Summertime

With the return of summer we go back to enjoying our favorite sport - watching the sunsets.

Hit the Decks

While we were in Michigan the carpenter was busy at our house. All of the decking is in. The deck was finished before we left but he made the curved railing on the bridge. We now also have a front porch to sit on and the screened porch, sans screens.



These interior shots are of the screened porch. The first one is from our bedroom and the second through the living room.

The wild rhododendron are in bloom. This is the only big one we have on our property.

Weekend Visitor

Brother Bill came for a visit last weekend. He was at a conference in Johnson City, TN - just north of Asheville - so came down Friday afternoon. After lunch we went out to the house and had our first cocktail hour on the deck.
Saturday we met Bobbie and David for lunch in Saluda. After lunch we went to Pearson's Falls then back up to our house for dinner.

On the Road Again

Here we are, back at the hotel. This time we stayed at a LaQuinta just north of Cincinnati. Harvey was so stressed from the ride that he wouldn't get out of bed for supper so I brought his puppy food to him.

By the next morning they were more comfortable and played awhile after breakfast before heading home.

New Boat

No, we didn't get a new boat but it looks like we did! We got a new canopy & frame that folds down when you're not using it. And check out the new bench seats across the back! They're made with rich Corinthian vinyl. It's like a floating lounge. See how proud Cap'n Bob is?

For Father's Day I went all out and took Robert to the best place in town - Talley's.

Back to Nature

We have a little chipmunk friend, Chippy, up at the cabin. We have been feeding him for years. He lives underneath the guest suite (anyone who has ever slept in that room can verify that) and he has us trained to give him nuts on a little stump by the deck. Whenever we arrive at the cabin there's Chippy sitting on the stump barking for nuts. This time I brought him walnuts and almonds. We fed him for a few days then he appeared with a friend. Then he appeared with 2 baby chipmunks. Then he appeared with 4 baby chipmunks. Next thing we knew, it was Chipmunkpalooza! There were chipmunks running around everywhere! They were chasing each other up & down trees and doing back flips on the deck. The babies were running up the screens on the screen porch and the cats were sniffing their bellies. They were trying to come in the porch! So - we had to put an end to the freeloading chipmunks. Chippy wasn't happy and spent a lot of time barking on his stump but we ignored him. We couldn't make eye contact with him. He kept bringing his babies out trying to make it look like they were starving but we didn't buy it. We have to find a way to evict the whole family. We're hoping that they'll give up and move on (over to my mother's house) while we're gone.

This is a very large, ugly bug I saw down by the dock. It looked almost prehistoric. I couldn't tell if those were wings on it's back or what. If anyone out there can identify this bug please let me know what it is. It was scary. It was so big I could see it from up at the cabin.

Royal Oak

These pictures of Royal Oak were supposed to be with the last blog entry but disappeared somehow.

Back in Royal Oak

I went back to the cabin on Sunday after the wedding. On Monday, Robert and I went down to Detroit. He had a dinner meeting that night so I tagged along and had dinner at Monica & Jim's. Monica fed us well, as usual. Jim's daughter was there and Monica's sister, Cindy, stopped by after dinner. Robert came back to pick me up and he hadn't had much for dinner so we went to Mon Jin Lau ("the Lounge") so I could have my favorite spicy shrimp tempura rolls and he had dinner. We were conveniently staying at the Courtyard next door. The next day we went to Somerset Mall. It was as if I never left. We shopped a bit and had lunch at J. Alexander's so I could have another favorite, chicken pasta soup. From there we hit Royal Oak. I just had to see if Lotus Imports had anything I couldn't live without and they didn't so we went back up to the cabin.

Showboat Wedding

The first weekend we were in Michigan I went to a wedding with Erin. Her cousin, Shannon, got married. Shannon is the daughter of Steve Riojas' sister, Diane. The wedding was in Lowell which is outside of Grand Rapids. Erin and I met in a hotel in Grand Rapids on Saturday, got into our wedding clothes, and went to the wedding. The ceremony was at the Lowell Showboat. It wasn't ON the Showboat but on the concrete, in the sun, next to the Showboat. It was very hot that day. Fortunately, we were able to watch the wedding from the upper level of the boat which was shaded. It was a lovely ceremony and the reception was nearby at a ballroom. It was good to see the Riojas family again - with a few exceptions - and especially to see Diane. She looked great, as always.

Michigan Beauty

My pink lady's slippers were blooming! There were about 6 or 7 of them down by the lake. It seems like I miss them every year so I was so excited to see them this year.

The weather wasn't so great while we were there. First it was cold and rainy then it got really hot & humid and rainy. I think it rained about every day we were there. There were some nice thunderstorms, too. This was the sunset one evening after a storm.

We're Baaaack!!!

It's been awhile since I've been bloggin'. We went up north to our cabin in Michigan for 2 weeks and got back a week ago. I just haven't had a chance to blog until now.
We made the trip in 2 days. We drove 9 1/2 hours the first day to Perrysburg, OH, where we spent the night at our favorite hotel chain, La Quinta Inn. It's our favorite only because they allow cats and there are plenty of them to choose from along I-75 in Ohio. We left the next morning and drove straight to Evie's Tamalies in Detroit. From there we went to another of our favorite spots, Holiday Market, where we loaded up on cheeses, wine, olives, salmon and did I mention wine? and other goodies that Glen's Market in Lewiston doesn't carry.



Once we got to the cabin the big priority was getting the boat in the water. The marina came the next morning and hauled it to the fishing site for us. Notice Robert is wearing a flannel shirt. Not a good sign. It didn't get above 60 degrees the first few days. Not quite boating weather.


What do Asheville cats do when they're in Lewiston? The same thing they do in Asheville. Sleep.

More Replacements

Saturday we met for lunch with another Replacement Friend couple, Mark & Margaret. Mark is a semi-retired veterinarian and they winter in Florida and have a house in Black Mountain for the summer. We met them last year but haven't seen them since last fall when they left for Florida. They hadn't seen the house since it was just a foundation so wanted to check on the progress.




Monday we're taking our Travelin' Cat Show back on the road and are heading to the cabin in Michigan for two weeks. We are stopping for the night at the cat-friendly La Quinta Inn in Perrysburg, Ohio, just south of Toledo. We'll get an early start on Tuesday because we have several stops to make in the Detroit area on the way up and hopefully, will arrive at the cabin sometime in the afternoon. I will have to save up our adventures to write about when we get home.

Replacements Unlimited

Friday evening we went to Creston to watch the sunset with one of our Replacement Friends, Barbara Page. Barbara is the pioneer woman of Creston. She is the first and still only full-time resident. We will be the second. There are other homes completed but they are occupied part-time. Before we went to Barbara's house we stopped in at our place to check on the progress. I hadn't been there since Monday. The electricians have been wiring away and the deck is now finished! It's great to be able to stand out on it. Now the carpenter is working on the front porch.

You Say Cicada...

The Asheville area has been invaded by the 17-year cicadas. They started emerging from the ground about 2 weeks ago and have been getting louder every day. It's a constant noise that sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. They're everywhere! Laying in the road, alive or smushed, in the trees, on shrubs. Now they've really gone berserk and are flying all over like little kamikaze pilots into our doors and windows. When I was out walking yesterday they were flying into me! One landed on me! Yuck! They're harmless and will be dead soon once they mate and lay their eggs and we won't see them again for another 17 years. The birds and bears love eating their tasty little carcasses. They provide hours of cat entertainment, too.

Way Out West

Thursday we spent the afternoon & evening with our Replacement Friends*, George & Teresa Morris. They have a beautiful cottage at Creston but are only part-timers there. They wanted to take us to the place where they got their fireplace mantle called Vintage Beams & Timbers. It's a place where they salvage old barns and timbers and then re-sell them at high prices to northerners who come down and build homes in the mountains. We had to drive about 1 1/2 hours west of Asheville almost to the Smoky Mountains.
Vintage Beams is located on a beautiful farm with a huge old barn and lots and lots of beams & timbers. We met with Buck (most people down here are named Buck) who wore overalls and after looking at our fireplace plan said he could make the mantle and other pieces for us no problem. After we left Buck we drove to the Nantahala Forest and had a drink at a restaurant overlooking the Nantahala River. We haven't explored this part of the state much so were glad to be with someone who had. It is a beautiful area. The Nantahala River has a lot of rapids so is popular for white-water rafting and kayaking. After our drink we decided to find a place for dinner. We drove to Sylva, a very quaint old mountain town then went to Dillsboro and had dinner at The Jarrett House. We found it by asking someone walking down the street in Sylva where was the best place for dinner. They served home cookin'. Robert and I had fresh trout, Teresa had pot roast and George had chicken 'n dumplings. The veggies & potatoes were served family style. Everything was so good.



If you click on the last picture you can see Robert on the porch.

*Friends we have had to make down here since our old friends from Michigan won't come and see us.

They'll All Come 'Round to See Her...

Sunday, Erin went spelunking (caving) with Amy & Cheri near Lake Lure then they came back for dinner. Miss Bobbie came up from the deep south and we had a big barbeque. Robert made his famous ribs.

Monday Miss Bobbie took Mom home with her (we had to share) for the rest of her trip. We took Erin back for one last quick look at the house on the way to the airport. We stopped at the Subway in Black Mountain for sandwiches and wolfed them down up in the balcony. The Mountain Laurel is in full bloom and the woods on our lot are full of them. It's just beautiful. We moved down here last year after they had bloomed so had never seen them before.

More Pics

A few more shots of the overlook.

We finally made it to Mt. Mitchell. It's always about 20 degrees colder there.