Spending the Night in Beautiful Western North Carolina

Greg and I really love our state, Virginia, and we also love an adjacent state, North Carolina, especially Western North Carolina with its beautiful, scenic mountains. 

Western North Carolina is not that far from where we live, so we don't normally have to spend the night there, but if we did, I know of the perfect place to stay-

Cardinal Springs Farm in picturesque Candler, North Carolina!

When we lived in Middle Tennessee, we did stay there in the past, and it was a delightful experience. 

Mike and Betty are the perfect hosts, and they make sure your stay is comfortable and enjoyable. They want your Vrbo experience to be "Your vacation home away from home!" They have an excellent rating.

When Greg and I were there a few years ago, we stayed in Carolina Cottage...

 

which was wonderful. We enjoyed the large yard that...

had unexpected touches.

Inside, the cottage is cozy and festive, no matter what the season.

It's made even cozier with this rustic stone fireplace. 

Enjoy meals for two or more in this lovely dining area.

We'll end our visit here at Carolina Cottage on a whimsical note, with this cute handmade piece that is sure to bring a smile.

Let's move on to a second house on Vrbo at Cardinal Springs Farm...

to Mountain Side Cottage which is equally as nice.*

Love this kitchen!*

And, this comfy bed! Sweet dreams!*

Did you know that most weekends you can see hot air balloons drifting overhead from these cottages?

And as if all of this were not enough, there are plenty of things to do and see in nearby Asheville, and at beautiful Pisgah National Forest...

Spectacular!

*From the Vrbo website.

For more great photos of the cottages, go to www.vrbo.com, and type in 1128348 for Mountain Side Cottage and 841917 for Carolina Cottage. By the way, while looking at Carolina Cottage, see if you can find a pastel horse portrait that I did for Betty and Mike in one of the photos.

For even more information about these two wonderful rental cottages, and the fun, adventurous things to see in this area, contact Mike and Betty. (See the card below.)

P.S. Mike recently told us that they are planning to have a hiking trail behind their house for any guests that might like to hike. Sounds like a great way to exercise!

View from Cardinal Springs Farm

"The mountains are calling, and I must go."-John Muir

Let's go!

Positive thought: Less than two weeks until spring! Happy spring!

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, April 4 (Easter!), 2021, Becky

Historic Wytheville, Virginia

 

Welcome!

And...

Greg and I made a resolution to visit the local towns in our area this year (as well as places that are farther away), and we're doing well on keeping that resolution so far. This past week, we made a little trip that took less than an hour to historic and interesting Wytheville, Virginia, and we loved it!

Our first stop was for lunch...

at The Log House 1776 Restaurant.

Someone told us that they'd had several inches of snow during the past week while during the same period, we'd had only a couple of inches. Wytheville's elevation is higher than ours so that could account for the difference.

Inside, the decor was really nice...

and the food was excellent!

In fact, it was so good that we decided to take home dessert.

It was hard to make up our minds, but we finally settled on a piece of red velvet cake, Greg's favorite.

After lunch, we explored the interesting maze of rooms, 

one of which housed these beautiful doves.

We kept going until we came upon one of their rustic gift shops which had all kinds of unique items like handmade soaps that looked like rocks and little metal men made out of nuts and bolts and other metal things.

We'd liked to have stayed longer, but we needed to move on to further explore this unique town.

Not too far away was this neat art shop.

I just had to get a picture of this Big Pencil which is one of the top attractions in Wytheville.

Another must-see is the...

Bolling Wilson Hotel that is named for Edith Bolling Wilson who was the wife of President Woodrow Wilson. Mrs. Wilson was born and raised in Wytheville.

We went inside, and went straight to the rooftop terrace...

for a charming view of the mountains.

The lobby is beautifully decorated, and is complete with a whole array of brochures that arrived just before we got there! More brochures to take home! We can now make plans for our next trip, probably in the spring, to see things that we didn't get to see on this whirlwind trip.

We made one more stop before going home, Snoopers Antique Mall, which had bargains galore...

like this pretty framed cross stitch map of Virginia which was on sale for only $5.00! Sold! We do love Virginia, and bargains!

~NEW! I have added a new monthly feature to this blog: "Making a Difference"

This month's featured idea is: For the United States Congress: Work on something truly worthwhile like making robocalls illegal. We can contact our members of Congress about this matter since they are supposed to be working for us, the people. We can help make a difference.

New for our family...

Kit-Cat

is our new adorable outdoor cat, Kit-Cat, who came to us, looking for a home. It prefers being outside, and our other two cats, Kallie and Mitzi love being inside. They all communicate through the French doors, and everyone is happy.

Greg mostly takes care of our outdoor cat. He's such a wonderful, caring person. He's also kind, supportive, and intelligent, and he has integrity and a great sense of humor, etc.

~"I love you not because you are perfect, but because you are perfect for me."-Unknown Author

 Positive thought: "Spread love wherever you go."-Mother Teresa

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, March 7, 2021, Becky

Small Town Charm

Greg and I live outside a small town in Virginia, and we are surrounded by small towns, and that's the way we like it! Small towns have a certain charm, each one is a little different; there are no carbon copies!

One of our favorite towns that we discovered just last year is Saltville, Virginia. It's just 20 minutes from our house.

The Salt Trail connects our town to Saltville.

 Walking on the trail is fun.

You can meet all kinds of interesting people there,

like talented artist, Nancy.

While you could walk to Saltville, driving is, of course, much faster, which is what we did! 

We were impressed by the neat way this old train was displayed.

We were also impressed by the Saltville Emporium-

They have different people's items for sale here at very reasonable prices. Some of the things are very unique,

like this bench that we bought for only $45.00! 

We're still gradually fixing up our old house and buying a few things that we need at bargain prices. We love the Saltville Emporium. We're planning to go back there soon since they're getting in new things all of the time.

Another place that we really like in Saltville is...

The Lily Pad which is a cafe with sandwiches, desserts, etc.

Great stuff! Yum!

Besides Saltville, there's another small town, Meadowview, where Greg gets our taxes done.

Old Train Depot in Meadowview

Earlier, I mentioned about getting a bargain. Not too long ago, we went to the Country Barn Flea Market and Antique Mall in Hansonville, where I found this beautiful bracelet which was partially handmade for a very reasonable price-

Love the colors!

On the way to Hansonville, we went through Glendale for the first time. Glendale was where my grandfather used to live when he was a boy. His old homeplace is long gone, but my grandmother painted a pretty picture of it from an old photograph.

We're lucky to have that painting hanging in our home.

We do love small towns with their unique charm. Each is special in its own way. 

We decided that in the new year we'd visit more of these towns. Next on our list is Damascus which has The Old Mill Restaurant which we visited many years ago not long after we got married. It must still be pretty good since it's lasted so long!

Positive thought: "What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet." Anne Frank

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, February 7, 2021, Becky

 

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