Well here we are again in some what chilly N.C. It was rather nice early Sunday morning as we pulled out from Seminole with temps in the upper 60's at 5 o'clock in the morning. I started out with just a lite weight shirt, shorts and slippers and by the time we traveled to Ocala it was down into the upper 40's, yikes it was a bit on the cold side. Luckily I had left a heavy shirt and jeans out with socks so I could change at the first rest stop where we walked for about 15 minutes, per doctors orders. We ran the heat for nearly all of the first half of the trip until we reached Savannah where we stopped to shop at Sam's Club which is just right off the interstate.
Saturday found us busy with getting ready for our trip to some cooler temps as we left all of our summer clothes in Florida and started packing our winter stuff. We made ready so all we had to do was get up at 4 AM on Sunday and head out as soon as we could make ourselves presentable to the public. I had loaded the truck with most of our stuff the night before. On Saturday Nancy had made tacos for the kiddos at the Ross house which was per their request while Amy and Tyler enjoyed a meal out at the Bonefish. It was the first time they had been away from Eliza Faye for the evening and she was just fine. She actually started falling asleep at the table in Nancy's lap after she ate some baby food so I rocked her and she slept for nearly an hour in my arms. What precious time that was for me as she is very much like Amy as a baby. If you wanted Amy to wake up all you had to do was put her down for bed. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree as she is now experiencing some of Eliza's sleeping habits. She will not take a regular scheduled nap.
When Eliza heard their voices she was in high gear with crying as she let them know she wasn't happy about them leaving her. It was hilarious as she soon quieted down as Amy nursed her. The kiddos played great together and ate well and of course I had Eliza a sleep which is usually unheard at that time of the evening. We had them bathed and ready for bed when Amy and Tyler got home. It was a great time of bonding with all three of the kiddos and we were saddened to leave when we did after lots of hugs and kisses.
We made excellent travel time on Sunday which was quite uneventful stopping twice for gas, potty breaks and walking every hour and a half at rest areas and gas stations. We made it through Charlotte at nearly 70 MPH while keeping up with the traffic despite the football game between the Panthers and the Bears. The cats pulled out another victory while trailing most of the game and our Bucs loss to the Saints after being ahead most of their game. Go figure!!! Anyhow it was beautiful with Carolina blue skies and bright sunshine and just enough chill in the air to make the long sleeves and pants feel good with absolutely no humidity for a change. It was in the upper 60's when we stopped at Wal-Mart at the foot of the mountain in Elkin, N.C. for some groceries before heading up the continental divide on Route 21. The temps dropped precipitously as we neared the cabin from 68 to 54, yikes was it cold in the cabin when we opened the door. It was actually warmer outside than inside at 50 degrees. All of the blinds had been shut so we opened doors and blinds to let in the last of the bright sunshine before darkness enveloped the cabin. I had purchased a portable electric heater at Sam's so I quickly assembled it and got it going which surprisingly raised the inside temperature to nearly 60 degrees by bedtime.
We got a visit from neighbor Carl Hudson who came by and brought some apples from his tree for our neighbor Gerald and us. They are leaving for a visit to the Outer Banks tomorrow and wanted to bless us with some of their bounty. He said it was nearly freezing here this morning on the mountain and I noticed some damage to the "spoon" tomato plants but most everything else looked decent in the gardens. The worms had invaded the collards and kale so I gave them a dusting before dark. The tomato's are through for this year with lots of them on the ground. The Swiss Chard has done quite well so we will get a mess of it this week as well as the herbs look good. The grass has grown some and we noticed lots of leaves have fallen in the backwoods yard as well as some color in the hardwoods surrounding the cabin. Fall has arrived with all of its beauty.
We got a Facebook notification from our old choir leader who lives in Seminole and is in Mt. Airy on vacation and may stop by for a visit in the next day or so. We have lots of visitors coming in the next 5 weeks before we head back to Florida for the winter. I must say it was a very hot and humid during our 10 day visit to the flatland and at times I was overwhelmed by the heat but wow was it ever a change as we entered the cabin. One had to keep moving to stay warm as we added layers of clothing. Nancy looked like an Eskimo with her sweat clothing, socks and slippers and I added a quilted flannel shirt until we took the chill off. I checked the gauge this AM at 6 AM and it was 14 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. We are supposed to have moderate temps here with sunshine for the next several days as this cold front has moved into the deep south. I know it was very nice in Florida for a change when we headed out.
Well that was about it for a Sunday as we traveled over 700 miles. We are such mobile people and I often wonder how the old timers would have felt if they were told they could wake up in the flatland of hot humid Florida and go to bed in the cold the mountains all within a day's travel time. Many thanks to all who kept us in your thoughts and prayers for an uneventful trip. I must say we filled up with gas in Rock Hill, S.C. at $2.89 per gallon; that was lowest we saw advertised along the interstate, LATER
