A Little Bit of Boonetown

It's always a beautiful sight as we're driving toward Boone on 421, and the mountains are finally visible in front of us. I always want to snap a picture of it, so this time I did! (though it's not the best, in the car, with my phone).

We met some friends at Cracker Barrel our first morning in Boone and I spotted these. Go Heels!

Rain was expected for much of the week, so we had to take advantage of this pretty morning for a walk in the park.

 Summer is in full bloom in Boonetown.

 We made two visits here on this trip and all I can say as a bread lover is...yum!

After many years in Boone, we were finally able to get together for dinner with our neighbors on the cul-de-sac; Mike, Diane and Susan. We have all experienced life-changing hardships and heartbreak since we met 8 years ago, including the death of a child, cancer diagnoses, and the death of a spouse. We are blessed to know them, have tried to support one another, and always enjoy catching up when we are in town.

 Our dogs love how cool it is in the mountains, even on rainy days, with doors open and a cool breeze blowing. Abby is especially thrilled when a chipmunk strolls by!

Fun at the Farmers Market

On our last trip to Boone we decided to head to the Watauga County Farmers Market Saturday morning. It's opened from May through October and we had always heard lots of good things about it from our friends and neighbors. I must say, I loved the setting at Horn in the West, and the atmosphere was friendly, fun, and full of music and color. We perused wonderful fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, meats, flowers, soaps, crafts and more...all made or home grown in North Carolina. We came home with lots of goodies to enjoy including fresh lettuce, sugar snap peas, new potatoes, broccoli, onions, zucchini, squash, peppers, garlic and tomatoes, and it was all delicious! I am certain it will become a part of our Saturday morning routine when in Boone, and it's even spurred me on to visit our local market more often when at home. It's a win/win...healthier options and support for local vendors!

 

Happy Birthday to our Leah!

We have been so happy to be able to spend five days with Leah and Emery in Boone, and today, on her 29th birthday, they must head back to Georgia. I will post all about her special dinner, sky lantern, sparklers, presents, and birthday pie when I get back home, but for now I just had to leave you with this...Sticky Buns from Stick Boy's which we will have devoured for Birthday Breakfast by the time you read this post. Happy Birthday Leah...we sure do love you. You bring us great joy every single day!

 

Nick Battles the Bees

My brother Johnny and sister-in-law JoAnn came in to town for a few days, so we invited Nick to come over and join us for dinner and a visit one night. We had noticed a huge bee hive in one of our azaleas that afternoon and EZ had purchased some spray to go after them with. Nick volunteered to take them on after they tried to sting him in our driveway, and promptly "suited up" and headed outside, spray can in hand. (He never ceases to entertain us!) EZ drove our car to a strategic spot to photograph the assault, as Johnny provided moral support outside. Mom, JoAnn and I were cracking up at the three of them from the safety of the house. Look closely at the first shot to see the hive close up. It measured about 12" long by 10" high and was buzzing with bees. Still aren't quite sure what they were, but we suspect hornets.

 The killer in action trying to spray into the opening of the hive!

 Run for your life!

 Nick with his most appropriate Just Do It shirt, Mom, Johnny and JoAnn after we celebrated victory!

The next day we snapped a few pictures before J & J headed for Charlotte to visit their daughter and family. Mom had given them a few of my Dad's favorite hats, so we had a bit of fun as they modeled them. Fond memories for sure as we pictured him wearing them while mowing the lawn or just sitting outside. As always, our time together passed all too quickly!

 

A Quiet Fourth at Home

Nick and the Dews were away for the fourth, so Mom, EZ and I had a low key, and very warm day at home. The temperatures had been hovering around 100, so we definitely knew sitting outside for live fireworks would be way too hot. We decided to once again invite our neighbor, Charlie, to join us for dinner, and he happily obliged. 

Our morning began with a red, white and blue breakfast, followed by a nice rain which we needed to cool things off!

 Charlie found this little guy on our front walkway when he arrived.

These are my Liberty Blue dishes which I love to use in the summer, beginning in July. Each piece has a different historic building or scene.

Babybacks and baked beans are a must on the fourth, along with corn, carrots and macaroni and cheese.

Charlie has been such a faithful neighbor to us since EZ's diagnosis. You can read a past post about him here. He not only continues to bring our paper right to our front porch every morning, but he now brings our mail up as well, and always returns our trash can to its spot after collection every Monday.

And what would the day be without an All American dessert...our favorite alternative to apple pie - PW apple dumplings with glazed walnuts and a little bit of whipped cream (we were out of vanilla ice cream)!

We hope you all had a blessed fourth celebrating our country's independence. May we never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy, and the sacrifices that were made to get us here.