Well, Myrtle Beach was heaven. I'm not sure anything could have got us to leave except the promise of the mountains!
We took off in the morning, making an early stop!
The peaches in South Carolina are to die for. I've never had peaches sweeter and while I'm sure my Georgia friends might take exception, there is definitely some competition!
I was so impressed with all the garden stands I saw along the road. In Michigan you don't often see them like this -- perhaps a small stand where someone is unloading their overly prolific zucchini, but that's rare.
These had a vast array of jams -- a quart for $5.
And boiled peanuts -- I'm told these are boiled in a salt water solution while in the shell. They had an odd consistency, but were tasty.
Rick bought sweet potatoes, his favorite! Then it was off again, destination North Carolina.
I'm not a fan of Rick's GPS, but I have to admit it was fun watching the elevation change as we approached the mountains.
I particularly loved the rock walls -- massive amounts of rock (and mountain) had been blasted through for the roads, and the views were spectacular.
The views got better when we arrived at Rick's dad's house at the top of Sugar Mountain, near Banner Elk and not far from Boone.
If you've followed the Marmelade Gypsy for awhile, you may have noticed similar photos taken last year. Trust me, these are this year's birds!
And I was a sucker for them, waiting, using the zoom at the max! I never did nail the hummingbirds, though!
One of my favorite things to do when I'm there is go antiquing.
I loved this French booth in the Foscoe antique mall...
...and if I had more cupboard space, I would have walked away with these!
Without doubt, if there was more car space, this trolley would have come home -- can't you imagine it in the art room?
And I loved these musical instruments. I don't know much about them, but the mandolin was similar to one I have -- broken in the same places. The price was right at $350!
I so admire good antique mall styling -- I see a lot of that in Blogland. It's not easy, and when you see it done well, it's really an incentive!
Well, off to another -- I liked this big sign, but no room!
The next spot I stopped was way out of my league price wise -- but not to worry! It had a lovely garden!
And the butterflies were really out in force. I almost couldn't count them all, and they varied in color. The yellow ones were my favorite (yellow swallowtail, I think).
The darker ones had some pretty markings, too, when they caught the light just right.
Time to move on -- this time to a nursery. No purchases here, but isn't the fence fun?
Later that afternoon, Rick's stepmom and I headed to the Mast General Store -- a landmark in Valle Crucis, NC. I wrote about it here last year.
This time we also stopped at the Annex, where candy is the name of the game!
Loved the old barrels and saw lots of vintage candies -- the ones you didn't think they made anymore!
Oh -- and we made one more pick-up along the way.
Yes, Rick opted for a ride up the mountain. True, he had gone 60 miles or so. The idea of going almost straight up for about two miles of winding, highly graded road just seemed a little much -- especially since we were passing by!
Well, day one was nearing its end. But there's more to come! So for today, my bird friends and I say, "see you soon!"
(Next time -- more in the mountains!)
