We have some fine Blue Ridge photographers here with us this week and they are capturing the very best of the High Country. Props to Kerry Hutton, Dave Ahrens, D'Nise Hefner, Mark Stoffan, and Judi George for these fabulous snapshots! Enjoy.
I'm going to start out with the last photo I took today, because our day was as glorious as this sunset over the Holler. It was the kind of morning that I love. The morning when I can sleep as long as I want to (8:15 today), ease into my day with coffee accompanied by something special for breakfast (a croissant with blueberry jam from Elaine and Bill), and blissful peace and quiet. After I accomplished all of that, it was time to scoot up the hill and say goodbye to Geo and Liz who were pulling out today. We tried our best to get Liz to stay though, lol. I scooted around the campground going left and right across the road to get in quick visits with friends before we all struck out for our day. Lilly showed me her new onesie and Baby Coco stood still long enough for me to capture her photo too. We've got some pretty special pups in our Blue Ridge Family. A little before 11, the first wave of Blue Ridgers headed out to West Jefferson for lunch at the Havana Cafe. A second wave that included me and Becky, headed in the same direction about an hour later. Dave recommended this place to us, so we were eager to try it. Boy oh boy was it good! I'm looking forward to eating there some more over the summer. After lunch we found ice cream and antique shops as we strolled around West Jefferson . . . a pretty sweet combination. Back in the Holler we began looking forward to our G & T Happy Hour @ The Bluebird. Translation: our 5:00 happy hour featuring gin and tonic at Katie's T@B where we chose from 9 different bottles of gin, a wide variety of tonic water, fruit and sprigs of rosemary, and nibbles. It was supper for most of us, lol. With Geo and Liz's departure, we moved our campfire from their house down the hill to Deb's house. And that's how our day ended. Now it's clear to see why our day was a glorious as the sunset.
Thanks for stopping by to pick up your Thursday Postcard. Please come back tomorrow evening so I can tell you all about our trip down the New River. Nite nite from the Holler, where we "have so much fun it should be illegal". I could go on and on about what a beautiful day it was in the High Country, but instead, I want to share some slideshows with you from the VA Creeper Trail. 15 Blue Ridge Peeps (and some extra tag-a-longs) traveled to Bicycle Junction in Damascus, VA. Becky and I decided we wanted to take a little road trip, but not bike. So we acted as the official photographers and support staff for our buddies. Check in and bicycle rental was a breeze and at 10:30 sharp, the van left for Whitetop. I was able to round up almost everyone for an official Whitetop photo before they headed down the 17-mile trail. Becky, Miriam, and I scooted down the road to Green Cove Station where we sat and waited for the peddlers to arrive. After the last person passed us, we hopped in the car to head to Damascus. While on SR 600, we came upon the Green Cove Collective where we stopped for a candy bar and drink. It was the coolest store right on the trail and it's too bad that everyone rode right past it. We made our way back down to Damascus and made a quick stop at the Damascus Outfitters before meeting everyone back at the bike shop. Our plans were to have lunch at the Wicked Chicken across the highway, but sadly they were closed. Becky and I headed on back to the campground, snacking on some trail mix to tide us over to supper.
What a glorious day to ride the Creeper Trail, travel through the mountains of NC and VA, and be with our friends. Nite nite from the Holler! 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!! |
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