excellent meal of BBQ sandwiches Tina made and then chatted, played cards and relaxed some more.
Tomorrow we plan on driving over to McCloud Mountain to take in the scenery and just well - relax some more. Hope your holiday week is going fabulously as well.
Today was quiet but really nice. I got up around 8:30, got dressed and ate breakfast with Jack at the hotel.
Jack then went to work (in our hotel room) while Donald and Tina picked me up to go visiting. We drove to Corbin KY and walked around the town. It is a tiny town but has its own charms. There is an old train depot with a pretty cool mural painted on it and a couple of old train cars. The town itself was decorated for Christmas and the shops were cute.
We then drove over to London KY and wondered a bit. Tina went to a bakery shop and got some really good deals on snacks for my nieces/nephews that are coming later in the week. And then we went to lunch... now we were going to a restaurant that had good food, but we pulled up to a gas station. I was obviously confused by this and thought a mistake had been made, but no. The restaurant is in the gas station and you know what? They had really good food - teach you to never judge a book by it's cover. I had veggie soup and a grilled cheese and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We also ran to Walmart for a few things and then went back to their house to just relax, which was awesome in itself. I laid on the couch, chatted, played with the dog and well just was. Do you know how nice it is just to be? Their home is pretty in the daytime - there are mules and horses in a pasture next door who came to say hi. I didn't get my camera out today (other than my cell phone) but one day this week I'm going to spend some good time taking pictures with them!
Now during all of this today I have also been fighting with Verizon, can I just tell anyone that will listen - I love Verizon's coverage network, but I hate Verizon. Anytime you have to contact them it is an ordeal. Well, Mama is in TX and yesterday suddenly her phone decides "I need to be reactivated". She went to Verizon yesterday and they replaced her SIM card but needed her apple ID and password. I reset it yesterday afternoon for her, but when she went to reactivate the phone yesterday evening it wouldn't work. So I asked her to go back to Verizon today. She gets there and the guy tells her that isn't her apple ID (has too many letters) and she just needs to buy a new phone to fix it. Needless to say, I told her not to buy said phone and that I would handle. So I call Verizon using 611 on my phone and the kind lady said what I expected "No you don't need a new phone - let me help you get in touch with Apple to fix this." So she connected me to Apple who verified her Apple ID and password were all good and there are no holds on her account. So I have her try it again - I have her try it while I'm on phone w/ her in one ear and Apple on another phone in another ear - can you say fun? Well - no dice because she couldn't connect to the cellular network and has no WIFI where she is. So the only option is to go back to Verizon.
So she goes back.... and the guy says "you need a new SIM card". He calls me to get authorization (something not done yesterday when they replaced it) and says he will get it going. I'm called 15 minutes later -- it's Mama saying that he says she needs a new phone, this one won't work. So I tell her to let me speak to the store manager. I can hear him saying "why" to which I reply, let me speak to the store manager... Suddenly he says "here it works" and all is well. Can you say SCAM???? I'm so going to call corporate about that store when I get a few minutes, they were obviously trying to take advantage of an elderly lady! UGH. Anyway, that took up at least an hour of the day, maybe 2, but she has her phone now and all is right in HooVille.
The day overall was really nice and once Jack was off he came over to the house and we had an excellent meal of BBQ sandwiches Tina made and then chatted, played cards and relaxed some more.
Tomorrow we plan on driving over to McCloud Mountain to take in the scenery and just well - relax some more. Hope your holiday week is going fabulously as well.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 2
11/20/2016
Day 2 of our journey was such an adventure; we turned a typical 3-hour drive into well 8 :) It was awesome.
First, we slept late and then meandered over to Fireside Restaurant. A local breakfast place near our hotel that had awesome reviews; reviews that were well deserved by the way. I had the french toast, which was really good. Not as good as that one in Charleston (yes I'm still going back just for the French Toast), but good never the less. The coffee was fresh and the service was top notch. I enjoyed it's laid back, sunny atmosphere and considered it the perfect way to start the day.
We then headed over to CVS to get me some heating stick on pads for my back, which was killing me before heading on. Let me just say - these things are pretty awesome. It's now 10:30 PM and my back, while still painful, is 100 times better than it was this morning after sleeping on the firm mattress at the hotel. Well, anyway, back to the adventure. By this time it's roughly noon and we decide to go see the Elk in Maggie Valley; about an hour out of the way --- but we won't have to backtrack. We came to see the Elk back in 2009 and really enjoyed it so we figured we'd go again.
So off we went. We got to Maggie Valley and stopped at one of the gift shops. We were browsing and Jack had to go to the bathroom, so he asked the cashier. Her answer "they are closed for the winter". Yep, no bathroom for him. He left me to browse and drove down to the service station a mile or so back. I'm not sure why I find this so funny, but who closes their bathroom when the leaves are still red and falling? I mean they still have tourist, such as ourselves, flowing through. Anyway, he came back, we bought our trinkets and then headed to see the Elk.
As I said we came in 2009, but I conveniently forgot the trek to see them. It's often a 1 lane gravel road with switchback U-shaped curves. Max speed for most people 15 - for us in that big ole truck - 5 to 10 depending on the curve. The route up was pretty, it was intense, it was funny, it was just plain old fun! When I wasn't panicking thinking of certain death I was just having a good time.
We arrived at the Elk grazing ground an hour or so later (17 miles mind you). They were so pretty and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing them, though I'll be honest it wasn't a passionate grab the right shot moment, just a fun time snapping pictures. I also got some shots of 3 wild turkey's who were hanging out. The brisk wind and the clear air - just an enjoyable afternoon visiting God's creations.
We then decided to go on our way. We had seen you could drive through the forest and come out closer to our destination so we did. By this time the GPS signal has long since been unavailable and well I can't read a map. Jack, on the other hand, knew what to do and we were mapping our way through a National Forest on one lane, gravel roads with bridges we weren't 100% sure weren't meant for foot traffic only. No cell or internet - just us, gravel and trees. It was exhilarating! 2 hours of fear, awe, and wonder. I loved it, but it did put us behind schedule.
When we came out of the forest and followed the signs for I40 the ramp was the most interesting thing. The off ramp really just went to this road, in the middle of nowhere. No businesses - nothing just a ramp into the forest. I've never seen anything like it - just amazing. Once on I40, we zoomed along until we both got a bit hungry. We stopped and ate at Cracker Barrell, there were local restaurants nearby, but I just wasn't in an experimentation mood. I was ready to eat and get on our way. So we did.
We arrived at my brother's about 8 PM and enjoyed a couple of hours visiting with them. Their home is beautiful. From what I could see given the late hour it's back aways off the road and he says I can see horses and stuff. I'll give you more details tomorrow, but the inside was just beautiful. He (and probably Tina too) have such a way with decorating. This 3 bedroom ranch home is like stepping into one decorated by a magazine. Antiques hung at just the right spot to accentuate them while at the same time making the home feel welcoming and cozy. We are staying in a hotel tonight - Wednesday due to Jack needing strong internet and phone for work. However, we are moving to Donalds for the remainder of our trip on Wednesday and I am actually looking forward to staying. Our room is decorated with the cutest little bears.
Anyway, that was our adventure today. I'll let you know what adventures tomorrow holds :)
Day 2 of our journey was such an adventure; we turned a typical 3-hour drive into well 8 :) It was awesome.
First, we slept late and then meandered over to Fireside Restaurant. A local breakfast place near our hotel that had awesome reviews; reviews that were well deserved by the way. I had the french toast, which was really good. Not as good as that one in Charleston (yes I'm still going back just for the French Toast), but good never the less. The coffee was fresh and the service was top notch. I enjoyed it's laid back, sunny atmosphere and considered it the perfect way to start the day.
We then headed over to CVS to get me some heating stick on pads for my back, which was killing me before heading on. Let me just say - these things are pretty awesome. It's now 10:30 PM and my back, while still painful, is 100 times better than it was this morning after sleeping on the firm mattress at the hotel. Well, anyway, back to the adventure. By this time it's roughly noon and we decide to go see the Elk in Maggie Valley; about an hour out of the way --- but we won't have to backtrack. We came to see the Elk back in 2009 and really enjoyed it so we figured we'd go again.
So off we went. We got to Maggie Valley and stopped at one of the gift shops. We were browsing and Jack had to go to the bathroom, so he asked the cashier. Her answer "they are closed for the winter". Yep, no bathroom for him. He left me to browse and drove down to the service station a mile or so back. I'm not sure why I find this so funny, but who closes their bathroom when the leaves are still red and falling? I mean they still have tourist, such as ourselves, flowing through. Anyway, he came back, we bought our trinkets and then headed to see the Elk.
As I said we came in 2009, but I conveniently forgot the trek to see them. It's often a 1 lane gravel road with switchback U-shaped curves. Max speed for most people 15 - for us in that big ole truck - 5 to 10 depending on the curve. The route up was pretty, it was intense, it was funny, it was just plain old fun! When I wasn't panicking thinking of certain death I was just having a good time.
We arrived at the Elk grazing ground an hour or so later (17 miles mind you). They were so pretty and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing them, though I'll be honest it wasn't a passionate grab the right shot moment, just a fun time snapping pictures. I also got some shots of 3 wild turkey's who were hanging out. The brisk wind and the clear air - just an enjoyable afternoon visiting God's creations.
We then decided to go on our way. We had seen you could drive through the forest and come out closer to our destination so we did. By this time the GPS signal has long since been unavailable and well I can't read a map. Jack, on the other hand, knew what to do and we were mapping our way through a National Forest on one lane, gravel roads with bridges we weren't 100% sure weren't meant for foot traffic only. No cell or internet - just us, gravel and trees. It was exhilarating! 2 hours of fear, awe, and wonder. I loved it, but it did put us behind schedule.
When we came out of the forest and followed the signs for I40 the ramp was the most interesting thing. The off ramp really just went to this road, in the middle of nowhere. No businesses - nothing just a ramp into the forest. I've never seen anything like it - just amazing. Once on I40, we zoomed along until we both got a bit hungry. We stopped and ate at Cracker Barrell, there were local restaurants nearby, but I just wasn't in an experimentation mood. I was ready to eat and get on our way. So we did.
We arrived at my brother's about 8 PM and enjoyed a couple of hours visiting with them. Their home is beautiful. From what I could see given the late hour it's back aways off the road and he says I can see horses and stuff. I'll give you more details tomorrow, but the inside was just beautiful. He (and probably Tina too) have such a way with decorating. This 3 bedroom ranch home is like stepping into one decorated by a magazine. Antiques hung at just the right spot to accentuate them while at the same time making the home feel welcoming and cozy. We are staying in a hotel tonight - Wednesday due to Jack needing strong internet and phone for work. However, we are moving to Donalds for the remainder of our trip on Wednesday and I am actually looking forward to staying. Our room is decorated with the cutest little bears.
Anyway, that was our adventure today. I'll let you know what adventures tomorrow holds :)
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Thanksgiving Trip 2016 - Day 1
11/19/2016
We are going to see my brother, Donald, for Thanksgiving this year. He lives in Corbin KY and this will be our first visit to his home since he moved there. If I'm honest this is one of the very few visits I've made to his home so I'm looking forward to it. We decided given it's a several hour drive that we would break the trip up so it would be at a leisurely, relaxed pace vs. rushed. So I set out an itinerary.
Step 1 - Let Jack sleep in a little bit given he traveled and worked all week. We ventured out around 10:45
Step 2 - Sunrise Grill for breakfast. This is a weekend tradition for us and well I needed coffee. Breakfast was great as usual, though had an interesting conversation with Jaycee regarding my new cleaning lady; time shall tell.
Step 3 - Chimney Rock Park - This is where it gets interesting. We were driving the truck and as you get closer to the park you must get off the interstate and onto curvy mountain roads. Jack was driving - I was having control freak out issues and he offered to let me drive. Can you just say Thank you, Jesus! Now don't get me wrong - Jack drives wonderfully, but you can't tell my nitwit brain that when we are going around a curve at a whopping 20 miles and hour and I see certain death in my future. Make sense yet? No - not to me either. So he lets me drive and we are on our way only... we weren't. We get about 20 minutes from Chimney Rock to stumble upon the fact the road is closed. No one can go to Chimney Rock at this time due to forest fires.
Step 4........ Yea that is where the itinerary got blown all to Hades and back so we pivoted.
Deviation Step 1 - Go back to find our way to Hendersonville (which is where our hotel is). It's about 30 to 45 minutes out of the way but the faithful Google Maps helps us find our way.
Deviation Step 2 - Check into the hotel early and ask for ideas. At this point, it's 3 PM and we aren't certain what we have time to do. The clerk was very helpful and gave us a brochure of holiday events. I'd like to speak about the hotel for a moment, if you forgive the digression, it's called The Cascades Mountain Resort. It's right next to the Hampton Inn we stayed at last time, but the rooms appeared bigger on the website, the reviews were good, and the price was reasonable. I have to say overall I'm impressed so far. Clean, spacious, huge indoor pool with slide, I'd recommend it if you are in the area. Only 2 negatives so far and they are fairly minor 1) Smell of chlorine in lobby / common areas and 2) Hot water exist, but it takes a while to find your room :)
So anyway we get into the room and sit. No plans, no agenda, just well - what now? I start looking at restaurants and Jack is looking at the holiday event brochure. and we decide - dinner and a play. Their decision made, we got this, we pivot rather well, yes we do. Onward and Upward - we are back on track, no more deviation - this is the plan, let's go.
Step 1 or 5 depending on how you look at it :) - Go to Hendersonville and walk around before dinner. Yea - great idea.... wait its 45 degrees. That's ok, you have a coat. Walk - look in shop - walk - look at shop - walk..... What are we doing? It's cold.... Let's go drive through town - who says we need to actually see in the windows :)
So we drive through Hendersonville. It's cute and if I had longhandles on under my jeans I bet I would have enjoyed it's ambiance, but well - no. So on to the next item on our agenda.
Step 2/6 - Dinner. Let's try something that looks different, something local. The steak house (Binions), Nah that looks too much like Texas Road House. Let's go to Never Blue. Reviews are awesome and the menu looks interesting. So we go in - sit down and order drinks. I order a Sangria and Jack a coke. I had a Sangria in Jamaica and thought they were good.... well apparently Sangria's in the US are different, because this was strong and had an after taste that would kick you in the groin. We look at the menu and suddenly what looked interesting on my phone just looks fancy and not terribly appetizing. So I do the unthinkable... I tell the waiter to give us a check for the drink and we leave. Yep, I paid $7 to take a sip out of a bad drink and leave. Where did we go you ask? Yea, you guessed it, Binions the local steak house.
The food was good I have to say as was the service, but I nailed it with the atmosphere. It's a local TX Roadhouse - not really my scene, but the steak was good - tender and juicy. They had shrimp cocktail as a side dish, which is unique, and their roles were the light wonderful yeast rolls like you used to get at Ryan's so overall - good deal.
Step 3/7 - Play - Now this we did right and I'm glad we missed Chimney Rock or we probably would have been too tired to consider this. We went to see A Christmas Carol at the Flat Rock Theater, the NC State Theater. It was opening night of the play and was magnificent! The acting, the singing, the staging - just wonderful. They also had hot chocolate at the concession area - cold night, hot chocolate and a Christmas play, the trifecta. Honestly, it was an incredible play and they did such a good job.
We are now laying in bed about to call it a night before we finish the journey tomorrow. Our day may not have gone super smoothly, but I had a good time and really for a day meant to be fun, that is the important part right? Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our day as much as we did having it. Sleep well blogland!
We are going to see my brother, Donald, for Thanksgiving this year. He lives in Corbin KY and this will be our first visit to his home since he moved there. If I'm honest this is one of the very few visits I've made to his home so I'm looking forward to it. We decided given it's a several hour drive that we would break the trip up so it would be at a leisurely, relaxed pace vs. rushed. So I set out an itinerary.
Step 1 - Let Jack sleep in a little bit given he traveled and worked all week. We ventured out around 10:45
Step 2 - Sunrise Grill for breakfast. This is a weekend tradition for us and well I needed coffee. Breakfast was great as usual, though had an interesting conversation with Jaycee regarding my new cleaning lady; time shall tell.
Step 3 - Chimney Rock Park - This is where it gets interesting. We were driving the truck and as you get closer to the park you must get off the interstate and onto curvy mountain roads. Jack was driving - I was having control freak out issues and he offered to let me drive. Can you just say Thank you, Jesus! Now don't get me wrong - Jack drives wonderfully, but you can't tell my nitwit brain that when we are going around a curve at a whopping 20 miles and hour and I see certain death in my future. Make sense yet? No - not to me either. So he lets me drive and we are on our way only... we weren't. We get about 20 minutes from Chimney Rock to stumble upon the fact the road is closed. No one can go to Chimney Rock at this time due to forest fires.
Step 4........ Yea that is where the itinerary got blown all to Hades and back so we pivoted.
Deviation Step 1 - Go back to find our way to Hendersonville (which is where our hotel is). It's about 30 to 45 minutes out of the way but the faithful Google Maps helps us find our way.
Deviation Step 2 - Check into the hotel early and ask for ideas. At this point, it's 3 PM and we aren't certain what we have time to do. The clerk was very helpful and gave us a brochure of holiday events. I'd like to speak about the hotel for a moment, if you forgive the digression, it's called The Cascades Mountain Resort. It's right next to the Hampton Inn we stayed at last time, but the rooms appeared bigger on the website, the reviews were good, and the price was reasonable. I have to say overall I'm impressed so far. Clean, spacious, huge indoor pool with slide, I'd recommend it if you are in the area. Only 2 negatives so far and they are fairly minor 1) Smell of chlorine in lobby / common areas and 2) Hot water exist, but it takes a while to find your room :)
So anyway we get into the room and sit. No plans, no agenda, just well - what now? I start looking at restaurants and Jack is looking at the holiday event brochure. and we decide - dinner and a play. Their decision made, we got this, we pivot rather well, yes we do. Onward and Upward - we are back on track, no more deviation - this is the plan, let's go.
Step 1 or 5 depending on how you look at it :) - Go to Hendersonville and walk around before dinner. Yea - great idea.... wait its 45 degrees. That's ok, you have a coat. Walk - look in shop - walk - look at shop - walk..... What are we doing? It's cold.... Let's go drive through town - who says we need to actually see in the windows :)
So we drive through Hendersonville. It's cute and if I had longhandles on under my jeans I bet I would have enjoyed it's ambiance, but well - no. So on to the next item on our agenda.
Step 2/6 - Dinner. Let's try something that looks different, something local. The steak house (Binions), Nah that looks too much like Texas Road House. Let's go to Never Blue. Reviews are awesome and the menu looks interesting. So we go in - sit down and order drinks. I order a Sangria and Jack a coke. I had a Sangria in Jamaica and thought they were good.... well apparently Sangria's in the US are different, because this was strong and had an after taste that would kick you in the groin. We look at the menu and suddenly what looked interesting on my phone just looks fancy and not terribly appetizing. So I do the unthinkable... I tell the waiter to give us a check for the drink and we leave. Yep, I paid $7 to take a sip out of a bad drink and leave. Where did we go you ask? Yea, you guessed it, Binions the local steak house.
The food was good I have to say as was the service, but I nailed it with the atmosphere. It's a local TX Roadhouse - not really my scene, but the steak was good - tender and juicy. They had shrimp cocktail as a side dish, which is unique, and their roles were the light wonderful yeast rolls like you used to get at Ryan's so overall - good deal.
Step 3/7 - Play - Now this we did right and I'm glad we missed Chimney Rock or we probably would have been too tired to consider this. We went to see A Christmas Carol at the Flat Rock Theater, the NC State Theater. It was opening night of the play and was magnificent! The acting, the singing, the staging - just wonderful. They also had hot chocolate at the concession area - cold night, hot chocolate and a Christmas play, the trifecta. Honestly, it was an incredible play and they did such a good job.
We are now laying in bed about to call it a night before we finish the journey tomorrow. Our day may not have gone super smoothly, but I had a good time and really for a day meant to be fun, that is the important part right? Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our day as much as we did having it. Sleep well blogland!
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Asheville Day 3
Today is the last day of our adventure, but we didn't let that stop us from jamming it full of awesomeness. We got up early and headed to the famous Biltmore. We had reservations at 9 and I wasn't sure how it all worked so I wanted to get there on time. We were actually 10 minutes early :)
Doing research ahead of time I knew I wanted to eat at the Dining Room for breakfast - what I didn't realize was taht it was not actually at the house. Well, let me back up. I knew I wanted to either eat at The Dining Room or the Village Social. We went to the Village Social first, but when we drove down and realized it was at the Lodge I decided I'd rather eat at the Dining Room. So... we drive back; get parked for The Biltmore; walk down and ask directions. Only to find The Dining Room is at the Inn, back where we came from. Now...it said The Dining Room at the Inn, buy my small brain did not register that. So we walked back, got in the car, and drove to The Dining Room.
We parked and walked in - the confusion I caused and the stress it caused me were worth it to eat here. Fine China, Linen Tablecloths were fabulous, but I could care less about that - the French Toast. Oh MY the french toast; it was good. Light, fluffy, just great. The menu had some weird explanation of it so when they first brought my plate I thought it was just fancy french toast, but the waitress laughed and said no - they brought you the wrong plate :). She went to get my food and I enjoyed the coffee (so good), the fresh fruit and the fresh squeezed OJ while I waited. Not a bad wait at all, then the real french toast came (will the real french toast please stand up?) and it was as I said above, delectable and well worth the drive!
We then headed back to The Biltmore and went into the house. It was quite enjoyable. The building itself mirrors the Chateau's we've seen in Europe and the interior work was just exquisite. One thing I loved was how much of the house was open - that was really unique for private home tours. I will say one you've seen the inside of one 18th century you've home - you've been in most. They all have a similar look/feel, this one was unique to me in 2 ways 1) Bowling Alley, Pool and Gym -- I mean come on! 2) the Kitchen/Store Room/Laundry rooms, were pretty cool.
BTW Jack totally saved my trip to the house; he had brought headphones. I had my camera and the audio tour of the Biltmore are these things you hold up to your ear - odd design! Jack's headset fit though and he let me use them so I could still take pictures vs. using my hands for the device. Have I told you lately how awesome my hubs is?
After the tour of the house we wandered to the shop area and bought a few souvenirs then headed to the Stables for dinner. This restaurant used to be the Stable and was converted! The food was really good, the server very nice and being able to see the old stable architecture was cool. My only issue was that it was freezing in there - we didn't linger.
We then went and walked through some of the gardens, I regret not bringing my Macro lens - I would love to have seen some of the pictures had I had it! The Mums were in full bloom and also the rose garden was still colorful. It was so nice and the weather was perfect! We also walked through the conservatory and enjoyed seeing some of the more unique plants!
By this time it was 4 and we decided to forego Chimney Rock for another trip and headed home. I drove the first part of the trip and let me say that it took a while to get used to driving the behemoth! This truck is big! I'm typing this as Jack drives the last leg of the journey home.
It's been a great weekend - here is looking forward to the next adventure. I want to go back to the Biltmore with Mama. We also want to go up to Grandfather Mtn, Chimney Rock, back to Maggie Valley, etc. I see many mini trips in our future!
Doing research ahead of time I knew I wanted to eat at the Dining Room for breakfast - what I didn't realize was taht it was not actually at the house. Well, let me back up. I knew I wanted to either eat at The Dining Room or the Village Social. We went to the Village Social first, but when we drove down and realized it was at the Lodge I decided I'd rather eat at the Dining Room. So... we drive back; get parked for The Biltmore; walk down and ask directions. Only to find The Dining Room is at the Inn, back where we came from. Now...it said The Dining Room at the Inn, buy my small brain did not register that. So we walked back, got in the car, and drove to The Dining Room.
We parked and walked in - the confusion I caused and the stress it caused me were worth it to eat here. Fine China, Linen Tablecloths were fabulous, but I could care less about that - the French Toast. Oh MY the french toast; it was good. Light, fluffy, just great. The menu had some weird explanation of it so when they first brought my plate I thought it was just fancy french toast, but the waitress laughed and said no - they brought you the wrong plate :). She went to get my food and I enjoyed the coffee (so good), the fresh fruit and the fresh squeezed OJ while I waited. Not a bad wait at all, then the real french toast came (will the real french toast please stand up?) and it was as I said above, delectable and well worth the drive!
We then headed back to The Biltmore and went into the house. It was quite enjoyable. The building itself mirrors the Chateau's we've seen in Europe and the interior work was just exquisite. One thing I loved was how much of the house was open - that was really unique for private home tours. I will say one you've seen the inside of one 18th century you've home - you've been in most. They all have a similar look/feel, this one was unique to me in 2 ways 1) Bowling Alley, Pool and Gym -- I mean come on! 2) the Kitchen/Store Room/Laundry rooms, were pretty cool.
BTW Jack totally saved my trip to the house; he had brought headphones. I had my camera and the audio tour of the Biltmore are these things you hold up to your ear - odd design! Jack's headset fit though and he let me use them so I could still take pictures vs. using my hands for the device. Have I told you lately how awesome my hubs is?
After the tour of the house we wandered to the shop area and bought a few souvenirs then headed to the Stables for dinner. This restaurant used to be the Stable and was converted! The food was really good, the server very nice and being able to see the old stable architecture was cool. My only issue was that it was freezing in there - we didn't linger.
We then went and walked through some of the gardens, I regret not bringing my Macro lens - I would love to have seen some of the pictures had I had it! The Mums were in full bloom and also the rose garden was still colorful. It was so nice and the weather was perfect! We also walked through the conservatory and enjoyed seeing some of the more unique plants!
By this time it was 4 and we decided to forego Chimney Rock for another trip and headed home. I drove the first part of the trip and let me say that it took a while to get used to driving the behemoth! This truck is big! I'm typing this as Jack drives the last leg of the journey home.
It's been a great weekend - here is looking forward to the next adventure. I want to go back to the Biltmore with Mama. We also want to go up to Grandfather Mtn, Chimney Rock, back to Maggie Valley, etc. I see many mini trips in our future!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Asheville Day 2
Today was jammed packed, but awesome! So why was it awesome? Well, let me share:
We got up and out of the hotel by 8:15 and headed to a local breakfast place called the Sunny Point Cafe. It had great trip adviser ratings, but they warned us it would be packed. I put extra time in our morning to accommodate, but not enough. We had to leave by 9:40 to make a tour we had booked, and at 9:32 we still didn't have food. That being said the staff were all super nice and the waitress did rush for us -- when we did get our food, it was to die for heavenly. The french toast was awesome and the fruit was fresh! They had fresh pineapple on my plate - hWeaven!. Jack loved their maple bacon and what he got as well, though he said the eggs could have been cooked more. My only regret was that we had to rush through the actual eating part :(
We left there and went to meet our tour guide for a walking tour of Asheville. At this point we are rushing a bit... We get parked and hop out of the truck. And it happens.... my camera falls to the pavement. Not just a cheap point and shoot, but a several thousand dollar Canon 7D with a pretty nice lens on the it. The rabid strap D ring was not propely secured so when I hoped out it let go. The battery popped out; the $5 lens protector pops off and I just stare. Jack says my name and ask what happens, which wakes me up enough to move.
At this point, I'm just in a little bit of shock, but also still worried about being late -- I hate being late; it makes me super anxious. So I tell him to worry about the parking and proceed to look at my camera. I say a quick shout of thanks as the lens is fine - the lens protector did it's job. The battery pops back in and I think I'm golden. So we start to walk toward the tour guide and I'm putting the battery door back on as it just pops on and off. Jack is meandering behind me on his phone trying to get the parking meter to work (it's pay by app) and I'm thinking I've got this. I get a bit a head of Jack and go to look for the bronze pigs where we are to meet our guide, yes I said bronze pigs. You can't make this up...!
I see the oblosisk, but no pigs. They were in the middle of a craft fair, so I asked one of the vendors and she was kind enough to direct me to the pigs where our guide and group were waiting. At this point it is 10:02 and I'm late... I apologize to him, obtain our "whispers" and I go over to a wall to get settled while the tour guide starts talking. I still can't get the battery door on the camera and without it latched there is no camera; it will not come on.
So as you can imagine, I'm thinking how not having a camera is really going to put a damper on the weekend. I mean, I'm in NC to take pictures. Jack then meanders over, having taken care of the parking and I as I do just hand it to him with a look I'm sure said more than I ever could have. Jack - Oh my Jack - I wouldn't trade him for a million others. He says "yep it's broke" and proceeds to finagle it to where it's attached and 100% working again! I don't know how - I don't care. I just know Jack did what Jack does and all was right with the world again. The pressure in my chest subsided and I actually started listening to this guide we paid for.
It's funny - God shows up - in the little and the small things. On our drive over I to the city I had an urge to pray with Jack, something that is very new to us, praying together. I just simply prayed that God help the little things not to ruin our day and that we not "bicker" but really just enjoy the day. And then this "little thing" in the grand scheme of things was just taken care of. What could have turned into a real weekend dampner ended up being - just well, nothing! God and Jack were there - who needs anything else :)
So... we walked around Asheville for 2 hours with Ashville by Foot and I really did enjoy it. I'm not a huge history person so much of what he said didn't stick between my ears, but it was nice for him to point out the architecture, things I never would have noticed on my own. To be guided to areas we probably wouldn't have wondered (or known to) and well to just enjoy. Not to mention the weather was out of this world gorgous; we could have not begged for a better day!
We then ended our tour and got back in the truck to go look at the fall colors. We headed up 19N to Burnsville to eat at a restaurant called the Garden Deli. It has a wonderful outdoor patio that is just delightful. We sat, enjoyed the sun, the garden, each other and the food. It was all exquisite.
We then walked around the little town of Burnsville a bit before heading out. Not much there, but it was quaint and nice to stretch our legs after eating. We then headed back out on 19 toward Spruce Pine Town and just drove. The leaves were pretty, some orange and red... my guess is in another week they will be even more so. The articles I read said they are turning a bit late this year due to the summer we had, but I've still enjoyed them. Once in Spruce Pine we hit the Blue Ridge parkway and headed back toward Asheville.
We drove, stopped and took a few pictures (though not as many as normal, I was just enjoying being) and drove some more. We got off and went up to Mt. Mitchel, driving through some amazingly thick fog on the way - it was beautiful in it's eeriness and I could see how one could easily get lost in it. Reminded me of poetry in a way.
The Mountain was amazing - the view off of it was like looking down on clouds due to the fog. Just white as far as you could see - it was worth the drive and the hike all by itself. We then headed back down and proceeded to Asheville on the parkway. Now let me just say - I love and hate the Blue Ridge Parkway. Jack and I both love the scenic drive, the gorgeous vistas and this was no different. It was so peaceful -- until well -- you are ready to get off and go on. Finding a way off that is expedient is never easy. I remember the reaction when we drove it back from DC. We were enjoying it and then we were ready to go. the roads that parallel it to get you back to civilization are just as curvy so no real time saving, you are just stuck... until you are done, lol. That being said -- I'll probably get on it again next year :)
Once in Asheville we headed out to grab a bite to eat. I hadn't planned the restaurant ahead because I didn't really know where we would during dinner time. I know better, but here we were. So we decided to go downtown and meander around and figure out what to eat. After looking for a few minutes, having a married moment, and then getting over said married moment we ended up at a restaurant called White Duck Taco Soup. Not one I will ever recommend to anyone! Jack liked his food, I found it ok. I didn't enjoy the ambiance (similar to a TacoMac) nor the cleanliness. Just not my vibe.
After eating we walked around downtown Asheville, did a tiny bit of shopping, and then headed back to the hotel. I will say I like Ashville, it's a quaint town, but I don't know we will come back to the town itself. The area - YES - but not to Asheville per se. We like towns like Charleston / Chattanooga a bit better. Asheville has more of a artsy, funk vibe - similar to little 5 in downtown Atlanta. I like it - don't get me wrong - just not our "vibe" per se.
The area though is second ot none in the SE for waterfalls, fall colors, etc.. So we will be back for sure!
And that is day 2 - as you can see jammed packed. We really enjoyed it and are looking forward to exploring The Biltmore and maybe Chimney Rock tomorrow; we shall see how it goes.
Sleep well blogland - here is wishing you and yours the best.
We got up and out of the hotel by 8:15 and headed to a local breakfast place called the Sunny Point Cafe. It had great trip adviser ratings, but they warned us it would be packed. I put extra time in our morning to accommodate, but not enough. We had to leave by 9:40 to make a tour we had booked, and at 9:32 we still didn't have food. That being said the staff were all super nice and the waitress did rush for us -- when we did get our food, it was to die for heavenly. The french toast was awesome and the fruit was fresh! They had fresh pineapple on my plate - hWeaven!. Jack loved their maple bacon and what he got as well, though he said the eggs could have been cooked more. My only regret was that we had to rush through the actual eating part :(
We left there and went to meet our tour guide for a walking tour of Asheville. At this point we are rushing a bit... We get parked and hop out of the truck. And it happens.... my camera falls to the pavement. Not just a cheap point and shoot, but a several thousand dollar Canon 7D with a pretty nice lens on the it. The rabid strap D ring was not propely secured so when I hoped out it let go. The battery popped out; the $5 lens protector pops off and I just stare. Jack says my name and ask what happens, which wakes me up enough to move.
At this point, I'm just in a little bit of shock, but also still worried about being late -- I hate being late; it makes me super anxious. So I tell him to worry about the parking and proceed to look at my camera. I say a quick shout of thanks as the lens is fine - the lens protector did it's job. The battery pops back in and I think I'm golden. So we start to walk toward the tour guide and I'm putting the battery door back on as it just pops on and off. Jack is meandering behind me on his phone trying to get the parking meter to work (it's pay by app) and I'm thinking I've got this. I get a bit a head of Jack and go to look for the bronze pigs where we are to meet our guide, yes I said bronze pigs. You can't make this up...!
I see the oblosisk, but no pigs. They were in the middle of a craft fair, so I asked one of the vendors and she was kind enough to direct me to the pigs where our guide and group were waiting. At this point it is 10:02 and I'm late... I apologize to him, obtain our "whispers" and I go over to a wall to get settled while the tour guide starts talking. I still can't get the battery door on the camera and without it latched there is no camera; it will not come on.
So as you can imagine, I'm thinking how not having a camera is really going to put a damper on the weekend. I mean, I'm in NC to take pictures. Jack then meanders over, having taken care of the parking and I as I do just hand it to him with a look I'm sure said more than I ever could have. Jack - Oh my Jack - I wouldn't trade him for a million others. He says "yep it's broke" and proceeds to finagle it to where it's attached and 100% working again! I don't know how - I don't care. I just know Jack did what Jack does and all was right with the world again. The pressure in my chest subsided and I actually started listening to this guide we paid for.
It's funny - God shows up - in the little and the small things. On our drive over I to the city I had an urge to pray with Jack, something that is very new to us, praying together. I just simply prayed that God help the little things not to ruin our day and that we not "bicker" but really just enjoy the day. And then this "little thing" in the grand scheme of things was just taken care of. What could have turned into a real weekend dampner ended up being - just well, nothing! God and Jack were there - who needs anything else :)
So... we walked around Asheville for 2 hours with Ashville by Foot and I really did enjoy it. I'm not a huge history person so much of what he said didn't stick between my ears, but it was nice for him to point out the architecture, things I never would have noticed on my own. To be guided to areas we probably wouldn't have wondered (or known to) and well to just enjoy. Not to mention the weather was out of this world gorgous; we could have not begged for a better day!
We then ended our tour and got back in the truck to go look at the fall colors. We headed up 19N to Burnsville to eat at a restaurant called the Garden Deli. It has a wonderful outdoor patio that is just delightful. We sat, enjoyed the sun, the garden, each other and the food. It was all exquisite.
We then walked around the little town of Burnsville a bit before heading out. Not much there, but it was quaint and nice to stretch our legs after eating. We then headed back out on 19 toward Spruce Pine Town and just drove. The leaves were pretty, some orange and red... my guess is in another week they will be even more so. The articles I read said they are turning a bit late this year due to the summer we had, but I've still enjoyed them. Once in Spruce Pine we hit the Blue Ridge parkway and headed back toward Asheville.
We drove, stopped and took a few pictures (though not as many as normal, I was just enjoying being) and drove some more. We got off and went up to Mt. Mitchel, driving through some amazingly thick fog on the way - it was beautiful in it's eeriness and I could see how one could easily get lost in it. Reminded me of poetry in a way.
The Mountain was amazing - the view off of it was like looking down on clouds due to the fog. Just white as far as you could see - it was worth the drive and the hike all by itself. We then headed back down and proceeded to Asheville on the parkway. Now let me just say - I love and hate the Blue Ridge Parkway. Jack and I both love the scenic drive, the gorgeous vistas and this was no different. It was so peaceful -- until well -- you are ready to get off and go on. Finding a way off that is expedient is never easy. I remember the reaction when we drove it back from DC. We were enjoying it and then we were ready to go. the roads that parallel it to get you back to civilization are just as curvy so no real time saving, you are just stuck... until you are done, lol. That being said -- I'll probably get on it again next year :)
Once in Asheville we headed out to grab a bite to eat. I hadn't planned the restaurant ahead because I didn't really know where we would during dinner time. I know better, but here we were. So we decided to go downtown and meander around and figure out what to eat. After looking for a few minutes, having a married moment, and then getting over said married moment we ended up at a restaurant called White Duck Taco Soup. Not one I will ever recommend to anyone! Jack liked his food, I found it ok. I didn't enjoy the ambiance (similar to a TacoMac) nor the cleanliness. Just not my vibe.
After eating we walked around downtown Asheville, did a tiny bit of shopping, and then headed back to the hotel. I will say I like Ashville, it's a quaint town, but I don't know we will come back to the town itself. The area - YES - but not to Asheville per se. We like towns like Charleston / Chattanooga a bit better. Asheville has more of a artsy, funk vibe - similar to little 5 in downtown Atlanta. I like it - don't get me wrong - just not our "vibe" per se.
The area though is second ot none in the SE for waterfalls, fall colors, etc.. So we will be back for sure!
And that is day 2 - as you can see jammed packed. We really enjoyed it and are looking forward to exploring The Biltmore and maybe Chimney Rock tomorrow; we shall see how it goes.
Sleep well blogland - here is wishing you and yours the best.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Asheville Day 1
We left the house today around 5 on our way to the Asheville NC area. We bought a new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado earlier this week and are driving it on this weeks adventure. I honestly thought we were just buying a truck to pick stuff up in, haul it, etc... however, now that I've ridden it I think it is our new riding vehicle. Super comfy! Its a dual cab with leather and all the perks. Jack and I enjoyed calling people on the bluetoothe and playing with it's features on the ride up.
The ride itself was uneventful. It was mainly on back roads, which was a nice change of pace from interstate.
Once we got to Hendersonville (which is where we are staying) we stopped at a restaurant called the Flat Rock Wood Room. It had high Trip Adviser ratings and I know why. The food was pretty good. Jack had a BBQ plate and I ate one of their wood fired pizza's. The pizza was good, though I liked the wood fired pizza in Jamica better. However, the BBQ seemed to be really good and the sides were exceptionally tasty. I would come back if I was in the area again, but I'd stick with the BBQ :)
We then headed to our hotel. We are staying at the Hampton in for $20 due to points. So basically, free!!! The room is smaller than we normally get, but hey it's free - you can't beat free. It's clean, I have lots of pillows and it makes a good home base for the weekends adventures.
And that pretty much wraps up day 1 :) Tomorrow we get an early start and I am looking forward to some quality time with the hubs as we explore this SE US wonderland.
Sleep well blogland, praying God blesses you and yours on this fabulous weekend.
The ride itself was uneventful. It was mainly on back roads, which was a nice change of pace from interstate.
Once we got to Hendersonville (which is where we are staying) we stopped at a restaurant called the Flat Rock Wood Room. It had high Trip Adviser ratings and I know why. The food was pretty good. Jack had a BBQ plate and I ate one of their wood fired pizza's. The pizza was good, though I liked the wood fired pizza in Jamica better. However, the BBQ seemed to be really good and the sides were exceptionally tasty. I would come back if I was in the area again, but I'd stick with the BBQ :)
We then headed to our hotel. We are staying at the Hampton in for $20 due to points. So basically, free!!! The room is smaller than we normally get, but hey it's free - you can't beat free. It's clean, I have lots of pillows and it makes a good home base for the weekends adventures.
And that pretty much wraps up day 1 :) Tomorrow we get an early start and I am looking forward to some quality time with the hubs as we explore this SE US wonderland.
Sleep well blogland, praying God blesses you and yours on this fabulous weekend.
Saturday, September 03, 2016
Jamaica Day 5
Today is our last day in Jamaica :( Tomorrow we head home. It's been a great trip, but if I'm honest with myself I'm ready to be home. I'm ready to sleep in my bed and pet my annoying fur babies. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying today. One thing I can say is that the days seem longer here - we seem to fit more in. So what happened today?
We woke up at 7:30, enjoyed the coffee placed by the butler elves and then headed down to the buffet for breakfast. We then meandered over to catch the bus to our River Walk. The drive over to the river was about an hour and half and it was opposite of the direction we went the other day. We drove through Negril and through Little London on our way. What I noticed most is that while the houses are small like in the other areas and it's obviously not as wealthy or comfortable as the US, these areas were cleaner. There was litter, but no more than you would see in the US - just patches here and there. People's yards were relatively clean and their houses well maintained. Some were larger and almost the size of a 2 bedroom starter home in the states, but most appeared to be the 1 room buildings that pepper the landscape here. I also noticed that the buildings here are all bright colors - colors we would cringe if our neighbor used in the US - pink, purple, green, and sometimes all on the same house.
The road was extremely bumpy - marked with pot holes and the closer to the river the bumpier it got. We saw a small boy coming back from the river with his cloths in a hamper and none on his bottom; it was super cute.
Once we got to the river; we were surprised to learn it was not a trail along the river, but you actually walked in the water. We knew you could get in the river; just didn't realize the walk was in the river... lol. I really wanted to take pictures on this excursion given I haven't gotten to really at all this trip; so I walked the trail and Jack joined the others in the water. Once they got past a certain point the guide said it would be ok for me to walk with my camera so I did -- it was fun. I wish I had brought the water proof camera and left mine, the pictures probably were not worth me missing out, but alas, a lesson learned for another day.
After the walk they served us lunch. It was fried chicken, but different than what we have. It had a Mango sauce over it and the flavor was sooo good. I loved it. We then headed back up what felt like a million stairs to the bus, where most of us napped to some degree on the way back to the resort.
Once back we came to the room and I took a much needed nap. We then got up, dressed and walked the beach while the sunset. It was a gorgeous night. We then went to the Japanese restaurant again, but we had a different cook and he was not anywhere near as good... the people we ate with were all tired as well so the conversation wasn't engaging. We left after dinner and went to the seafood restaurant for desert; they have a very good apple tart :)
Once we were so full we were about to enter a food coma we took a walk along the beach before coming back to face the reality of getting packed up for tomorrow. We leave the resort at 9 AM and should be back home around 10 PM tomorrow. We loose an hour and with the connection in Atlanta it can take a bit. I'm looking forward to getting there though; not necessarily work, but being home.
See you all soon :)
We woke up at 7:30, enjoyed the coffee placed by the butler elves and then headed down to the buffet for breakfast. We then meandered over to catch the bus to our River Walk. The drive over to the river was about an hour and half and it was opposite of the direction we went the other day. We drove through Negril and through Little London on our way. What I noticed most is that while the houses are small like in the other areas and it's obviously not as wealthy or comfortable as the US, these areas were cleaner. There was litter, but no more than you would see in the US - just patches here and there. People's yards were relatively clean and their houses well maintained. Some were larger and almost the size of a 2 bedroom starter home in the states, but most appeared to be the 1 room buildings that pepper the landscape here. I also noticed that the buildings here are all bright colors - colors we would cringe if our neighbor used in the US - pink, purple, green, and sometimes all on the same house.
The road was extremely bumpy - marked with pot holes and the closer to the river the bumpier it got. We saw a small boy coming back from the river with his cloths in a hamper and none on his bottom; it was super cute.
Once we got to the river; we were surprised to learn it was not a trail along the river, but you actually walked in the water. We knew you could get in the river; just didn't realize the walk was in the river... lol. I really wanted to take pictures on this excursion given I haven't gotten to really at all this trip; so I walked the trail and Jack joined the others in the water. Once they got past a certain point the guide said it would be ok for me to walk with my camera so I did -- it was fun. I wish I had brought the water proof camera and left mine, the pictures probably were not worth me missing out, but alas, a lesson learned for another day.
After the walk they served us lunch. It was fried chicken, but different than what we have. It had a Mango sauce over it and the flavor was sooo good. I loved it. We then headed back up what felt like a million stairs to the bus, where most of us napped to some degree on the way back to the resort.
Once back we came to the room and I took a much needed nap. We then got up, dressed and walked the beach while the sunset. It was a gorgeous night. We then went to the Japanese restaurant again, but we had a different cook and he was not anywhere near as good... the people we ate with were all tired as well so the conversation wasn't engaging. We left after dinner and went to the seafood restaurant for desert; they have a very good apple tart :)
Once we were so full we were about to enter a food coma we took a walk along the beach before coming back to face the reality of getting packed up for tomorrow. We leave the resort at 9 AM and should be back home around 10 PM tomorrow. We loose an hour and with the connection in Atlanta it can take a bit. I'm looking forward to getting there though; not necessarily work, but being home.
See you all soon :)
Friday, September 02, 2016
Jamaica Day 4
Day 4 in Jamaica; I could spend a lifetime here. Though I must admit the heat would probably get to me after a while. So what did we do today? mmmmmm...
Well, we got up at 7:30 and the coffee elf aka Kendrick the Butler had delivered coffee to the porch. I swear the coffee and the delivery of said coffee may be the best thing about Jamaica. We then got showers and ate room service in the room. Room service is another thing I could get used to... just saying.
We then headed down for our very first excursion off the resort - > horse back riding. The trip was about an hour and 1/2 and the driver was funny. I was once again stricken by the poverty in Jamaica, but the areas we went through today were not as bad. Another thing that struck me is how little respect the Jamaican people seem to have for the beauty around them. Trash is everywhere - if they cleaned up I bet the tourism would pick up even more. People like myself might leave the confines of the resorts and spend money in the cities... but with trash everywhere I would never feel comfortable.
We got to the horse back riding place and realized it is the same place for the ATVs so we ended up cancelling that trip we had planned for tomorrow - I don't want to ride ATVs over the same trails. The ride was fun though; a couple of good vistas, but mainly walking a trail through the forest. Our guide was Jr. and he was nice - the horse I rode was Royal and she was a princess through and through. Again I was stricken by the garbage - even at a tourist spot like this - garbage. The ride was about an hour long and I did enjoy it. We went up and down hills and the horse decided to gallop on me a few times, which was fun. She also randomly decided to eat, shit and pee - > which was interesting.
We walked with the horses through water and the areas by the sea were really pretty. Once we got back to the main staging area they allowed you to take the horse for a swim if you wanted to. Jack and I opted to stay dry, but I enjoyed watching and taking pictures. The area where you first get on the horses really is pretty and the breeze was perfect. I laid in the hammock for a bit and then wondered over to the bar area. In the bar area a couple -were feeding the stray cats so I really enjoyed that - The cats are really scared of people so I had trouble getting pictures earlier, but with them getting fed it was great. I enjoyed watching them - the were super cute.
We then rode back to the hotel and I may have taken a nap on the way back. Once in the room we changed for our private boat tour of the area. This was by far the best thing about the trip so far and well worth the extra money. We had a two hour tour on the boat - Jack and I love to be on the water and this was super special. We saw caves, drove the boat into a cave, saw bats, resorts built into the cliffs, saw Marguritaville, and walked up to Ricks Cafe. It was a magical night - the guys who took us out were fantastic.
It was funny - when we went up to Ricks Cafe they had two ladies on the boat with them - I think they were on mini-dates while working. I thought it was super funny. On the way back another boat signaled us and we had apparently run into their fishing line. Now keep in mind it's night by now and this boat has no lights so there is no way anyone could have knonw about the fishing line. They were talking in the native Jamaican language, except for the cuss words which were in English, and it was funny. That guy was obviously upset and saying the same thing over and over -- at first it alarmed me, but then I realized the staff had it well under control so then it was just funny -> a story for the trip to file away in the memory banks.
We got back to the resort and decided to forego the dinner reservations; instead we ate pizza in and I'm seriously considering calling it an early night. It was a great day and tomorrow will be as well. Sleep well my friends.
Well, we got up at 7:30 and the coffee elf aka Kendrick the Butler had delivered coffee to the porch. I swear the coffee and the delivery of said coffee may be the best thing about Jamaica. We then got showers and ate room service in the room. Room service is another thing I could get used to... just saying.
We then headed down for our very first excursion off the resort - > horse back riding. The trip was about an hour and 1/2 and the driver was funny. I was once again stricken by the poverty in Jamaica, but the areas we went through today were not as bad. Another thing that struck me is how little respect the Jamaican people seem to have for the beauty around them. Trash is everywhere - if they cleaned up I bet the tourism would pick up even more. People like myself might leave the confines of the resorts and spend money in the cities... but with trash everywhere I would never feel comfortable.
We got to the horse back riding place and realized it is the same place for the ATVs so we ended up cancelling that trip we had planned for tomorrow - I don't want to ride ATVs over the same trails. The ride was fun though; a couple of good vistas, but mainly walking a trail through the forest. Our guide was Jr. and he was nice - the horse I rode was Royal and she was a princess through and through. Again I was stricken by the garbage - even at a tourist spot like this - garbage. The ride was about an hour long and I did enjoy it. We went up and down hills and the horse decided to gallop on me a few times, which was fun. She also randomly decided to eat, shit and pee - > which was interesting.
We walked with the horses through water and the areas by the sea were really pretty. Once we got back to the main staging area they allowed you to take the horse for a swim if you wanted to. Jack and I opted to stay dry, but I enjoyed watching and taking pictures. The area where you first get on the horses really is pretty and the breeze was perfect. I laid in the hammock for a bit and then wondered over to the bar area. In the bar area a couple -were feeding the stray cats so I really enjoyed that - The cats are really scared of people so I had trouble getting pictures earlier, but with them getting fed it was great. I enjoyed watching them - the were super cute.
We then rode back to the hotel and I may have taken a nap on the way back. Once in the room we changed for our private boat tour of the area. This was by far the best thing about the trip so far and well worth the extra money. We had a two hour tour on the boat - Jack and I love to be on the water and this was super special. We saw caves, drove the boat into a cave, saw bats, resorts built into the cliffs, saw Marguritaville, and walked up to Ricks Cafe. It was a magical night - the guys who took us out were fantastic.
It was funny - when we went up to Ricks Cafe they had two ladies on the boat with them - I think they were on mini-dates while working. I thought it was super funny. On the way back another boat signaled us and we had apparently run into their fishing line. Now keep in mind it's night by now and this boat has no lights so there is no way anyone could have knonw about the fishing line. They were talking in the native Jamaican language, except for the cuss words which were in English, and it was funny. That guy was obviously upset and saying the same thing over and over -- at first it alarmed me, but then I realized the staff had it well under control so then it was just funny -> a story for the trip to file away in the memory banks.
We got back to the resort and decided to forego the dinner reservations; instead we ate pizza in and I'm seriously considering calling it an early night. It was a great day and tomorrow will be as well. Sleep well my friends.
Thursday, September 01, 2016
Jamaica Day 3
Today there isn't too much to write about; we took a very relaxing day. However, I do want the memories so here goes.
We woke up to coffee on the deck again - I could so get used to this. After a slow morning we meandered down for breakfast at the buffet. It is an outside area and I enjoyed the view of the ocean and the Egrets stalking for morning leftovers. They are such beautiful birds.
We then went down to the shop for a different, hopefully better, sunscreen. Came back to the room and got ready for the next item on our agenda. Jack went to try diving again and I went to our reserved spots on the beach. It is so nice - you have your own lounge chairs, umbrella and they bring you a cooler with drinks - Its pampering to the 9th degree. I sat back - read my book - got in the water a tiny bit and generally just relaxed. We are near the end of the property so I chatted with the security guard a little bit; he was friendly and checked up on me often. I think he may have been flirting a bit.
I then meandered back to the room and got into the pool - the way our deck is set up you can get in the pool, cool off, and then get right back on your lounge chair. I did this for a bit - reading as the day went on, but the heat and sun began to get the best of me. Jack came back right as I was about to call it and head into the AC.
We set for a bit and he told me about his diving or lack thereof; it didn't work for him today either. The instruction here is a bit rushed and I don't think we got what we paid for; hopefully we will get at least a partial refund. My jaw is still achy from yesterday's driving experience... Apparently diving is just not our thing -- ah well, there are always other things.
We ordered pizza to the room and chilled for a bit before heading out for a glass bottom boat ride at 4. Now I have to say this was disappointing. The guy who ran it, Price, was rude -- or at least he came across that way to me. Plus, they went to fast, you couldn't really see anything to make it out because of how fast they were traveling... I was extremely irritated with him - I hate rude people. He had me on edge from the beginning - this was my first really negative experience with a staff member here, so after 3 days I guess that is a pretty good track record.
We then came back to the room and alternated between reading and sleeping. Relaxation was the name of the day for sure.
Around 6:30 we got ready for dinner at the Italian place and the butler came to escort us down. The food was ok, but the view was great. We sat right on the water and got to really just enjoy being out in the fresh air. Very very nice. There was a man singing at the end of our meal, so we went for a walk and ended up dancing on the beach - it was as sweet as it sounds. We then meandered up to the swings and sat to listen to the music for a bit more before heading back for a late night hot tub/swim at the room.
I love having the pool right here - in /out no big deal. I love it. Now I am about to call it an early night; tomorrow we are up early for horse back riding :) See you then!
We woke up to coffee on the deck again - I could so get used to this. After a slow morning we meandered down for breakfast at the buffet. It is an outside area and I enjoyed the view of the ocean and the Egrets stalking for morning leftovers. They are such beautiful birds.
We then went down to the shop for a different, hopefully better, sunscreen. Came back to the room and got ready for the next item on our agenda. Jack went to try diving again and I went to our reserved spots on the beach. It is so nice - you have your own lounge chairs, umbrella and they bring you a cooler with drinks - Its pampering to the 9th degree. I sat back - read my book - got in the water a tiny bit and generally just relaxed. We are near the end of the property so I chatted with the security guard a little bit; he was friendly and checked up on me often. I think he may have been flirting a bit.
I then meandered back to the room and got into the pool - the way our deck is set up you can get in the pool, cool off, and then get right back on your lounge chair. I did this for a bit - reading as the day went on, but the heat and sun began to get the best of me. Jack came back right as I was about to call it and head into the AC.
We set for a bit and he told me about his diving or lack thereof; it didn't work for him today either. The instruction here is a bit rushed and I don't think we got what we paid for; hopefully we will get at least a partial refund. My jaw is still achy from yesterday's driving experience... Apparently diving is just not our thing -- ah well, there are always other things.
We ordered pizza to the room and chilled for a bit before heading out for a glass bottom boat ride at 4. Now I have to say this was disappointing. The guy who ran it, Price, was rude -- or at least he came across that way to me. Plus, they went to fast, you couldn't really see anything to make it out because of how fast they were traveling... I was extremely irritated with him - I hate rude people. He had me on edge from the beginning - this was my first really negative experience with a staff member here, so after 3 days I guess that is a pretty good track record.
We then came back to the room and alternated between reading and sleeping. Relaxation was the name of the day for sure.
Around 6:30 we got ready for dinner at the Italian place and the butler came to escort us down. The food was ok, but the view was great. We sat right on the water and got to really just enjoy being out in the fresh air. Very very nice. There was a man singing at the end of our meal, so we went for a walk and ended up dancing on the beach - it was as sweet as it sounds. We then meandered up to the swings and sat to listen to the music for a bit more before heading back for a late night hot tub/swim at the room.
I love having the pool right here - in /out no big deal. I love it. Now I am about to call it an early night; tomorrow we are up early for horse back riding :) See you then!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Jamaica Day 2
... today was well awesome. It's hard to believe we've only been here 1.5 days; it feels longer, but in a good way. This place is so welcoming. I'm often uncomfortable with new people/places and I won't say I'm much more than a wallflower here, but we've met some really great people and the staff just brings you out of your shell no matter who you are. It's special. So what did we do today ? So So Much! Lets break it down:
First and foremost - I woke up to coffee already set up on our outside patio but our wonderful Butler Kendrick. Can you say heaven ? Coffee delivered to my door where I can sit and listen to the waves? OMG and the coffee is good here - really good. Its a Jamaican blend and OMG I want it at home. For those of you who really know me you know I'm a coffee snob and a total Dunkin girl, but this could seriously compete... especially when it's brought to my door.
We then ordered room service while we read our dive books - yes homework during vacation - don't ask me what we are thinking. Once breakfast was ready we promptly headed over to our scuba diving lesson at 8:30. Why we read even part of the book I'm not sure, because he gave us the answers to the test... literally. We then proceeded to get in the pool --- the rest needs some backdrop.
Ok, here goes - I can't hold my breath under water - never have been able to - never will be able to. I have to pinch my nose. Yes I know I'm old and should be able to do this, but no dice. It's actually one of my worst fears and I asked about 15 times yesterday if it would be a problem and I was promised no- the face mask covers your nose - all good. Well, not all good - not even by a long shot.
We get in the pool and he teaches us some basics, then we get to the "Clear your mask skill" where basically he puts water in your mask and you have to get it out. Enter me so close to a panic attack I was fighting back tears. He was nice though and the class was just me, Jack and one other girl so it wasn't as embarrassing - although the guys in the bleachers doing something else were sure to get a good laugh out of the girl who can't hold her breath. The instructor was nice and walked me through it several times and I mean SEVERAL. He finally got me where I could do it enough but it was terrifying. I mean terrifying. I was so glad when he moved on. However, it shook my confidence in this "diving" thing pretty deeply.
Some of the other moves involved removing your breathing device under water and putting it back -- saving a buddy with no air, etc... None of which gave me warm fuzzies. So then it's time to get on the boat and go out to the ocean. I had bought an underwater camera for this, but realized I was going to need to concentrate on breathing and staying alive, so it stayed on the boat.... I however jumped willingly to the depths of the ocean so I could pretend to be a fish and swim along the bottom.
A few minutes into the dive I realized that Jack is nowhere to be found. The instructor obviously knew I was the weak link of the group and he stayed with me the entire time and he was basically my "diving buddy" but when I couldn't find Jack - he saw my distress and motioned to me that Jack was ok and for us to keep going. This made me feel better and we continued the dive. As you dive you have to equalize the air in your mask so that your ears adjust - imagine popping them on an airplane - well throughout the dive I struggled with this; he had to stop several times and help me equalize. I do have to give the instructor credit - he recognized me and wanted me to have a good time despite my weakness and fear. He held my hand and showed me the wonder of the ocean - he helped me to enjoy it despite the imminent fear of death.
The fish were smaller than I imagined, probably because of where we were. They reminded me of aquarium fish - the coral was unique and pretty. He did some neat tricks with the water and blowing bubbles, showed us some unique fish and sea life and generally kept us safe. The other girl in the class had her husband, an experienced diver, with her so she was with us, but he was able to focus a good bit on me. I have to say I'm not sure I could have done it otherwise.
We came back to the surface and finally I found out what happened with Jack - he didn't get to dive. His mustache was allowing water in the mask :( He will go back tomorrow and I imagine he will love it. The class requires 2 dives for the certification so Mr. Instructor had me back in the water to go back down. We made it maybe 10 feet, but I could not get my ears to equalize and he had said something about swapping breathers at the bottom of the ocean for my training, which didn't enthuse me at all ... so I gave the signal to go back up. I told him I was done for the day and we got back on the boat and headed to pick up the more experienced divers who dived some ways away.
Tomorrow Jack will dive again and he will love it - of this I have no doubt. I will let him have this hobby, it simply isn't for me. However, I'm proud of myself. I faced maybe my biggest fear and while I can't say I tackled it -- I did it! So Yay Me! I could go back and 2 the second dive and be "certified" but, no - I'll take this victory for what it is and let it sit deep in my soul. Meanwhile hopefully we can get at least some of the money back given I didn't do the 2nd dive and am not getting certified. If not - ah well, I still win.
After our diving adventure we came back to the room - got showers (BTW Scuba mask + pool water + ocean water = screwed up hair) and headed out for a bite to eat. By this time it was almost 2:30 and most places are closing for lunch, but we asked this one staff member and she told us to come with her to the Sundown restaurant. I thought we were under dressed for it, but she insisted we were not.
I'm so glad we followed her advice. It was really nice and we were the only customers. I had this mango lemonade which was great, a fabulous salad and Jerk chicken. The food here overall has been fantastic.
After lunch we wondered around, bought some things at the local merchants they allowed to set up on the walk ways, and headed back to the room. Where we enjoyed our pool and relaxed. Jack then took a nap and I got out the camera. The wife of the couple next door just got a Sony and we chatted about cameras and enjoyed some good conversation. It was nice to play with the macro and I also got some good sunset pictures (I hope). Once I got back to the room we relaxed a bit more and then got dressed for dinner.
We got dressed up for dinner - I wore my new black cocktail dress - and headed to the Japanese Hibachi Grill. This is the best Hibachi I have ever had. Not necessarily the cook because this guy sung in a joking manner, which was funny, but he didn't do all the fancy throwing etc. However, his food - OMG - his food was out of this world good. Seasoned just right. It was ALOT of food, but it was so delicious. However, the best part of the night was our dinner companions. A gentleman named Smurf (yes Smurf) and Tatiana. They are newly married and were really fun to have dinner with. He is a music director for artist in Atlanta and she is a professional dancer. They met touring the world with various artist shows. It was really fun chatting with them and such a small world to find another GA couple here in Jamaica.
After dinner we headed out and were going back to the room, but we heard music, good music. They had a party on the lawn with a fabulous singer so we hung out, danced and listened. Please note it was apparently a white apparel party and I was in all black -- I danced anyway :) It was a nice cap to an already great day.
Once that was over we meandered back ot the room; stopping to get a cup of coffee and sit by the fire. Our butler outdid himself once we got back to the room. There was music, a strobe light (like in a disco, but colored), flowers on the bed and pillows in swan and hearts. We also had chocolate covered strawberries... it was really nice and thoughtful of him.
I'm sitting here now looking at the flowers -- we moved them to the dresser and enjoying the room. It's an amazing adventure so far. Tomorrow is a relaxation day and I am looking forward to having a quiet - sleep in - morning.
Til tomorrow blogland - sleep well.
First and foremost - I woke up to coffee already set up on our outside patio but our wonderful Butler Kendrick. Can you say heaven ? Coffee delivered to my door where I can sit and listen to the waves? OMG and the coffee is good here - really good. Its a Jamaican blend and OMG I want it at home. For those of you who really know me you know I'm a coffee snob and a total Dunkin girl, but this could seriously compete... especially when it's brought to my door.
We then ordered room service while we read our dive books - yes homework during vacation - don't ask me what we are thinking. Once breakfast was ready we promptly headed over to our scuba diving lesson at 8:30. Why we read even part of the book I'm not sure, because he gave us the answers to the test... literally. We then proceeded to get in the pool --- the rest needs some backdrop.
Ok, here goes - I can't hold my breath under water - never have been able to - never will be able to. I have to pinch my nose. Yes I know I'm old and should be able to do this, but no dice. It's actually one of my worst fears and I asked about 15 times yesterday if it would be a problem and I was promised no- the face mask covers your nose - all good. Well, not all good - not even by a long shot.
We get in the pool and he teaches us some basics, then we get to the "Clear your mask skill" where basically he puts water in your mask and you have to get it out. Enter me so close to a panic attack I was fighting back tears. He was nice though and the class was just me, Jack and one other girl so it wasn't as embarrassing - although the guys in the bleachers doing something else were sure to get a good laugh out of the girl who can't hold her breath. The instructor was nice and walked me through it several times and I mean SEVERAL. He finally got me where I could do it enough but it was terrifying. I mean terrifying. I was so glad when he moved on. However, it shook my confidence in this "diving" thing pretty deeply.
Some of the other moves involved removing your breathing device under water and putting it back -- saving a buddy with no air, etc... None of which gave me warm fuzzies. So then it's time to get on the boat and go out to the ocean. I had bought an underwater camera for this, but realized I was going to need to concentrate on breathing and staying alive, so it stayed on the boat.... I however jumped willingly to the depths of the ocean so I could pretend to be a fish and swim along the bottom.
A few minutes into the dive I realized that Jack is nowhere to be found. The instructor obviously knew I was the weak link of the group and he stayed with me the entire time and he was basically my "diving buddy" but when I couldn't find Jack - he saw my distress and motioned to me that Jack was ok and for us to keep going. This made me feel better and we continued the dive. As you dive you have to equalize the air in your mask so that your ears adjust - imagine popping them on an airplane - well throughout the dive I struggled with this; he had to stop several times and help me equalize. I do have to give the instructor credit - he recognized me and wanted me to have a good time despite my weakness and fear. He held my hand and showed me the wonder of the ocean - he helped me to enjoy it despite the imminent fear of death.
The fish were smaller than I imagined, probably because of where we were. They reminded me of aquarium fish - the coral was unique and pretty. He did some neat tricks with the water and blowing bubbles, showed us some unique fish and sea life and generally kept us safe. The other girl in the class had her husband, an experienced diver, with her so she was with us, but he was able to focus a good bit on me. I have to say I'm not sure I could have done it otherwise.
We came back to the surface and finally I found out what happened with Jack - he didn't get to dive. His mustache was allowing water in the mask :( He will go back tomorrow and I imagine he will love it. The class requires 2 dives for the certification so Mr. Instructor had me back in the water to go back down. We made it maybe 10 feet, but I could not get my ears to equalize and he had said something about swapping breathers at the bottom of the ocean for my training, which didn't enthuse me at all ... so I gave the signal to go back up. I told him I was done for the day and we got back on the boat and headed to pick up the more experienced divers who dived some ways away.
Tomorrow Jack will dive again and he will love it - of this I have no doubt. I will let him have this hobby, it simply isn't for me. However, I'm proud of myself. I faced maybe my biggest fear and while I can't say I tackled it -- I did it! So Yay Me! I could go back and 2 the second dive and be "certified" but, no - I'll take this victory for what it is and let it sit deep in my soul. Meanwhile hopefully we can get at least some of the money back given I didn't do the 2nd dive and am not getting certified. If not - ah well, I still win.
After our diving adventure we came back to the room - got showers (BTW Scuba mask + pool water + ocean water = screwed up hair) and headed out for a bite to eat. By this time it was almost 2:30 and most places are closing for lunch, but we asked this one staff member and she told us to come with her to the Sundown restaurant. I thought we were under dressed for it, but she insisted we were not.
I'm so glad we followed her advice. It was really nice and we were the only customers. I had this mango lemonade which was great, a fabulous salad and Jerk chicken. The food here overall has been fantastic.
After lunch we wondered around, bought some things at the local merchants they allowed to set up on the walk ways, and headed back to the room. Where we enjoyed our pool and relaxed. Jack then took a nap and I got out the camera. The wife of the couple next door just got a Sony and we chatted about cameras and enjoyed some good conversation. It was nice to play with the macro and I also got some good sunset pictures (I hope). Once I got back to the room we relaxed a bit more and then got dressed for dinner.
We got dressed up for dinner - I wore my new black cocktail dress - and headed to the Japanese Hibachi Grill. This is the best Hibachi I have ever had. Not necessarily the cook because this guy sung in a joking manner, which was funny, but he didn't do all the fancy throwing etc. However, his food - OMG - his food was out of this world good. Seasoned just right. It was ALOT of food, but it was so delicious. However, the best part of the night was our dinner companions. A gentleman named Smurf (yes Smurf) and Tatiana. They are newly married and were really fun to have dinner with. He is a music director for artist in Atlanta and she is a professional dancer. They met touring the world with various artist shows. It was really fun chatting with them and such a small world to find another GA couple here in Jamaica.
After dinner we headed out and were going back to the room, but we heard music, good music. They had a party on the lawn with a fabulous singer so we hung out, danced and listened. Please note it was apparently a white apparel party and I was in all black -- I danced anyway :) It was a nice cap to an already great day.
Once that was over we meandered back ot the room; stopping to get a cup of coffee and sit by the fire. Our butler outdid himself once we got back to the room. There was music, a strobe light (like in a disco, but colored), flowers on the bed and pillows in swan and hearts. We also had chocolate covered strawberries... it was really nice and thoughtful of him.
I'm sitting here now looking at the flowers -- we moved them to the dresser and enjoying the room. It's an amazing adventure so far. Tomorrow is a relaxation day and I am looking forward to having a quiet - sleep in - morning.
Til tomorrow blogland - sleep well.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Jamaica Day 1
Today we left Augusta on an adventure. We have been married 12 years this week; together 15 and we have never taken a vacation where you just rested and relaxed. That is until now; we are taking a few days at the Sandals - Negril resort in Jamaica. It is an all inclusive resort tailored for couples and so far we love it, but let me back up - you know how I like to catalog the journey.
We got up this morning at 4:45 AM - yes AM - and headed to the airport. We were promptly upgraded to first class, which was a first for me. It was a short 30 minute flight to Atlanta, but having the nice seat with the drinks served was pretty cool. We then got to Atlanta and made our way to the gate for the Jamaica connection; everything today flight wise was flawless. No delays; no astronomical layovers, just perfect.
Once we arrived in Jamaica we went through customs and went to the Sandals lounge where they take your bags and promptly and you wait for the shuttle. We only had to wait about 10 or 15 minutes and we were on our way. The drive to the resort was about an hour and a half and it was sad. There is obvious abject poverty in this nation; with people living in shanties and trash in the streets. For such a beautiful place with such a tourism economy it made me sad to see this level of poverty. Hopefully our tourism money at least gets some what back to them in some way... I had been told, but still sad to see it first hand. I didn't even get my camera out for the drive over - this is not something I want to remember in pictures; at least not at this point.
We arrived at the resort; tipped the driver and were promplty spoiled rotten. Fresh lemon towels to wipe our faces with - escorted to the private check in area where we meet our butler. Yes, a butler - we figured if you are going on a second honeymoon then do it right. He walked us around the property and escorted us to our room. I felt sorry for him as he insisted on carrying my Kelly bag with the camera equipment; that thing weighs 40+ pounds and it's hot in Jamaica!
Anyway, he brought us to our room where we had cheese/crackers and got the highlights spill. Our room has a pool entrance and you can see the ocean fro the double doors.... Four poster bed with living area ... whirlpool bath tub, stand up shower, gorgeous tile, just breathtakingly beautiful and decadent.
After settling in for a minute we walked down to the bistro for a quick bite. It was ok - the waitress was obviously having a day, but we enjoyed it never the less. The egrets are like pigeons here; they come right up to the table. In case you don't know those are the white birds with yellow beaks you see in the marshlands of S. GA/ Florida. They are my favorite birds; so beautiful and graceful. It was cool to see them up close and I wish I would have had my camera with me -- I have a feeling I will see them again tomorrow.
We then headed down to confirm our diving lesson for tomorrow. Jack wants to learn to scuba dive and I'm going along for the ride - he's done enough I want to do over the years. We went ahead and paid the fee so we will be certified and can dive anywhere. If you are going to do it - do it. I must admit I'm slightly terrified, I'm not a "water" person generally, but hey. We will have fun.
Once all signed up we came back to the room for some much needed rest. We then got up and went to the seafood restaurant; or let me correct that. Our butler came and got us and escorted us to the restaurant. Its kinda nice; he took our drink orders so we didn't wait and made sure we were good to go. Its funny - we really don't drink alot. I ordered a cocktail but Jack ordered a virgin daquiri; the wait staff was trying not to laugh at us. Ah well...
This restaurant is right on the beach; the waves were within 10 feet. The food was so good and just the right portions. It was peaceful and could have been romantic, but we are both tired so peaceful was the mood we let it set. I really did enjoy it though; the waiters were funny and the setting ideal.
We then went for a walk around; saw a brave crab who had wondered up to the bar area. He was huge; again a moment I wish I had my camera, but today was nice just to be without it... tomorrow or the next I'll get it out.
We came back sat in the pool area of our room for a bit then I got a bath in the whirlpool tub - I think it should be called the mini pool; it was so relaxing. Now I'm about to start reading the dive book for tomorrow before I go to sleep. Have to be over there before 8:30 :(
Good night blogland - hope you are enjoying your day - I know we are.
We got up this morning at 4:45 AM - yes AM - and headed to the airport. We were promptly upgraded to first class, which was a first for me. It was a short 30 minute flight to Atlanta, but having the nice seat with the drinks served was pretty cool. We then got to Atlanta and made our way to the gate for the Jamaica connection; everything today flight wise was flawless. No delays; no astronomical layovers, just perfect.
Once we arrived in Jamaica we went through customs and went to the Sandals lounge where they take your bags and promptly and you wait for the shuttle. We only had to wait about 10 or 15 minutes and we were on our way. The drive to the resort was about an hour and a half and it was sad. There is obvious abject poverty in this nation; with people living in shanties and trash in the streets. For such a beautiful place with such a tourism economy it made me sad to see this level of poverty. Hopefully our tourism money at least gets some what back to them in some way... I had been told, but still sad to see it first hand. I didn't even get my camera out for the drive over - this is not something I want to remember in pictures; at least not at this point.
We arrived at the resort; tipped the driver and were promplty spoiled rotten. Fresh lemon towels to wipe our faces with - escorted to the private check in area where we meet our butler. Yes, a butler - we figured if you are going on a second honeymoon then do it right. He walked us around the property and escorted us to our room. I felt sorry for him as he insisted on carrying my Kelly bag with the camera equipment; that thing weighs 40+ pounds and it's hot in Jamaica!
Anyway, he brought us to our room where we had cheese/crackers and got the highlights spill. Our room has a pool entrance and you can see the ocean fro the double doors.... Four poster bed with living area ... whirlpool bath tub, stand up shower, gorgeous tile, just breathtakingly beautiful and decadent.
After settling in for a minute we walked down to the bistro for a quick bite. It was ok - the waitress was obviously having a day, but we enjoyed it never the less. The egrets are like pigeons here; they come right up to the table. In case you don't know those are the white birds with yellow beaks you see in the marshlands of S. GA/ Florida. They are my favorite birds; so beautiful and graceful. It was cool to see them up close and I wish I would have had my camera with me -- I have a feeling I will see them again tomorrow.
We then headed down to confirm our diving lesson for tomorrow. Jack wants to learn to scuba dive and I'm going along for the ride - he's done enough I want to do over the years. We went ahead and paid the fee so we will be certified and can dive anywhere. If you are going to do it - do it. I must admit I'm slightly terrified, I'm not a "water" person generally, but hey. We will have fun.
Once all signed up we came back to the room for some much needed rest. We then got up and went to the seafood restaurant; or let me correct that. Our butler came and got us and escorted us to the restaurant. Its kinda nice; he took our drink orders so we didn't wait and made sure we were good to go. Its funny - we really don't drink alot. I ordered a cocktail but Jack ordered a virgin daquiri; the wait staff was trying not to laugh at us. Ah well...
This restaurant is right on the beach; the waves were within 10 feet. The food was so good and just the right portions. It was peaceful and could have been romantic, but we are both tired so peaceful was the mood we let it set. I really did enjoy it though; the waiters were funny and the setting ideal.
We then went for a walk around; saw a brave crab who had wondered up to the bar area. He was huge; again a moment I wish I had my camera, but today was nice just to be without it... tomorrow or the next I'll get it out.
We came back sat in the pool area of our room for a bit then I got a bath in the whirlpool tub - I think it should be called the mini pool; it was so relaxing. Now I'm about to start reading the dive book for tomorrow before I go to sleep. Have to be over there before 8:30 :(
Good night blogland - hope you are enjoying your day - I know we are.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Charleston Day 2
Sunday, July 10, 2016
So I'm a little late in posting this, but did wanted to go ahead and post before I forget the details.
We enjoyed sleeping late and then got up to head out to Toast for breakfast. I had a french toast with cinnamon apples baked in it. It was really good,but after having that Cinnamon Bun French Toast yesterday it just doesn't compare. Next time we come to Charleston the Another Broken Egg is my go to breakfast spot!
After breakfast we headed out to Boone Plantation to spend some time. It was sooo hot - I mean unbearably hot, so it did put a little of a damper on our enjoyment of the plantation. I want to go back in the fall. That being said we did enjoy it. Below are some details on our visit:
1) the tree lined drive was gorgeous. I wish cars would have stopped coming so I could get the picture I really wanted of it.
2) they have horses that are super pretty.
3) the house was pretty, but reminded me of several other older homes we have visited. What I did find interesting is that the owners when on site actually live upstairs. It is owned by an elderly brother and sister and the sister was in residence when we were there.
4) it has acres and acres of gorgeous land. Most of which is actively being farmed for produce. This plantation has been in business, in one way or another, for centuries.
5) We took the bus tour of the land and I really enjoyed it.
They have a big maze at Halloween time I really want to come back and do - in fact Jack wants to more than I do which makes my day!
Once we left the plantation we went for homemade ice cream, drove through the Isle of Palms area to see how much it had changed since Jack lived here and then headed home.
Overall it was really an enjoyable weekend - I enjoyed the town, but more than that I enjoyed the relaxation, the connection with my husband, and well just the stress free time. I need more of that!
So I'm a little late in posting this, but did wanted to go ahead and post before I forget the details.
We enjoyed sleeping late and then got up to head out to Toast for breakfast. I had a french toast with cinnamon apples baked in it. It was really good,but after having that Cinnamon Bun French Toast yesterday it just doesn't compare. Next time we come to Charleston the Another Broken Egg is my go to breakfast spot!
After breakfast we headed out to Boone Plantation to spend some time. It was sooo hot - I mean unbearably hot, so it did put a little of a damper on our enjoyment of the plantation. I want to go back in the fall. That being said we did enjoy it. Below are some details on our visit:
1) the tree lined drive was gorgeous. I wish cars would have stopped coming so I could get the picture I really wanted of it.
2) they have horses that are super pretty.
3) the house was pretty, but reminded me of several other older homes we have visited. What I did find interesting is that the owners when on site actually live upstairs. It is owned by an elderly brother and sister and the sister was in residence when we were there.
4) it has acres and acres of gorgeous land. Most of which is actively being farmed for produce. This plantation has been in business, in one way or another, for centuries.
5) We took the bus tour of the land and I really enjoyed it.
They have a big maze at Halloween time I really want to come back and do - in fact Jack wants to more than I do which makes my day!
Once we left the plantation we went for homemade ice cream, drove through the Isle of Palms area to see how much it had changed since Jack lived here and then headed home.
Overall it was really an enjoyable weekend - I enjoyed the town, but more than that I enjoyed the relaxation, the connection with my husband, and well just the stress free time. I need more of that!
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