A Drive Along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

On our way to Florida we took the 'western route' instead of I95 all the way so we could do some sight seeing. Our first adventure was a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway which is 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina along the Appalachian mountains. Since we only had 1 extra day to spend on our way south we could not drive the whole thing. We poured over the maps and decided to get on in Roanoke, Virgina. (Rte 220 off Rte 81). Everything is described by mile marker, so it was hard to tell the best places to enter and exit the parkway.

We stopped for gas here before getting on.


We couldn't imagine anyplace as beautiful as fall in New England, but we were most impressed.

There were great spots for picnics. Lots of families who lived in the area came for the day.


Farms by the side of the road.

Beautiful views everywhere.

The gristmill at Marbry Mill.
Views of Cahas Mountain, 3571 feet.



We even got to hear some music! I do wish we had a week.

We took rte. 77 back to rte. 81 to continue or adventure further south.

October in Maine

My friend Loyce's garden.

Moose hang out here.

Pumpkins galore.
Old cemeteries.
Hay in the fields.

Beautiful churches.



October is my favorite month in New England.

Sisters

How nice it is to have a sister. We always have such a good time together. Lots of adventures. Here we are 'leaf peeping' after going to an Octoberfest.

Common Ground Fair Weekend

Judy, Katie, and Raf came to visit for Common Ground Fair weekend.
The food is the best.

There are lots of animals to see.

A team of mules.
Bright and Lion wanted to get 'patted', and kept moving closer and closer.
This llama stood up to have his picture taken.



We enjoyed listening to Nathan's very talented sister, Siiri and her husband, Garrett perform with their band, Tree by Leaf.

And seeing their beautiful children with their faces painted.

Judy gets inspired looking at the yarn.

Felted soap was popular this year.

We ate lots of good things all weekend long - blueberry and raspberry pancakes for breakfast. I picked the berries earlier in the summer and froze them.


Veggie Lasagna with tomatoes, peppers, zuchinni, spinach, basil, and oregano from my garden.

We stopped by the Apple Farm in Fairfield and enjoyed hot cider and donuts, and brought home a great big bag of apples.

Toasting marshmallows for s'mores indoors - a tradition Katie loves. What a great weekend.

Dinner in China Town

I met Katie and Raf for dinner when I was in Boston last week. We ate at Pho Pasteur, a Vietnamese Restaurant in Chinatown. I first heard of the place when Katie blogged about Pho Pasteur last year.
I ordered Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) with extra vegetables.


It comes with a plate of bean sprouts and basil. I would never think to add basil to a chicken soup, but it is so good... We had fresh spring rolls as an appetizer.

What a treat.

Making a Nantucket Basket

I always loved Nantucket Baskets, but since they are so expensive I never bought one. When I got a chance to learn to make one, I was so excited. Here's our teacher, Nathan Taylor, a master basket maker. Nantucket baskets are made on a mold.You start out putting in these pieces.

Then add the weavers.

Here's my basket in the making.


Jackie, Diana, and Loyce are busy at work...

After the first day here's how my basket looked.

Towards the end of the second day, I was finally ready to put on the rim.


Cutting off the ends.

Putting the nails into the rim.

The finished product. Yea - I did it!

My late summer garden

I decided to plant a border that would look good in late summer. It has coneflowers, black-eyed-Susan's, sedum, lobellia, turtlehead, asters, and phlox.


The phlox looks good in this garden too. Pretty soon the asters will bloom. They are the last flower to bloom in my garden.