The episode where no one falls off a mountain

Today is my anniversary.  14 year of wedded bliss (and not so much bliss).  So, naturally, I left him.  At home.  On his own.  For a whole week without me and Leilani.  :)  He's probably very happy.

Leilani and I went to the mountains with Betsy for her 50th birthday celebration.  Today we drove from Raleigh to Blowing Rock.  We got in around 2:30 and scouted the hotel out.  It reminds me of a hunting lodge from the outside, but on the inside it is very modern.  I'm especially taken and disappointed (all at the same time) with the bathroom, whose shower has marble.  Just like mine. And here I thought my shower was pretty original.  Ce'st la vie.

Leilani, Heide & Betsy were here.  2012

After unloading and settling in to the hotel, we drove a short distance to Blowing Rock Park.  It was really pleasant weather - being warm, but not humid, with a cool breeze.  We walked the park and saw beautiful flowers and lovely outcroppings of rocks jutting from the earth.  From the overlooks we could see Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell and, I think, even Table Rock Mountain.  When we were standing at the highest and largest overlook the up-drafts felt so delightful.  I used my blue Sharpie to write on the railing that "we were here" and the year.  If we ever come back, we can check to see if it's still there.  It's on the under-hang of the railing, on the right side of the lookout.  When I got to the gift shop, I bought Leilani a postcard for her scrapbook, and 2 booklets about the mountain legends and the legend of Blowing Rock.

Mystery Hill's "Vortex"

After Blowing Rock, we headed to Mystery Hill.   It was really freaky.  Although the house was built on an angle, you could definitely feel the massive pull of gravity.  There was a lot of neat stuff there - like the large bubble makers, the spooky spigot, and awesome antique farm equipment.  They had an old still for moonshine, and an "outhouse."  I bought some postcards there, a stone that is used for sharpening things.  Leilani got a mustache moodring and a robot moodring.  Oh, and a got an awesome book about North Carolina history...the weird stuff, not the run-of-the-mill history.

For dinner, we went to The Canyon - a restaurant that used to be a speakeasy and opened in the 30's

Grandfather Mountain is beneath that sun. I got sunburned
for sitting out there for all of 45minutes.  Ugh!

(I think...).  It had a beautiful view of the mountain range, with a lovely sunset view of Grandfather Mountain...which we didn't get to see because we ate so fast.  But it was still beautiful and impressive.  Leilani hated sitting outside (I'm hot!  There's a bee hovering! -for the record there were 2 bees and the didn't bother us much at all!)  The food was delish.  Betsy had the Grouper special with rice.  I had the Malibu Chicken with smashed potatoes.  And Leilani - surprise- had Chicken fingers. Betsy and I had salad with our dinner and it had a delicious Honey Lime Vinaigrette.

And this is me freezing

After dinner, we went to the Food Lion to buy tape for Lei & Betsy's scrapbooking efforts.  We went in and didn't buy tape.  Betsy and Leilani had to go back into the store to buy it (again).  I got to watch a fireman park his massive truck and enter the store.  Delightful.

Now here we are at the hotel.  I'm freezing and Betsy thinks it's stuffy in here.  This is gonna be some night! :)

Tomorrow - The adventures of Grandfather Mountain and more Blowing Rock. Also entitled "The episode where we (might) fall off a mountain and are rescued by hot firefighter I saw at Food Lion."