Visitors to Blue Ridge Parkway

Visitors Magda and Basia had only one day to see the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it did not begin well. Lise and I heard thunder before our alarms went off. We all ate breakfast together and set off in rain. Despite the drizzle, we got out at my favorite place, Sunburst Falls.

We continued driving on the Parkway, stopping occasionally. Lise has a knack for being at the right place at the right time. We looked at the lovely view from the Pisgah Inn and went inside. We knew we couldn’t eat in the dining room, because we didn’t have a reservation. Lise went to the desk, anyway, and asked if there would be a possibility we could get a table. It was 20 minutes before the kitchen would close. The woman said she’d check. Within five minutes, she called out to us and said we could be seated!! I was shocked. The waiter said we had to get our order in before 2:30, and we did that easily. We loved the food and the scenery.

We continued driving on the Parkway until we got to Asheville. Magda has been to Culver’s before, and she knew it was part of our airport routine. Since she and Basia had a rental car, they would not have gone to the airport. We went there for dessert, having soft frozen custard with a couple of toppings.

A warning light about the car tires came on, and it was already after 5 pm on Saturday. The garage nearest my house looked closed, but Lise went in, anyway. I felt a great relief when a man opened the door and came out to look. After taking off the left front tire, he told Lise it looked like it could explode at any time. He checked and didn’t have any tire in stock that would fit the car. Looking at the spare, he said we were lucky it was there and usable. He put the rear tire in the front and mounted the spare at the rear. He said we had been only moments from a blowout!! And to think we had been on mountain roads for hours and on the interstate highway the last 40 miles! God was protecting us from a real disaster. Our instructions were to drive less than 50 miles per hour for 50 minutes, and then let the tire cool completely.

Lise got busy once we were home. It would have been a big hindrance to drive that car to Asheville for my appointment at 8:15 Monday. She checked about renting a car. The only rental place had already closed until Monday morning. Too late! She contacted grandson David and asked if we could swap cars for two days. Thankfully, he agreed. He will be going to work and not driving a great distance. I will still be concerned about his safety, but I need to keep that appointment for surgery on my face.

The Ducklings

When daughter Lise and I were talking about visitors Magda and Basia, we took a short cut by using their last name. Instead of the Polish name, we used an English translation of “Duckling”. It was much easier, and I love the sound of it. Because of the name, they had a special encounter on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We had stopped several times at lookout points, and this particular time there was a Jeep that had a full row of toy ducks lined up on the dash. Magda spoke to the owner and asked about all the ducks. I didn’t notice any of this, but she told us as we drove on to another spot. We got out of the car and found that the Jeep had pulled in, too. The man gave Magda one of their ducks – a small one, all green and as cute as could be. Isn’t that amazing?

Magda put the duck on the armrest between the front seats to ride to the next stop. I had a chance to take its photo and didn’t think of it. When it fell off, I was glad she put it in her bag so that it wouldn’t be lost in my car. I’m sure it will be a treasured souvenir of this trip to the US.

Friday with Magda and Basia

Our special visitors walked with Lise and me, wanting the full experience of living here. CAT came out to greet us, and Magda petted her.

I was so busy talking that I turned around at the stop sign and kept going. Everyone agreed to backtrack for the obligatory photo.

We had a Southern breakfast of biscuits and scrambled eggs, with the addition of livermush. That is a local dish, which I learned about from reading a novel set in the mountains of North Carolina.

Grandson David joined us to go to the nearest barbecue joint. Magda has had barbecue here, and she felt Basia should experience it, too. Nobody complained. David did do something different, though, choosing smoked chicken instead of pork.

I took a photo of Magda, sitting in the huge chair at the BBQ place.

David had a different perch on a cart in Ingles. We always take our European guests to my favorite supermarket. They aren’t required to love it, but they usually enjoy the experience.

Magda and Basia Arrive

One of Lise’s best friends from Denmark is Magda, who has been here before. We three went to the Outer Banks together a year ago. Now Magda’s sister Basia (pronounced Baa-sha) is here, too. The sisters flew into Toronto, then visited Boston, New York, Washington DC, and Williamsburg VA. We have talked non-stop since they got out of the car. The first thing one notices is their excellent command of English. They grew up in Poland, and Basia still lives there. Magda has lived in Denmark for years, which is where she and Lise met. I am always amazed that many Europeans know at least two languages. How I wish I did!

The last time Magda was here, she missed seeing hummingbirds by one day. Today there were plenty coming to the feeders. We could see them easily from our seats on the porch. After we sat and chatted for a while, the girls went out for an American experience – shopping at Walmart.

Scenes in the Neighborhood

Daughter Lise will always pet CAT when we walk. This time the cat made it extremely easy.

When the family went out in the golf cart, Logan (16) took his usual place hanging on the back. Shawn, Bob, and Izzie the dog were in the front.

Most amusing was the tangle neighbor Julie’s dogs wound around her legs. How I wish I had taken a video when she nimbly stepped out of that trap!

Visiting Nathaniel

Daughter Lise and I drove to Charlotte to visit grandson Nathaniel. When we asked about his new job, he showed us the work shirt he wears. His last job evaporated when the restaurant closed all units except the original site in Texas.

When Lise showed interest in barbecue, he took us to one of the nearest restaurants that features it.

Lise heard him talking about Lowe’s Foods and requested a field trip. I took a shot of them just inside the entrance, where specials for the month were on a huge blackboard.

We made our way to the community table where a young man was on duty to give out samples. He had the gift of gab and kept us entertained as he made a parfait of yogurt, maple syrup, frozen raspberries, Graham cracker crumbs, and several other ingredients. It was tangy and refreshing. Lise took my photo, and this shows the size of it. None of us would call it a sample, as it became our dessert for the day.

Nate talked about buying herbs there, and this is the garden with the plants. You cut as much as you want and put it in a plastic bag. It’s a marvelous service, but I suspect it would be too expensive to draw me in.

So Long, Joyce

The last time neighbor Joyce was with all the neighbors was at the Fourth of July celebration. We all hugged her, knowing we wouldn’t see her regularly again. We lived on this street together for about 10 years.

Joyce’s final moving day was spent steadily cleaning and getting the last of her things into her car. Lise and I were hours away, visiting with grandson (and nephew) Nathaniel. Joyce sat in my house for an hour or so, I think, while the last POD storage container was moved. She texted me a very amusing note, as if she were Goldilocks, looking around my house to choose which bed she wanted. I replied that she could choose any bed and we would make it work. She will be in this area of the state for several weeks, staying with friends and waiting to finalize the deal to buy a house far away, near one of her daughters. I will see her again during this time, but she vanished as my neighbor.

I had two final photos. She graciously agreed to let me take her picture with Lise after we had walked to the stop sign together for the last time. She would have been much more glamorous if she had been dressed for church.

She and Lise agreed to pose with one of the PODs, which lacked only the final items at this point.

Fourth of July

The neighbors gathered to celebrate the birthday of our country. We’ve done it every year for 11 years, and this was one of the very best. Everyone was here and ready to party. It was special for me because daughter Lise decorated the porch, the kitchen, and the dining room. She had flags, holiday towels, a big helium balloon, and a hanging streamer. Everyone brought a dish to share, and the food was delicious.

It had been very hot most of the week, and we opted to eat at the dining room table instead of on the porch. I liked that, since we had one conversation instead of several at separate tables on the porch. I usually take photos, but Lise did it this time. She will share with me, though she isn’t here right now. She and Shawn have gone to the next town to see fireworks.

Everyone’s favorite, Logan, was working at the supermarket and couldn’t come to eat until after we finished. Being 16 years old, he greeted everyone politely, ate, and went to be with his friends.

The group chatted longer than usual, then we said our goodbyes to Joyce. She has sold her house and is moving to be near her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. We are very happy for her but sad to see her go.

Shopping for a Car

Daughter Lise has been talking about the age of my car, and we agreed it was time to look for another one. I have no desire to pay for a brand new car, so today we went to CarMax in Asheville to try some on. Even though it was the hottest day of the year so far, we had a wonderful time. She knew it would be good to have a car higher off the ground than Snot, my current car. She says I got in and out of 20 cars, although it didn’t feel like that many to me. The lot was well organized, so we didn’t have to walk far to all that we wanted to see. She brought home photos of eight that I liked and will analyze their features. She really is making this very easy for me.

We rewarded ourselves for that sweltering time by having hamburgers at Five Guys. It was wonderfully cool in the restaurant, and we spotted a soft-serve ice cream shop two doors down. Then, on the way home, we stopped at Aldi’s, a grocery that I used to go to once a week. We sipped huge glasses of ice water at home to rehydrate. All in all, it was a very rewarding day, thanks to Lise.

Lise to the Rescue!

Daughter Lise and I had been in the kitchen area for hours, then headed to bed. As I stepped into my bedroom, I heard that dreaded smoke alarm chirp. Another followed within half a minute, meaning we didn’t have much time until it would be sounding relentlessly through the night. There was no one we would call to help us, since it was nearing midnight. We flew into action. I got out a new battery as she tried to find a video to show her how to change it. Unfortunately, only newer models were shown. She climbed on the bed and began to poke and prod the unit. There was nothing to pull open. Finally, she pressed the right area, and a door opened so that she could slide out the old battery. Whew! It was simple to replace it. We thought we needed to test it, so I covered my ears as she pressed the button. That seemed to be all that needed to be done, and indeed, we heard no more chirps. Thank you, handy-woman Lise!

If I had been home alone, I would have gone to the furthest bedroom, closed the door, covered my head with a pillow, and tried to sleep. Thank heavens Lise saved me from that!