I really hadn't intended to stop by Geo and Liz's T@B-mahal, but when Liz yelled that she had hot blueberry muffins fresh out of the oven, GiGi the Golf Cart turned right into her campsite! Liz first baked these muffins for us way back in 2010 on the Gettysburg Caravan and we have loved them ever since. But it also gave me the opportunity to check out all of Geo's mods in person. That man is a master craftsman!!
Today was a stay-in-camp day for me. I fiddled and piddled my way through the day and capped it off with one of favorite rally activities . . . Bingo With Becky. I really hadn't intended to stop by Geo and Liz's T@B-mahal, but when Liz yelled that she had hot blueberry muffins fresh out of the oven, GiGi the Golf Cart turned right into her campsite! Liz first baked these muffins for us way back in 2010 on the Gettysburg Caravan and we have loved them ever since. But it also gave me the opportunity to check out all of Geo's mods in person. That man is a master craftsman!! Visiting is one of my favorite Blue Ridge activities and I got to spend some time with Lisa, Carolyn, & Kathryn who were checking out the yard sales and finding bargains. Kevin and Sandy were outside playing their ukuleles, so of course, that required a stop. Then I spied some cool camping flags and paused to look at some gorgeous Blue Ridge rigs. I took some time while Becky was out junkin' with Sue to go through some stuff stored in Splash and box up some stuff I haven't used in years. I got to watch the soap while I was at it too. I pretty much just spent the afternoon doing a whole lotta nothing until it was time for supper. Bec cooked a huge crock pot of clam chowder and we had Rich, Sue, Kathryn, Craig, and Beccy over for supper. It's always fun to "dine in" with good friends. 7 o'clock rolled around and it was time for Bingo With Becky, one of the most anticipated activities of every BRR. Folks bring a gift suitable for camping and we play until everyone wins. It took me a while to yell BINGO, but I finally did. The final game is called Last Peep Standing and the player with the poorest card wins a pot full of money. This year it was D'Nise! For me it was a restful, yet fun day. Tomorrow promises to be exciting because we are headed out on a road trip to Damascus and the VA Creeper Trail. Thanks for picking up your Postcard and I'll see ya tomorrow night.
We have all had our eyes on the weather forecasts for about a week. Early on, it was rain, rain, rain day after day. Then the forecast changed and changed again and changed yet again! Today was cloudy and cool, but dry. So Blue Ridge Peeps headed out to have fun. Hikers strolled along the Cascades Trail then had a picnic lunch. Kayakers hit the New River for a paddle. Yard sale camping items showed up on picnic tables all over the campground. Dutch oven Chefs prepared supper dishes for an anniversary celebration supper. Some Peeps went to Rodies for breakfast. And of course there was some serious visiting going on too. It was a potpourri day in the Blue Ridge!
After two years of not seeing my Blue Ridge Peeps, today was extra special. Off and on all day, familiar faces and trailers rolled into the Holler. We had a cloudy, chilly day but I didn't hear one single complaint because we were all excited to see each other. More than once I heard someone comment that they were so glad we all survived the last year and were able to gather once again. Becky, Sue, and I took some time this morning to stuff little "happy bags" full of BRR goodies. It gives me great joy to make buttons and find little gifts to give my Peeps. Before and after a run over to Ingles in West Jeff, I scooted around in the golf cart greeting folks as they arrived and begin to set up camp. It was a sweet reunion of friends. Supper tonight was the community sort where you bring everything with you and eat with friends. We gathered in the Rec Building about 5:30 to eat and talk and talk and talk. It was actually hard to hear someone sitting right beside you because we were so loud, lol. Tonight's campfire was weather-pending because spits of rain began about 4:00 and were possible into the evening hours. Becky retreated to Splash and I'm in Mollie where we are both warm, dry, and chilling with our favorite CBS Sunday programs.
That's all for today's Postcard. Tomorrow holds all kinds of possibilities, so I guess you'll just have to drop by Monday evening to see how it plays out. I appreciate you dropping by for your Postcard. Nite nite from the Holler! Woohoo . . . the 13th annual Blue Ridge Rally is officially underway in the Holler! Splash and I arrived just a little before noon and Becky was close behind. It was a beautiful day to travel and set up camp for the week. It didn't take us too long to get set up and Becky and I fell into our old routines quickly. We have a grand site up at the top of the hill. She will be bunking in Splash and I'll be one row over in Mollie. We took a lunch break and visited with dear friends Geo and Liz. After getting Splash squared away, it was time to get Mollie ready for her week. Becky and I wrestled the awning in place and slowly started pulling stuff out of the shed. We didn't finish setting up because Bec's back was starting to flare up and I was just plain tired! Tomorrow I'll finish when I've got a bit more energy . About 5:00, a little caravan of four cars headed over to West Jefferson for supper at Monte D Rey, our favorite Mexican restaurant. Everyone raved about their food (and drinks) and I cannot tell you how awesome it was to be sharing a meal with camping buddies! Geo and Liz hosted the first campfire of the rally and this Blue Ridger is looking forward to lights out early and a terrific sleep.
Thanks for dropping by for your Postcard this evening. You are invited to swing by each evening this week to see what's happening in the Holler. Nite nite!! It's the eve of the 2021 Blue Ridge Rally or the "BRR" as we have called it for 14 years. Every year since 2008 I have hosted a T@B rally here in my Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. We have gone to TN a few times and even VA back in 2018, but we like calling NC home. Last year I had to cancel due to COVID and we were all heart broken to break our streak. A few of us gathered in August for an unofficial campout, but it just wasn't the same. This year I decreased the number of participants quite a bit and limited the rally to past Blue Ridgers only. The BRR had simply gotten too big for me to manage successfully. The pandemic has put a dent in some of our activities and caused some folks to drop out, but starting tomorrow, I will be standing in the road like I always do with a big smile on my face to greet friends I haven't seen in two years!! Splash got a much needed bath and I'm kinda embarrassed to show you two years worth of dirt and grime. Yep, that's how long she's been parked under her T@Bport and not out on the road.
Thanks so much for dropping by this evening to pick up your Postcard on the eve of my next great adventure. I hope I'll have enough get-up-and-go left each night for the next week to write you a Postcard, LOL. See ya tomorrow night from The Holler!!
Tonight I'm going to wrap up our Williamsburg and Maryland week with some leftovers . . . a variety of snapshots from here and there.
For years, we have seen, posed in front of, and photographed the big LOVE sign in front of the Virginia Visitor Center on I-85. The same holds true for the big LOVE letters in Williamsburg sitting in the middle of Merchant's Square. What I didn't realize is that there are over 200 of the huge letters scattered all over Virginia. So this past week, Becky and I made a point of finding as many as we could. Online, we found an interactive map of all the locations, suggested itineraries for LOVEworks road trips, and a terrific webpage dedicated to them! The LOVEworks program inspires local communities to create their own signs as a powerful reminder that there is so much to love about VA. https://www.virginia.org/LOVE/ We found 8 on this trip and here they are for you to enjoy. There were more in the Williamsburg area, but we simply ran out of time to go exploring and find them. I guess that means we need to make another trip to The 'Burg, lol.
Becky and I are home safe and sound from our Williamsburg/MD trip and I'll have one more Postcard for you tomorrow evening. Thanks for dropping by today . . . see ya tomorrow!! This Spring, Colonial Williamsburg offered a unique nighttime activity called CW Lights. Starting at 7:30 each evening for a couple of weeks, the gardens to the Governor's Palace were opened and illuminated. There were musicians at various places around the gardens and canal to provide entertainment as you strolled around. I was hoping to get tickets for one of the nights we were here earlier in the week, but none were available. Tonight (Sunday) was the last night of CW Lights and I was able to get us tickets for a 7:30 entrance. It was still daylight when we entered, but was nice and dark 45 minutes later when we left. Navigating the steps down to the canal and back up was a bit scary because there was no handrail. But we wobbled our way up and down and didn't fall on top of each other, LOL. Here are some of the dozens of photos I snapped this evening . . . enjoy! We strolled back to our room here at the Market Square Tavern and agreed it was another terrific evening in Williamsburg. Tomorrow (Monday) is a travel day, as we are heading home after a fun week in Virginia and Maryland. I'll have a few more Postcards to share with you this week and then it's time to set my sights on the next adventure. Thanks for stopping by!
Today, Becky and I experienced a fabulous trio of touristy fun . . . junkin' at the Rusty Rooster, lunch at Linton's Seafood Crab Deck, and a visit to Chincoteague, VA. We had seen the Rusty Rooster several times as we drove Hwy 13 and knew that we would pay it a visit at some point. Today was that day and it ended up being the best junkin' place we have shopped at during this whole trip! I found a collectible Nancy Thomas folk art piece, a red ware bowl from Williamsburg, a 3-paneled piece of Williamsburg cross stitch, and a children's book I will use in several mixed media projects. Bec found a piece of yellow Fenton Hobnail glass to add to her collection. What fun!! Wendy arranged a crab lunch for us all at Linton's Seafood Crab Deck just outside the state park gate. Not all of us ate crab, but the ones who did had a rousing good time smashing crab legs and picking the crab clean. I got a flounder sandwich, while Becky opted for breaded shrimp. Everyone also got a piece of the famous Smith Island cake. By the time the feast was over, everyone had made their plans for the afternoon and our choice was to head south to Chincoteague to visit the wildlife refuge and VA portion of Assateague Island National Seashore. Thankfully the winds were much calmer today. We did see some ponies in the distance, but didn't try to photograph them. We got our National Park stamp, walked on the beach, took the trail up to the Assateague Lighthouse, and drove the Wildlife Loop before heading back. What a fabulous trio of adventures we had today and I'm glad I got to share them with you in a Postcard. Tomorrow morning we head back down to Williamsburg and if you have time Sunday evening, you are invited to pick up a very special Postcard. Ta ta from Maryland!
We are still getting sand out of our shoes and socks and tangles out of our hair. You see, it was VERY windy today! We were blown around in Rich and Sue's car and we almost had the car doors ripped off the hinges when we opened them. We had to lower our heads to walk into the wind and then stop ourselves from running when we turned around. The sand stung every bit of exposed skin and our hair was standing on end all day. Get the picture, LOL. But that wind didn't stop us from having a terrific day of seeing ponies at Assateague Island National Seashore, eating Crab Mac and Cheese for lunch, junkin' in Berlin (the antiques capital of the Eastern Shore), and exploring Furnace Town in Snow Hill. Today's Postcard will be all about Assateague though. As soon as we came over the Verrazano Bridge we saw a herd of ponies on both sides of the road and in the median. Becky, Sue, and I were snapping photos like maniacs! And between the three of us, we captured some terrific images. We used our National Park pass to get us in without having to pay the $25 car fee. Rich let us run in to the entrance station where we scored stamps for our Passport book. Our first stop was at the Old Ferry Landing where we braved the wind and walked out the boardwalk to stand on the edge of Sinepuxent Bay. We continued south to South Ocean Beach where we met up with others for a trek out to the Atlantic. I got sand in my shoes, in my eyes, in my mouth, and Becky said it sandblasted the hair off her legs, LOL. On our way back out of the park, we made a swing though the campground and all decided our cars and trailers would get the paint and finish blasted off in winds like this! Plus the camping conditions are a bit rustic with vault toilets, no hook-ups, and coldwater showers. As you can see from my photos, it as an absolutely gorgeous day and we thank the ponies for posing for photos in front of the sign.
Tomorrow, we are going to head over to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to visit the southernmost part of the park. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for dropping by to pick up your Postcard this evening. |
I am.....~ always dreaming Cool Sites...Favorite Photos!
Archives
June 2021
Visited States |