We headed out around 10:30 after our quiet times and then a sumptuous breakfast of home grown cackleberries with bacon, sliced tomato's, juice and toast after a 7 AM wake up. We rode in Mike's new Suburu Outback which has all the bells and whistles. ahh that new car smell. We headed for Valle Crucis and the Mast Store where there was a 4 piece band(banjo, bass fiddle, guitar and autoharp) and singer who sang all the mountain songs. I sat outside on the porch listening to them while everyone else shopped for kids and grandkids. We made a trip up to Appalachian College campus which is located in downtown Boone after a stop at the Mast Store Annex.
At the Annex which is just a stone throw away from the main store the gals loaded up with bulk candy. It was going on 2 PM when I asked where there was a sandwich shoppe near where we were and we found a really nice place next door. The sandwiches were awesome and our college student waitress was a real hoot with her Carolina accent. The chef even came out to meet us and ask us our opinion on the food. We left there and headed for Blowing Rock. This was the first time either of them had been this far south on the parkway.
Blowing Rock is such a quaint town and luckily we ate in Valle Crucis as our restaurant was closed until the evening hours at the Story Street Grille. We walked around and then stood in a long line at the Kilwin's Candy Ice Cream shoppe for some cones. Wow that place is a chain from Mackinaw Island Michigan and we stood in line for nearly an hour to get our choices which I passed up for just a lick of Nancy's. We watched them making all kinds of fudge and candies. We saw a couple young girls in the park in Blowing Rock entertaining the folks with the fiddle playing and dancing.
We headed back up the mountain towards the West Jefferson area and then came out on the parkway at the Trading Post in Glendale Springs. We saw several deer along the parkway with some still showing spots and a couple really nice filled out bucks. It was after 7 before we pulled into the driveway for the cabin. I thawed out some frozen shrimp while Nancy made a beautiful salad. We picked on the left over ribs and oven taters while the shrimp cooked.
We played a game of domino's until after 11 before we finally headed to the showers and some lights out, LATER
