First was Blowing Rock. It was a little busier than I expected for a Tuesday, but not too bad. We did have to wait for this family of four from Chicago (though they live in Raleigh now; couldn't help but overhear them) to get off the top of the rock so I could get pictures of it. I didn't want pictures of strangers. Some guy was taking pictures of them with their camera. They'd look at the pictures and then want him to take more from another angle. They were totally hogging it. lol I thought it was kind of rude (we were standing nearby waiting for them to move, as were others) that they stayed up there so long.
Anyway, I did finally get a few pictures and then quickly moved so that others could get up there and look at the view and take pictures, too.
The Blowing Rock. It's bigger than it looks in this picture. That's Sean's shadow on the left.
View from the Blowing Rock.
View from near the Blowing Rock.
After leaving Blowing Rock, we got on the Parkway and drove south to Linville Caverns. Part of this drive takes you over the Linn Cove Viaduct. It had been almost 20 years since I'd been to that part of the Parkway (and the caverns and falls). It was neat to see it again.
Linn Cove Viaduct in the distance.
We had brought our dog Milo with us on this trip and Charlie didn't want to leave him by himself in the car after hearing him across the parking lot whining for Charlie, so just the kids and I went into the caverns.
Confederate deserters hid in the caverns during the Civil War. This is where they built their camp fires. They were eventually discovered because of the smoke of their fire after a year or two.
After leaving the caverns, we went to Linville Falls. It was a tough hike for me, but the views were beautiful.
You cross this river on the footbridge on the way to the Falls.
The river is on your left on the way up. Unfortunately, access to the river is blocked by fencing. For safety reasons, I'm sure.
Upper Falls. The easiest to get to.
Sean and Kelly. Near the upper falls.
Grandfather Mountain along the Parkway.
By the time we left the falls, we were all pretty much starving. So we went to the restaurant we always go to when we're in the Boone area - Dan'l Boone Inn Restaurant. Country cookin' served family style. Fried chicken, country steak, mashed potatoes and gravy (so good), corn, green beans, biscuits, country ham biscuits (I always bring these home; they're delicious), stewed apples, salad, and dessert. I brought home a piece of the chocolate cake (the other choices were strawberry shortcake and banana pudding) because I was too full to eat it there.
We had also wanted to go to Mystery Hill House (the kids really wanted to go) and Grandfather Mountain, but we didn't have time.
It was an enjoyable trip. It was a little cool (around 60°, if I remember right), but the skies were clear and beautiful.
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Since my last entry, I finished reading Girl in the Blue Coat (I liked it; 3 stars at GoodReads) and also read Writing on the Wall by Tracey Ward. Writing on the Wall is the first book in a trilogy that takes place during the zombie apocalypse, but doesn't have a lot of zombie action in it. I liked it (3½ stars) and will order the other two books from Amazon soon.
The next book I'm reading is The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis.
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I've purchased a few things over the last few weeks. Actually, I didn't buy anything last week.
Got this dress at JC Penney. Originally $86, I paid about $54.
Got this MICHAEL Michael Kors skirt at Belk for $98 before tax. Paid full price. Something I hardly ever do. I'm short, so this covers my knees.
Got this at Belk. Originally $58. I think I paid $29. This one also covers my knees.
Got this MICHAEL Michael Kors top at Belk, too. Looks good with both skirts above. Paid $48. I'd like to get a black sweater/cardigan to wear over it.
Dress Barn. $32. Covers my knees.
JC Penney. Originally $60. I got it on sale, but can't remember how much I paid for it. I think about $21. I've worn it a couple times and love it. Both times with a dark denim skirt and my black biker/combat boots. Once with a gray, long sleeved top and once with a black tank.
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I brought our toy poodle Pippin to the vet Wednesday for a check up and senior blood work. His heart and lungs sound good and his fur looks good, but poor Pips has arthritis in his back knees. Though he doesn't act like it bothers him. The vet is going to leave a free sample of arthritis medication at the front desk for me to pick up the next time I go in to get Pippin's food.
The vet called me yesterday evening with the results of Pip's blood work. Everything looks good. White blood cell and red blood cell counts, liver, kidneys, etc. She said he looks really good for a senior dog (he'll be 12 in March) and that we're taking good care of him.
Other than arthritis and bad teeth (he won't let me brush them), he's a little overweight. We're going to feed him less to help him lose weight. That should help take some pressure off his arthritic knees and keep his pancreatitis (which he had for the first, and hopefully last, time last October) from flaring up again. She said his pancreas looks good right now.
Pippin's vet visit cost us $360.05. Whew. I was expecting around $200, so that was a bit of a shock. The vet wants to clean Pip's teeth and may have to pull one or more of them. Both will require anesthesia since dogs don't usually cooperate with getting their teeth cleaned. I don't even want to think about how much that will cost right now. lol
