My West Coast son was the only one available to text with me when I was wondering what to do with a safe that wouldn’t open. I wanted to add photos to the pile of letters already in there. He could tell I had done all I could do, and we began to discuss getting a lock smith. I said I’d ask grandson David to look at it before taking a step that would cost money. David was due in a few minutes. When he heard my request, he walked straight to the safe, knelt down, touched the top, pressed the lever on the side, opened the top with a flourish, and sat back on his heels. It couldn’t have taken more than 10 seconds, and that included walking the length of the house! I was amazed and very grateful. The moment had to be recorded while the triumph was still written on David’s face.

We headed out for lunch. We drove through Maggie Valley, looking for an eatery that was open but not swamped with diners. Not seeing anything, we headed halfway up the mountain to the Twisted Spoke, which we knew was open. Perfect! All the window tables were taken, but we got something even better. Our seats both faced the windows, away from the cold air and in line with a heater sending warm air our way. We could see the lovely fall trees on the opposite mountain without turning our heads. The photo did not turn out well because of glare, so I took one outside when we left.