A Celebration Tour

 

Greg and I have had some recent good news, so we decided to celebrate by doing something we had been wanting to do, but had never made time for, which was a more in-depth visit to downtown Abingdon, Virginia. This would be our celebration tour.

Abingdon has so many wonderful little shops that it's unbelievable! We spoke to one girl who has lived in Abingdon all of her life, but she said she had never seen many of the shops until she started working in one. We suddenly didn't feel quite as bad, since we have lived near Abingdon for less than two years, and had never seen most of the shops. Better late than never!

Before visiting the shops, we decided to have lunch. Greg noticed an old house with with someone sitting on the large porch and a sign in the yard, and we decided to check it out. It was, thankfully, a restaurant.

The Peppermill

WE found out that this house was built in 1908, and that the small house to the right had been a children's playhouse.

The chicken salad sandwich and sweet potato fries are the best!

From our vantage point on the porch, as we were enjoying lunch, we noticed this beautiful piece of artwork on the building across the street. As I've said before, Abingdon is a very arty place.

After lunch, as we were walking down the street, we passed by the impressive St. Thomas Episcopal Church...

which is made of stone. As one visitor said, it looks as though it should actually be located in England.

Greg and I love antiques, so we decide to go into Zephyr Antiques.

We're glad we did since they have so many nice things!

This sign looked intriguing, so we thought we'd go in and check it out.

Salt of the Earth is a place you can go and "Relax-Restore-Rejuvenate." They offer massage therapy, infrared sauna, salt therapy, etc., and they have several healing types of items you can buy such as salt lamps, essential oils, etc. Looks like a great place to go and unwind! 

I went into this cute little women's clothing boutique, Forget Me Not, which had some really neat things, including...

this cute cap advertising the nearby Virginia Creeper Trail.

Greg was waiting for me outside the next shop I was going to see, Market on Main, where I enjoyed quickly looking around the 65 booths that had a large variety of things including clothes, jewelry, household items, toiletries, pet treats, etc.

I didn't feel sorry for Greg, waiting outside, however, because apparently he was enjoying his time watching girls walking their dogs, etc.!

We decided it was about time to go home, but first, we needed to stop by Anthony's Desserts to get take-home snacks. Greg got a brownie, and...

I got this delicious sugar cookie.

On our way back to our car, we noticed that this restaurant which used to be a hardware store was being remodeled, and will be open by Memorial Day weekend.

This building which used to be a furniture store is being turned into a restaurant, Foresta, which is "upscale Mediterranean with an Italian flair." 

Things are looking up in Abingdon!

Although we visited several wonderful places, there were others that will have to wait until later.

The Tavern is one of those places that we want to visit on a future trip to Abingdon. It's the oldest building in town, and it's a popular place to dine.

This shirt sums up everything nicely-

An adventure awaits!

Kit-Cat update:

Our little partly-feral cat recently had to have emergency surgery since she could not have her kittens due to a damaged pelvic bone. The vet said she only had a 60-70% survival rate even with the surgery. Several of us were praying for her, and thankfully the surgery was very successful! We credit our prayers and Dr. Jay at VCA Animal Hospital in Abingdon for saving her life. Now, she is fully recovered and better than ever!

Positive thought: "Prayer changes things."

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, June 6, 2021, Becky

 

 

A Trip to Fabulous Savannah

The past couple of days, Greg and I went on a trip down South, to fabulous Savannah, Georgia to attend the wedding a family member.  It had been a while since we had been to Savannah, and we had a wonderful time.

We spent the night in a charming historic Victorian inn, Collat House on Forsyth Park which is known for its antiques and decor.

A Resident Cat

The Room Where We Had a Restful Night's Sleep

A Continental Breakfast in Our Room

Nice View from Our Balcony

F.Y.I.
Collat House on Forsyth Park
703 Whitaker Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Contact: Christie Register
(912) 657-2564
www.forsythparkhouse.com

After breakfast, we went across the street to visit picturesque Forsyth Park.

A little later, Greg and I joined relatives for a tasty Southern meal around noon in downtown Savannah.

Afterwards, we had time to walk around and further explore this wonderful city.

By then, it was time for the beautiful outdoor wedding which took place on one of the several squares in Savannah.

After the wedding, the lucky couple left for a honeymoon in Greece.

An elegant reception in an old house followed, a few blocks from where the wedding was held.

Greg and Me, Right Before We Went into the Reception 

This fantastic trip to Savannah was one that Greg and I will never forget.  It reminds us to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to us and to keep our loved ones dear.

Positive thought: I hope all mothers everywhere had a blessed Mother's Day, and I'd like to wish my own mother a very special happy Mother's Day.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

More of My Favorite Things

Welcome!

I just wanted you to know that I have encouraging news, at least here in Tennessee.  Earlier this week, I actually saw a robin in our front yard!  I was so taken aback to see a robin while there was still some snow on the ground that I didn't even think of taking a picture to put on my blog post until it had flown away.  Anyway, we may be in for an early spring!  (Fingers crossed!)

In the meantime, as part of my New Year's resolution to be even more positive in 2014, no matter what the season, I've been thinking about the things that make my life more enjoyable.  The more we think about and enjoy the things that make us happy, the happier and more enjoyable life should be.
I've been thinking about some of my favorite things which I'm going to try to include in my life more often.  (I did a similar blog post on 3/15/13 entitled "A Few of My Favorite Things.")

One thing I really like is tea.  I have just been using tea bags, but someone gave us loose tea as a Christmas gift, and now, I'm really hooked.  Loose tea takes a little more work, but it's worth it!  Some of the flavors are incredibly good.  That little gift opened up a whole new world for me.

A old favorite that I had almost forgotten about is "Ideals."  This is a fantastic magazine that comes out periodically.  Some themes are holidays, home, country, etc.  It is usually in color and consists of poetry, prose, photographs, and art.  I recently rediscovered it when I was trying to think of a Christmas gift that I thought that my mother might enjoy.  I got her a Christmas "Ideals," and she loved it!  We've saved all of our old "Ideals," as they are too pretty to get rid of.  In my spare time, I'm planning on rereading them, as well as buying new ones when they come out.

Greg and I both love old things, like antiques.  We have several antique pieces that were given to us by members of our family.

                                         Our cat, Kallie, seems to love this old basket.

"...I love old things...timeworn and frayed,
Upon whose heart the years have laid
A kindly touch as if to show
The beauty of their inner glow."
-From "Old Things" by Edna Jaques, "Ideals" magazine

Positive thought: "..whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things."  -Philippians 4:8 NKJV
Thanks for visiting!  Until next time, Becky

Maury Christmas Tour of Homes

Welcome!

I'm running behind on my blog posts this week, as we've had a busy weekend.  On Sunday, we attended a wonderful Christmas open house.  On Saturday, Greg and I went on our first Maury Christmas Historic Homes Tour of Columbia and Williamsport, Tennessee.  

On this blog post, I'll share with you highlights from our Christmas Tour of Homes.  Twelve sites were featured on the tour, but we only had time to work six into our schedule.  That was plenty for us.  We felt as though we'd gotten our money's worth.

Here, in words and pictures, is the Christmas tour, from our perspective:

We began our tour at the home of President James K. Polk where we bought our tour tickets.

Greg, trying to stay warm, as I took a picture before we entered the Polk home for the first time. 

It was a very interesting place. 

We then visited The Athenaeum which used to be a girls' school.  Money from the homes tour tickets helps in the restoration of this site.

                 Kaitlyn, in period dress, was our tour guide for The Athenaeum.

Next, we enjoyed visiting St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

                   Ethereal music greeted us as we entered this lovely old church.

There was a wonderful exhibit called "The Nativities" which consisted of dozens of nativity scenes that church members and people from the community had brought in for display.

We'd been to Elm Springs before (Please see my 6/2/12 blog post for more about Elm Springs.), but not when it was decorated for Christmas.

Greg checked out the antiques and decorations while...

I checked out the great-looking food on display in the lovely dining room.

We loved Skipwith Hall in Williamsport which is an old home that has been restored to its former glory. 

It is now available for hosting events such as weddings.
F.Y.I.
904-994-3315

Pam Garrett, a tour guide in her period costume, added ambiance to this already lovely house.

Every home should have a chandelier and a fireplace in it's bathroom as this one does.  I fact, every room in this house seemed to have its own fireplace.

Also on this property was a cozy little cabin with its own Christmas tree, and its own fireplace.

Our final home on the tour was also a private residence, Montview, which is "a work in progress."

Although it was after dark and there was only ten minutes of tour time left, the owners graciously let us come in to see this lovely old home.

 I've always loved "An Irish Blessing," and this version was beautifully displayed.

Beatrice walked us to the door as we left our final home on the tour, tired but happy.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Maury Christmas 2013 Historic Homes Tour and look forward to next year to see more homes on the 2014 tour.

If you like old homes, you'd really love these, at their best, all decorated in their Christmas finery!

F.Y.I.
Tour Headquarters:
The Athenaeum
808 Athenaeum Street,
Columbia, Tennessee
931-381-4822
www.maurychristmas.com

Positive thought:  "At Christmas all roads lead home." -Marjorie Holmes (From a Maury Christmas Historic Homes Tour brochure.)
Thanks for visiting!  Until sometime during the period between December 13-17-another busy weekend!, Becky