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We didn't know when to stop so we didn't. What should have been a two day leisurely drive south, turned into a long 600+ mile jaunt to the front door. We had planned a stop in Georgia around 3 pm but got to that point earlier and it was only 5-6 hrs further so we just keep moving. Normally, about 350 miles a day is a nice drive although we have slogged on for longer periods but rarely after dark.

We managed to get home minutes before the heaven's opened up with all their fire power and torrential downpours.

The moving house is clean and tidy once more and waiting for the next escapade. Soon.

We 'heart' Asheville

We are camped at Creekside Farm , a small but lovely RV resort. There is a barn behind us with silo and 4 kittens......the thought only lasted a second...!!This morning, I did some laundry. This is a very efficient European all -in-one unit that washes and then dries. So nice to have along.
We had a full day yesterday but I have no pictures since I left the camera battery behind. We went to a local festival, explored more of the Parkway, ATE PANCAKES WITH BUTTER and left a lot to explore at a future date.

Today we hopped on and off a trolley with narration. We got an excellent overview of the area. It is rich with the culture of the Arts and Crafts and Art Noveau era. We even saw the Sears houses that were ordered from the catalog in the early century. We stopped at the expansive Grove Park Inn, built in the early 1900's. It has housed many celebrities and 10 presidents. It reminded us of the National Park hotels a bit.
They're reroofing it, thus the scaffolding. The stones cover everything.
We enjoyed a delightful lunch on the large stone porch overlooking the golf course and the city. There were two of these massive fireplaces in the lobby and a row of rocking chairs to savor the warmth in the winter.
This is a terrible picture of the complex but it was all I could find.

Reluctantly, we will head home tomorrow. We explored several options for extending but there are committments waiting (excuse me....I thought we were retired ! ) so we will take two days to get home and then look forward to another trip in a couple of weeks. Our return to the open road has been long overdue and we hope to make up for some lost time.

And now, it is wine time in the refreshing evening air....................wish you could join us.

Disappointment

All I wanted was a pancake......We headed out towards the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday but decided we needed fortification before the climb upwards. We stopped at a local place advertising "all you can eat breakfast". We didn't want unlimited eggs and sausage and bacon and grits and biscuits and gravy and ham. One of us just wanted a pancake. Which they did have..........but they didn't have BUTTER. !! Now, the pancake is an important part of the 'pancake with syrup and butter' order but the most important thing is the BUTTER. Not 'pure vegetable spread' or 'lite pure vegetable spread' of some unknown brand. The pancake is just the vehicle for transporting the BUTTER to your mouth. I'd have even skipped the syrup if they would have had just the BUTTER. After eating a few bites of a naked pancake with very imitation syrup in a squirt bottle, I gave up. So much for the local establishments. Next time it's straight to Cracker Barrel where the syrup is warm in little pitchers and the butter is.......butter.

We entered the Parkway at the southern end with plans to drive the 80+ miles to Asheville. The countryside was beautiful and we made frequent stops to view the Smokey Mountains. We were in no hurry.
There were many tunnels but most were not as blurry as this one.
As we climbed, the clouds settled in.
And soon, above about 4000 feet, the view became non-existent. We managed to get up to a visitors center above 5000 feet before the rain mixed with the fog and driving was hazardous. We crawled back down below the clouds and gave up on our scenic drive.
We headed to Asheville by a more direct route and enjoyed a stroll around the Biltmore Village. And we had gelato.

Savannah

We had been here many many years ago....when we were just kids, escaping from our kids on our anniversary. It was a brief stay but I remembered the beauty of the downtown area and the squares. Savannah has been through a bit of changes since we were there. The squares, (there are 22) seem a bit ratty altho I did not see any homeless in the ones we saw. The mighty oaks are massive and still dripping with Spanish moss. There are statues and fountains and plaques to read and commemorative rocks and it is a nice respite from the heat of the day. I remember the lovely row houses and larger mansions.....well, now they are interspersed with large ugly without character buildings for important functions like offices and parking garages. They demolished the lovely homes to make way for progress. An historical society was formed

and now it is the largest historical district in the country. Many of the homes have been refurbished to their grandeur.

We did a lovely trolley tour around the district. I took a few pictures but it is hard to capture the settings.
Jeff, this is the police dept and their fleet of cars in front. And you thought your dept had budget issues !
This lovely doll house is the oldest house in Savannah...I missed the date.
And this is the oldest building, currently a bar.
Savannah was lovely in areas but I think Charleston has a more genteel quality.

We stayed in an uncrowded State Park nearby. The mighty oaks dominated altho the 'chiggers' made us avoid being outside. (The Ranger warned us about them and then I had to google chiggers to find out what they were.......I was glad I hadn't planned to hike).

We are currently in the coooooool mountains of North Carolina. It is heavenly. Pictures at 11......or sometime when I get around to it.

Moving on out.....

I played golf at a new course the other day and in order to reach it, we had to cross over a highway via this golf cart bridge only. It doesn't look so steep here but it is quite a climb up and over. Actually, it wasn't a 'new' course, it was one of the original of the more than 30 Executive courses and was a nice change. The 'man cave' is almost finished with it's new coat of paint and drapes. Furniture is being refinished and pictures need hanging.
We're loading up the 'Moving Roadblock' and heading north tomorrow. We had hoped for cooler weather but not sure we'll find it.
We'll head for Savannah tomorrow and explore that area a bit. Of course, we'll take you along.

Ennui

....has set in. (It's a good word to use in idle conversation). I blame the condition on the orange days on the graph. Don't even think of taking the kids, grandkids, or yourself to Disney /Universal. I think they should pay people to go there in this heat.

During these torrid days, I wonder what I would be doing if we still lived in a more temperate climate. I am not a gardner, I detest weeding and clipping and bugs and snakes. But I do like HOSTA. I miss the opportunity to admire them and grow them. They require so little. Our talented neighbors with the green thumbs, tried to grow some under a shady palm......and failed. When I am old, I will spend my summers in a garden surrounded by every variety. ....but I still won't weed. Meanwhile, I have developed a more pronounced fondness for my Kindle. And I just knew that once it became available at Target at a reduced price, a new model would appear..........
It's now available in black or white and comes with a built in light on the case. But the best
feature is a 50% increase in the contrast of the print. That has been my biggest gripe. So, my order has been placed and it will ship at the end of the month. I will return mine to Target (90 day return policy). I have given up on the iPad. That is a hard thing for me to admit but I think this new Kindle version is a much better e-reader.

Otherwise, blog worthy days are few and far between but we have hopes that ennui will soon be replaced......by off-ui. (yes, sometimes I try too hard)