An Abingdon, Virginia Christmas

 Welcome!

Christmas is in the air! Evidence is all around us, the sights and sounds of Christmas-Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, Christmas lights, images of Santa and his elves, familiar Christmas music wafting through the air. What a wonderful time of year!

And, Christmas is nowhere more evident than in the picturesque town of Abingdon which is nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Recently, Greg and I visited Abingdon which is not too far from where we live. We love this quaint town so much that we refer to it as our adopted town.

What's not to love about it? 

The lovely old house above, which is tastefully decorated, even has a colorful Christmas tree on its balcony.

"The best Christmas trees come very close to exceeding nature."-Andy Rooney

 In another old house, the Greenway-Trigg Building, is The Gallery @ Barr Photographics.

We thought it would be a great place to visit, and it was!

We met one of the owners, Dean Barr, who welcomed us and told us all about his interesting shop.

Many talented artists display their work there. There are paintings, photographs, and handcrafted items like soap and jewelry, as well as many others.

FYI

The Gallery @ Barr Photographics

R. Dean & Valerie J. Barr

www.barrphotographics.com

After all of this looking around, we decided it was time for a snack, so we thought we'd try out a new place in town, The Girl & the Raven.

This coffee bar/cafe is in yet another old house which has been recently remodeled. It has been open for only three weeks.

 The interior looked festive with its beautifully decorated mantel.

A delicious cookie and coffee, anyone?

FYI

www.girlandtheraven.com

Wow! The Martha (The Martha Washington Inn & Spa) is all dressed up for Christmas, like never before!

"May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve."-Unknown

On weekends through December 20, vendors in tents on the grounds of The Martha will be selling crafts and kettle corn. This is a great place to find some nice Christmas gifts. As usual, but especially this year, we're supporting small business and buying locally.

FYI: www.themartha.com

Another great idea is supporting the world famous Barter Theatre which is outdoors at the Moonlite Drive-in during this "pandemic." Just got to see "A Christmas Carol," one of my favorites!

"Believe in the magic of Christmas."-Unknown

FYI: www.bartertheatre.com

We'll return to Abingdon soon to stop, shop, and dine some more since it's just a hop, skip, and a jump away! Hope to see you there!

May you have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Positive thought: "May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace, the gladness of Christmas give you hope, and the warmth of Christmas grant you love."-Author Unknown

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, January 3, 2021, Becky

Hidden Gems, Fancy Gap & Cana, Virginia

Welcome to this blog post, and also...

Greg and I first learned about Fancy Gap when we were at an upholstery shop in Abingdon, Virginia. Greg saw a lion statue they had outside the shop, and we asked where they had gotten it. They told us there was statuary in Fancy Gap and Cana, Virginia.

Greg wanted a lion statue, and we also wanted to see what else they had in these two towns since we are new to the area.

Fancy Gap and Cana are over an hour from where we live, and we decided we'd be there a whole day, and really enjoy our trip.

In Fancy Gap, our first stop was" Mountain Star Gallery" where they have all kinds of beautiful, local handcrafted items.

"Mountain Star Gallery"

Another neat shop is "The Nest & Hive Shoppe."

Gloria Brown is the personable owner of the shop.

 It's beautifully arranged and decorated, and all ready for Valentine's Day!

Also, there are some other neat shops, like Carolyne's that has locally-made, delicious candy, as well as quilts and other items.

Before we went on to Cana, we decided to stop by the highly recommended restaurant, "The Gap Deli" for a quick lunch.

It was great! It was a large salad for me, and a meatloaf sandwich for Greg.

We topped it off with a piece of fantastic hummingbird cake which we shared.

This is the beautiful view of the Southern Appalachian Mountains from our first stop in Cana...

Towe's Country Store...

which has all kinds of wonderful things, like Amish canned goods.

We had one more stop, the main reason for our trip...

 "Poor Boy's Variety" which has all kinds of pretty statuary and other items for the yard,

and the one item that Greg had wanted is now his, a lion, to stand guard at our new house.

Fancy Gap and Cana in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are two hidden gems that are just waiting for you to discover. Take a chance; try them out. Bet you'll be glad you did!

Happy Valentine's Day!

(At "The Nest & Hive Shoppe")

Positive thought: Always remember: "Don't let anyone dull your sparkle!"

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, March 1, 2020, Becky