Tag Archives: Blue Ridge Mountains

May Note Card Party!

Pop over to Vee’s at A Haven for Vee to join in on her May Note Card Party.

Thank you Vee!

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I guess you see where I was going with my May Note Cards. We are so thrilled for our Son-in-law Andrew’s homecoming from Afghanistan.

Collages9Late August 2013 they drove from Jacksonville, North Carolina to Seattle in their car packed with all they could carry. Katie moved in with us. Andrew flew back to Jacksonville. Andrew was deployed to Afghanistan in September. Katie sent packages, wrote letters, communicated via the internet. We all prayed. September, October, November, December, January, February, March went by and April came. Andrew’s time was extended in Afghanistan. We kept praying. We started making plans to get Katie and their car back to Jacksonville, North Carolina. I made a road trip map. Andrew got tentative word about his possible return dates. We packed the car. We set out on our SeaJack trip on Sunday April 27th. We arrived in Jacksonville on May 4th. We found an apartment. We carried their minimal possessions up 3 flights of stairs. We ordered a bed. We shopped at Wal-Mart and the Commissary and the Exchange. Katie made a Welcome Home sign. Everything was ready. I flew to Orlando to meet my Dear on Thursday May 15th. Andrew returned to Katie’s arms at 11:00 P.M. Saturday May 17th, Armed Forces Day. Happy Happy Joy Joy! We prayed again thanking God for His great gift to us!

I’ll be coming around to see your note cards soon. I’m flying this evening from Orlando to Seattle. Looking forward to being back in our home.

Biltmore ~ America’s Largest Home

Part of Katie and my hotel package in Asheville, North Carolina included a two day pass to Biltmore House and Gardens. Biltmore began in 1895 as George Vanderbilt’s vision and continues today under the stewardship of his descendants.

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Biltmore 006The family still owns 8000 acres of Blue Ridge Mountain land and this is just a fraction of what they started with. They sold thousands of acres to the Federal government which is now the Pisgah National Forest.

Biltmore 001A view from the Loggia. No photography was allowed in the house but they had an area for a photo op that the house provided.

1613887_752783355838_8978143314473116858_nYou could pay for a larger copy for $30.00, pricey. We opted for the free little version!

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This is just a taste of the Biltmore. You can imagine with 8000 acres that there is more to share.  The gardens were bursting with color from thousands of Azalea bushes.  We ended our day at the Biltmore House with a meal at Antler Hill Village and a tour of the winery. Stay tuned!

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My time is winding down here in Jacksonville. Tomorrow I’ll board a plane for Orlando and meet up with my Dear. Looking forward to it. I leave knowing our daughter will soon be reunited with her beloved and that makes me happy and oh so thankful.

One thing I know is that the Pacific Northwest is a very good location for me. I am quite intolerant of heat and humidity in my older years. My hair is very intolerant of the humidity, too. The “South” is fun to visit but I’m not looking to buy property here.

Sunset Terrace at the Grove

We were so happy we listened to several recommendations we got to make sure we made it to the historic Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. Mary from A Breath of Fresh Air first suggested that Katie and I shouldn’t miss this historic Inn. Two co-workers of Dear’s also said it was a “not to be missed” destination.

SeaJack #6 121We arrived to Asheville on the 6th day of our Road trip across the U.S.A. We had preplanned a two day stop in this beautiful mountain city.

SeaJack #6 122 We made reservations on the Sunset Terrace for the evening that we arrived to Asheville. Can you see Katie on the right  looking down at me?

SeaJack #6 126The Terrace has wonderful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

SeaJack #6 127We had a nice visit with this local couple and I did mention they might end up in some of my photos.

2014-05-02 SeaJack #6Because of traveling all day and making our reservations later than we normally eat we ordered on the “light” side. No big steaks this night. Katie ordered Caesar salad, crab cake, and macaroni and cheese. I ordered a fresh beet salad and the onion soup.

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SeaJack #6 141For dessert we shared the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

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2014-05-02 SeaJack #62After our dinner and before we left we walked around the lodge and it was fun to see that they were featuring wines from our neck of the woods!

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We really enjoyed our time at the Historic Omni Grove in Asheland, North Carolina. As Mary told us even if you don’t have dinner on the terrace make sure you visit and enjoy a drink there. We thought sunset was the perfect time to be there, too. Thanks for the recommendation. This stop was one of the highlights of our SeaJack Road Trip!

Today in Jacksonville Katie has scheduled massages for us. We have come up with a few more necessary items to purchase for the apartment, too, so a little shopping is on the agenda.

What does Monday hold for you?