Linda Lee Woody is the owner of Wild Woody's Store & Campground. She is a larger than life figure who was once on the original Family Feud when Richard Dawson was the host. Her friends call her Blondie and you can see her quirkiness all over the place with the handmade signs found leaning and attached to just about anything. Enjoy Part II of yesterday's photo album!
In between our visit to see the fresco at Holy Trinity and visiting Thistle Meadow to replenish our wine supply, we stopped at Wild Woody's in hopes of spying some rusty gold cast iron pieces. We were totally surprised to find that it was locked up tight. Not to pass up an opportunity to snap some photos, Rob and I strolled around collecting an album full of handmade sign pictures.
Today is Part I of my collection and tomorrow I'll share Part II. Enjoy all the whimsy and quirkiness of the campground too!! I thought that all you Blue Ridgers from The Holler in 2012 and 2014 might like to see the new and improved Thistle Meadow Winery. Rob, Trisha, and I drove over to Laurel Springs after leaving Holy Trinity Church last Friday. I was hoping to see owner Tom Burgiss who welcomed us so warmly for both our BRR wine tastings. Unfortunately, Tom suffered a mild stroke a week or so ago and then took a tumble. No broken bones, but lots of cuts and bruises. I sent best wishes to him from all the Blue Ridgers! The first thing I noticed when walking up the steps, was a new and improved porch with new railings and bigger seating area. Sweet! At our 2012 wine tasting, we had 25 folks sitting out there enjoying ourselves and the wine. The minute I stepped inside, I saw major changes in there as well. All three of us tasted some new varieties before making our choices. In the end, it was four bottles for me and four for R & T. After getting secured in the Thistle Meadow carrying bag, we picked up our stickers and were ready to head back to The Holler.
Greetings on this last Monday in July. I brought home a little sore throat bug from Ashe County, so I've been kinda laying low this weekend. I had great intentions of sharing a Postcard with you yesterday, but it just didn't happen. Last Friday, one of our stops was at Holy Trinity Church in Glendale Springs, home of a Ben Long fresco. This small wooden-frame church sitting on a hill overlooking the valley has been in existence since the early 1900's. It seems that women played a key role in the early days of Holy Trinity, serving meals to school children, acting as nurses to the community, and offering their services as midwifes. the painting of the fresco for which the parish is now famous. Ben Long painted the fresco of "The Last Supper" at Holy Trinity in the summer of 1980 as the church building and Mission House were being restored. Both church buildings are now in use and together form the Parish of the Holy Communion. During the actual painting, Ben Long and his students were housed locally and people from the community took turns feeding the artists. Consequently, they became the models for the Disciples in the fresco. Since the fresco was completed, thousands of people like myself have visited Holy Trinity as well as St. Mary's Episcopal Church in the county, also featuring a Ben Long masterpiece. If you find yourself in Ashe County and are desiring a quiet respite, please take a side trip to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. You will be glad you did.
When it's time to bug-out of camp, I prefer to just get up, hitch up, and go. No lingering, no long goodbyes, just go. It's not easy to leave my Blue Ridge Mountains, but I know I'll be back. There are two reasons I say this. "The mountains are calling and I must go." And . . .
It might be Friday, but I'm going to send you a Postcard about our Thursday. Rob hatched a great itinerary for our day that involved a Blue Ridge Parkway ride, a visit to Honey Bear Campground in Boone, and then lunch at Todd General Store. So after all our morning routines were completed, we hit the road. Rob and Trisha are camping at Honey Bear CG over Labor Day weekend and wanted to see what their campsite looked like in order to know whether or not to take the Dome. Come to find out they have a pretty cool pull-thru site that will be perfect for the Cottonwood, but not the big Dome. Mission accomplished. Our next destination was Todd, not too far from Boone. We were looking forward to a visit and lunch at the Todd General Store. I was particularly anticipating a fried bologna sandwich. Well guess what? It was closed and there were two For Sale signs on the wall. Well poop! We walked over to the Todd Mercantile next door, picked up some drinks and a sweet treat, then pulled out leftover Taco Pie from the cooler and had ourselves a Plan B picnic! We drove home via the Todd Railroad Grade Road that follows the New River and stopped at one of the canoe/kayak/tube put-in points. Trisha and I made a Walmart run while Jackson kept Rob company in Truck. Then Rob and I hit Ingles for supper supplies. Thursday evening was my night to cook and I prepared Orange Chicken in the 12" Dutch oven and my favorite Rice Casserole in the little 8". Once again we ate like a Camping King with Two Queens!! It was another grand day in the Blue Ridge full of great food, beautiful scenery, and the Cousins keeping me company! Tomorrow we have to pack up and head home, but we have already made our reservations with Helen for a whole week next summer!!
I'll chat with you tomorrow to share our last day in the Holler. Hey campers! Thanks for dropping back by today for another Postcard. I'm glad you came back so I could finish telling you about our day yesterday. If you remember, the whole day was playing out on Mountain Time. Another Dutch oven supper followed by a evening cruise on the Blue Ridge Parkway brought our Wednesday to a close. Chef Rob was in charge of the vittles last evening and his dish du jour was Taco Pie in my 12-incher. While the coals were heating up, Rob did his prep work and before we knew it, Trisha and I were spooning out the first helpings! It was another camping cuisine keeper. After a quick clean up, we piled in Truck with cameras in hand to do an evening cruise of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Several overlook stops, lots of photos, and a beautiful sunset were our rewards. Cookin' and cruisin' put the perfect touches on our Wednesday in the mountains. Thanks for traveling along and as often happens, I have too much to share and my Postcard days start running into each other. No worries, there's always tomorrow. See you then!
When you are on Mountain Time, the world spins a bit slower. Your day finds it own pace and you become part of that pace. Watches and clocks are rarely looked at, plans just seem to fall in place, and before you know it, you have had an extraordinary day totally dictated by Mountain Time. Mid-morning rolls around and it's time to hit the road for an adventure. Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia is calling us. The picnic supplies are packed, cameras are in hand, windows are rolled down, and Mountain Time kicks in once again on Highway 58. Mid-afternoon, we found ourselves back home for naps, reading, and sitting in the shade. Supper is always on Mountain Time because we all know that it's done when it's done.
An evening ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway commenced after we cleaned up after our Dutch oven Taco Pie supper. That story and photos along with our Parkway time will have to wait for another Postcard. You see, I'm on Mountain Time and I can finish when I want to. Have a nice evening! I had one of those camping days that I dream about on cold winter days. You know, a day that starts out quietly over breakfast in Splash followed by a walk around the campground. The next dreamy part of the day involved some junkin' in a couple local mountain antique malls. This time around, Rob and I had a blast searching for pieces of cast iron. We saw everything from skillets to waffle irons, ash trays to corn stick pans. The prices were all over the place, especially with the collectible Griswold and Wagner Ware. Next we picked a place for lunch in downtown West Jefferson that was dog friendly so Jackson could join us. Boondocks was perfect. We all had great sandwiches out on the patio with Jackson. A rain storm blew in, so it was nice to still sit outside, but be protected under the roof. After a quick stop at Ingles to gather supplies for our camp Dutch oven supper, we came on back to The Holler. I set up my cooking station behind Splash and wouldn't you know it, in blew the rain. Rob helped me move the whole operation under the Cottonwood so we would be dry, but just as soon as we got everything in place, out came the sun, LOL. I baked a Chocolate Chip Kahlua Cake in my 12" first, then we had all three Dutch ovens going for our artisan pizzas. When all was said and done, our Baby Pizza, Mama Pizza, and Pappa Pizza were show-stoppers!! We learned a big lesson: keep the pizza dough in the fridge until the last possible moment. We had to deal with Salvador Dali dough that wanted to escape over the edge of the picnic table!! This had to have been one of the best DO dinners we have ever created! The cake was out of this world too. I gave some to the folks next door and they immediately wanted the recipe. Yeppers, it was that good. The only thing that would have made this dreamy kind of camping day even better is if you had been here with us. I will look back at this Postcard in February and smile! I hope it made you smile too!
Greetings from Raccoon Holler Campground in Glendale Springs where I am hanging out with Rob, Trisha, and Jackson for the week. Ahhhh . . . it feels great to be back out with Splash in cooler temperatures. How cool you ask? Just take a look at this thermometer! Splash and I pulled into Raccoon Holler just minutes behind R&T's Pod. I've always wanted a snapshot of Splash, the lake, and Raccoon Holler's sign, so I just stopped at the entrance and finally got one! Becky hasn't been cleared for travel yet and the Schnauzer pups are in Newton with Wendy, so it's just me and Splash. I packed a beach umbrella that I picked at the end of the season from Family Dollar a couple of years ago. I was immediately drawn to the colors and the price tag of $5.00. This is the first time I've used it and it will not be the last! Set up didn't take long at all and I was soon sitting with Rob and Trisha next door under the Dome. Jackson was in his chair and declared that all was right in the world. Everyone's stomachs were growling, so Rob threw the burgers on the grill, I pulled out the sweet and sour macaroni salad from the Yeti and we had our first campground supper. I did my notorious cheeseburger doctoring with a layer of potato chips and I'm here to tell you it was de-LISH! The Holler looks a little empty and forlorn without 100+ Blue Ridgers here. We are staying up on the hill for a change of pace this week. Our sites are private, well-shaded, and quiet without the road traffic.
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