Swirling Fall Leaves and the North Carolina Mountains

For several days I have watched the fall leaves swirling through the air, landing for a moment, only to be picked up and then swished to land somewhere else. This week I feel like one of those leaves. It seems I don't land anyplace long enough to settle and accomplish anything.  But I will have to tell you about last week which was definitely a MEMORY-MAKER.

I spent five days in Little Switzerland NC with two of my oldest friends. (We taught and rode to school together for 20 years....and so oldest can mean whichever way you want to think it means).  Lois again drove us in her new red Cadillac (instead of her old red Oldsmobile that she used to weight down with concrete blocks so we could go through the snow...boy, that does sound like the "old days", doesn't it), stopping to eat and shop whenever we saw something that looked "good".  She has built a cabin (as she calls it, but anyone else would call it a beautiful home) on the side of the mountain just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The 1 1/4 mile driveway with the drop off the sides made her passengers a little on the jittery side, but we just tried to concentrate on the beautiful foliage and not the drop off the side.

There was nothing that a person could want that wasn't already there in the home. The scenery was gorgeous and the weather cooperated so jeans and long-sleeves were fine for the outdoors....until we decided to drive to Mt. Mitchell which is the moutain that her cabin faced.  There, it was the dead of winter with wind, icicles, and snow.

Another day we went to the Biltmore. I know I walked around with my mouth hanging open in awe. How do/did people live like that? One minute I was envisioning myself as a Biltmore and the next, as a servant traveling through that gigantic structure serving the whims of the rich.  I am definitely in the mood to read a good "juicy" book about what all went on behind the doors of the Biltmore.  Something that was surprising and puzzling to me  is that there is no mention of a chapel of any sorts on the grounds. The Christmas decorations and trees were up so that was an added feature. We did eat in the 'stable' restaurant (our table was actually in the mating stall) and the roasted potato soup was good. All the meals were reasonably priced. 

On the way back to the cabin, we took a wrong turn and ended up going miles up Stone Mountain. The scenery was beautiful, the road was straight up, it was getting dark, and the little Black Bear in the middle of the road made us very watchful for Mama Bear. We finally made it to the top and down and then back up and down again before we were back on Route 40.  FATZ Restaurant was our destination and were we ready for it and YIN YANG SHRIMP.  If you ever have the chance, eat at a Fatz.  

   

I must flight away for now.  But I'll have more about this trip later.