Country Pursuits

Daughter Kate enjoyed watching the horses that board in the pasture behind our house. They were gone several months, and we are still adjusting to having them back. In preparation for our family tourist season, John bought a bag of carrots which Kate and Nathaniel put to good use. Even though light rain was falling, we stood there talking to the horses. It was a win/win situation for humans and animals.

061617 K N feed horses carrots.JPG

Someone turned and noticed the sky. I’m sure the horses wondered why we abandoned them and ran toward the house. A lovely rainbow was getting brighter by the minute, and our eyes were glued to it. My photo doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea. Seeing rainbows is a feature that should be listed for this property, along with mountain views.

061617 Rainbow.JPG

While David worked, we planned to go to a ranger station in the national park. Son John $ came to visit with his sister, and he thought the park would be crowded. We headed for Waynesville instead. We walked the shady side of Main Street and back on the egg side (sunny side up), browsing in shops that attracted Kate. Poking around the town is something we do only with guests, so it’s a treat for us. John was the only one who bought something. In an art shop he found a book on local history about lumber and railroads out of Canton. John $ is standing in line to read it next. There will not be a stampede for that waiting line.

Back in the car, Nathaniel teased, “I’m feeling a bit peckish. Shall we go to Burger King?”

He said that because David was still at work, and all of us wanted to see him in action. Chef Nathaniel does not eat fast food and declined a burger, but we peeked at David working “back cash”. He was facing away from us, wearing headphones, using a computer screen, and accepting customers’ money. David was never aware of our being there, so I took a picture to prove it to him later.

061717 JC N K at Burger King.JPG

A Day in the Mountains

One of my favorite things to do is ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway with guests.  We have nice views from our house, but it’s more spectacular to be cruising along, face to face with the mountains.  Although we hopped out at several overlooks, I didn’t get any good photos.  We did stop at my favorite waterfall for a photo op.

 

041116 John Gerhard my waterfall.JPG
John and Gerhard at my favorite waterfall

We had lunch at Pisgah Inn where there were things to look at inside and out.  The waitress deboned rainbow trout at the table, as advertised on the menu.  Our eyes were glued on her hands as she wielded the sharp knife, deftly opening the fish and extracting the bones.  When I asked, she said everyone there does it, and she likes the task.  The view overlooking the mountains never fails to bring pleasure.

 

041116 Gerhard at Pisgah Inn.JPG041116 Looking Glass Falls

We went through the visitor’s center at the Cradle of Forestry and walked a little way on one of the trails.  Going a few miles further, we got out to see Looking Glass falls.  What a contrast from summertime when you can’t get near it!  For a few minutes, we were the only ones there.

 

On the way home, we bought a bag of apples so that Gerhard could feed the horses in the neighbor’s pasture.  This is becoming a feature of a stay at our house.  Neighbor Bob heard that the young people who own the animals are going to be riding them soon.