She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain!

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!)

On the Road Again!

We've been on the road -- this time down South! Our first destination was Cleveland, but I'm saving that for another post. The next day we ended up at Myrtle Beach.

We have gone there for six or seven years for Rick's trade show. Trade show photos are boring. The beach, on the other hand, is another thing altogether!

We have stayed at the Sun-Fun, a little mom-and-pop motel about a block from the beach, for almost as long as we've visited Myrtle. They could use a bit of an interior upgrade, but it's close to the water, less expensive than the waterside condos, has a pool and the owners are very nice. And who spends time in the room?

We cross over the street and pass the condos -- this is the view we face -- the beach, as wide and as far as anyone can see!

Rows of umbrellas and beach chairs are available for rent, bright and colorful against the sand and sky.

We opt for our own chairs and towels! Then it's time to people-watch, catch some rays and swim.

I love the people watching, especially the kids. There's always the one who is scared of the water -- for five or ten minutes, then is diving with the best of them. Or the one who just sits and soaks up the cool water from the breakers.

There are lots of "future engineers" creating castles from sand and shells.

And then there are the diggers and sculptors, who create sand art while burying their buddy!

The new site on the beach was a Ferris wheel, which added a nice curve to row of vertical buildings.

Walking the beach is always fun! (Don't you wonder how many pictures of a traveler are in other people's photos? At the beach, it may well be your behind!)

Rick was a "shell-skipper..."

...while I loved burying my toes in the sand, waiting for that cool breaker to wash over them.

I could watch the water all day, and listen to the waves crash against the shore.

Even though it was calmer than our past visits (and far cooler than I expected, though it still was a nice 90-something!), swimming and jumping the waves in the ocean is wonderful.

The ocean is healing for me, and I've been experiencing a great deal of stress lately. I'll write more about the healing power of the ocean in another post, but I do have to say it works miracles!

Of course, I would be a bad blogger not to include the obligatory food photo -- indeed, our dinner at Soho restaurant, walking distance from our motel, was delicious. I chose the crab-stuffed shrimp and really, it was unbelievably delicious and beautifully presented.

Even the mood lighting was right, as we dined on the porch, a warm but not stifling breeze passing by.

Happiness. Just happiness. I could have stayed there forever.

But that said, it was time to travel again! Where to next?

At the Lake, Not On It!

I often share my lake sunsets with you, partly because I love them so much myself. But there is more to being up north than a lake and a setting sun. My walks take me past lots of cottages with some lovely flowers. These tiger lilies seem to be wild. I suspect not -- just artful planning.

Speaking of art, the lily itself is a work of art -- a glorious splash of color and texture.

The Queen Anne's lace is a favorite for me. More often than not, the blooms are dried for the next project.

Even those that have faded have their own lovely shape.

And of course what I call the "wheaty weeds" have a splendid grace.

One of the neighbors has a splendid hydrangea bush.

I couldn't resist the detail, with the hostas peeking through.

And then there are the berries. We'll talk about the "Eulahberries" in another post. But wild raspberries, tiny indeed, abound.

Of course, I couldn't take you on a lake visit without two of my favorite companions. Biker Rick is always read to ride off into the sunrise, sunset or anything in-between.

But Mr. Gyps has something to say about that!

And when the Gypsy talks, I listen!

(This is yet another in a series of preset posts. I'll be checking in with you soon! Thanks for coming by!)

Birthday Surprises

It's hard to surprise Rick. But for his birthday I wanted to do something special. We were headed to the lake and knew we would do gifts after we arrived, too late for a nice dinner. But where could I take him in the north that would be delicious and fun? I didn't have a clue.

Enter Rick's bike friend, Michael. I didn't realize he had a sailboat in Boyne City. He suggested we come up for a sail, then dinner at a fine restaurant. How could we resist?

And it was wonderful -- Rick was surprised! And as we arrived, it was a warm day, yet another in the hot spell we've been having. We took supplies on deck -- lots of snacks (more than we ate!).

The guys got the sails up, with Captain Kathy's able help. Then it was time to cruise along Lake Charlevoix.

We had some threatening weather, but it didn't deter our fun. As the skies went from blue to dark, back and forth, we simply sailed along, laughed and had a wonderful time.

Some days just go better than you ever thought they would, even with a lot of planning. This one was right on course, all day long!

After the sail, we walked over to a wonderful restaurant, Cafe Sante, which is located on the water. It had a glorious menu -- I had Whitefish a Meuniere and Rick had Boeuf Bourgonoigne (Julia would kill me for spelling of that one, but she would have found the dish one to rival her own recipe.)

After, a stop at the ice cream store -- with huge thanks to Kathy, Michael and our little first mate!

Yes, some days are indeed better than you think they could ever possibly be.