Mid Atlantic Musings

Tushie cushie, I like that one Jen!

Speaking of sports styled hair, one weekend I was driving up 95 coming back from a few days sailing on the Chesapeake. I stopped in at the rest stop for a cup of Joe. There was a young guy cleaning up the condiment area and he said to me, Yo how's it going, Sharon? I said, Ok, but I think you have me confused with someone else. He said, nah, you're a dead ringer for Sharon Osbourne. I had to ask my neices who Sharon Osbourne was. They were cracking up because my hair must have been really spiked up, as it usually is after 4 days on a boat with no shower.

Just taking a break. Stepped outside long enough today to pick up about 30 branches from the storm. There are lots more out there, but I had work to do & couldn't dally outside.

I went through Gatlinburg once by mistake. I was driving home from Asheville, NC and took a wrong turn. Stopped there and had a nice meal. That's about all that I've seen of Tennessee.

The things we do for our husbands...I went to the gym this morning and now am going back again so he doesn't have to go by himself!! Does that mean I can stay home tomorrow?!

LOL, That sounds about right!!

Oh Stormy, were you at Biltmore? That's definitely on my to do list. I'd like to do the legacy tour, lunch at the estate, spend a couple of days possibly. Ric
http://www.biltmore.com/book_getaway/area/packages.asp

This message was edited Jan 26, 2010 5:41 PM

4 days without a shower? I bet you got sprayed a bunch, lol.

Gatlinburg/ Pigeon Forge is not the best of Tennessee, IMO - tourist trap, but lots of people love it. I prefer the mountains and woods. We have tons of state parks and some neat cities - Nashville and Memphis are both full of music and history.

Ric, there's a great B&B that we stayed at when we "did" Biltmore with my in-laws.. Walnut Crest I believe was the name.. lovely historic place, right by the estate... and it's where I got that fabulous chocolate chip cookie recipe!

wrong... Walnut Crest is the wine, the B&B is CEDAR Crest. http://www.cedarcrestinn.com/biltmore.html

Ric, Yes I was at Biltmore. Actually on that trip, I was coming back from a wedding in Charlotte, but my friend had never been to Ashville, so we decided to spend the day there. I had previously spent two different visits to Ashville at the famous Grove Park Inn. No trip to Ashville is complete without lunch or cocktails on the veranda there overlooking the mountains and valley. The view is breath taking and it is steeped in history. You will most likely be sitting in the same chairs as former presidents and dignitaries. Make sure to put a tour of the inn and perhaps a lunch on your agenda. It is an old fashioned, world class resort, similar to the GreenBriar in WVa.

Sheryl, I must be losing my mind. I have spent several different weeks in Memphis. I have a good friend who used to live there. We went to singles mixers on the rooftop of the Peabody. I've had several fabulous Barbeque meals at the Rendezvous. Memphis has some seriously good antique shops and malls. More than a few of my pieces have come from there. The prices on them are better than New Orleans and shipping is easy due to the proximity of the Mississippi. Been to Beale street many times.

Pagancat--we only went to Gatlinburg to get to Great Smokies. Whew, that Gat is like about six blocks of the worst tourist trap--around here I'd compare it to old Ocean City MD. We stayed at the Hilton or Hampton, faced the river, it was nice...and right about now I'd LOVE to be there sitting by that firepit they had on the back patio!!

Yikes, think twice - we're up for a snow storm by Saturday, lol! I'm thinking a fire pit... in the Bahamas, perhaps!

But yeah - Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are pretty awful (for non-touristy people like me) - pity, it is a gorgeous area, or was before it became time-share land.

I like to watch the sky over the Smokies. It really is neat. Some day I'd like to visit Nashville.

The state in that area that I've never visited is Kentucky. I hear there are a number of nice towns and beautiful country to see there.

Ric if you drive down to Ashville, don't take that shortcut across Rt #23 in NC if there is going to be bad weather. Back in the days when I was young and fearless, I got stuck up on that 2 lane mountain road in a tornado. It was sheer drop offs on either side of the road, which had guard rails and big chunks of asphalt missing. The rain came gushing off of the rocks above and forming rivers along the road, shooting downhill at a furious pace. There was no where to pull off of the road. No visibility from the down pour, which contained mud from the rocks above. Trees were uprooting and sliding down along with chunks of mud and rock. If I could have pulled off, I don't know that I would have. It was the land of "Deliverance". There is nothing on that road but poor homesteads. I was never so happy to see civilization again!!

Hi, everyone! I'd love to do some rubber-necking in wilderness. Visit some farms, vineyards, and tiny towns. That would be a change. I'm always running to catch my bus and subway.

When I need it badly, I will go out at lunchtime and visit 'my' castle. It has a lovely hideaway garden. At diffeerent times of the year, I'll see some spectacular sights, interesting people.

Whoa, I've got a lot of catching up to do! I've got a fascination with abandoned buildings too or just unique old buildings :) There's a spooky looking abandoned house along I-81 we pass every year when we start traveling. I've always wanted to take a picture of it and start a photo journal of all the abandoned farmhouses, unique buildings, etc. I see. A little farther up the pike there's a group of small round barns in the middle of a field but with those tractor trailers whizzing by us I've never been keen about stopping long enough to get a pic! I posted this picture on one of the threads awhile ago but thought I'd post it again - an abandoned stone house we found traveling the back roads one summer in Michigan. We've been back several times to take more pictures but this is probably my favorite because the lighting on this gloomy day gave the stones more depth.

Ric and Holly, just thinking about all those rocks makes me drool! LOL

Was fooling around with Photoshop one year and thought maybe it would look better with a blue sky! Nope, liked it better with the gloomy sky :)

Great building RCN! I like it with the clouds...looks like a storm is a brewin!

RCN, That stone house is fabulous. It will probably still be standing 300 years from now. Those places always make me wonder about the people who lived in them. It's part of my same fascination with antiques, particularly old portraits. I'm always waiting for them to reveal their stories.

Ditto on that old stone house.

Cedar Crest Inn looks like a wonderful place to visit.

Very cool! Nice PS job, lol.

I feel the same way about the abandoned houses -always think there must be treasures of some sort in there.

Here's the back side of that barn. The sign says that is the largest known stone barn in Pa. The building is under the protection of the Federal Government until the $ can be raised to restore it.

I think it's really neat looking. I have been driving down this road not far from my house for almost 40 years and the driveway that leads to this place always had a chain across it with a Do Not Enter sign. One day I drove by and saw that the chain was gone. I decided to go in there and see what was back there. You drive down a long drive through a wooded area and then come to a clearing where that barn is.

On the other side of this barn was this gravel road in front of an old small farm type of house. There was a barricade across this road and I couldn't drive any further. As I was dressed for work, I did not have appropriate footware to venture any further.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving my niece was here and we decided to go for a drive and a walk. I wanted to show her & DSO this barn. I decided to walk down that closed part of the road. This small creek was on the right with what looked like stones set across it to let a carriage drive over it.

On the left there was this giant Sycamore.

Look how big it's trunk is.

Further along was this old Boxwood hedge still growing. Wonder how old it is?

I am enjoying the pictures of the stone barns rcn and Stormy have posted. There are a lot of old wooden barns in my area most are getting ready to fall down.
In the spring I enjoy spotting clumps of daffodils blooming out of nowhere, probably a house long gone was there.

There's a lot of that around here too lady, especially old wisteria vines in the middle of nowhere.

Came around a bend and saw these old columns and wall.

Here's what was the house. Sally, Does this pique your decay fascination?

Very cool

Edited to add, my horses wouldn't even know what to do with that barn.

This message was edited Jan 27, 2010 6:31 PM

There is an old wisteria vine growing up into some trees along the road I drive to work every day. It is really pretty when it is in full bloom.

There are a lot of old family farms in this area, many of them are not farmed anymore. We are getting more Amish in the area so that may change.

Wow what a great tour!! The columns are so cool...makes you wonder what could have happened to let something that beautiful get like that.

Here's the other side. Look how big it once was! Makes me wonder about the garden parties held under those porticos. I can hear the silk dresses rustling across the floors.

We're not done yet. This was a day of grand adventure!

Wow, what were the old columns for? Grain storage? Don't seem that big around.
The sagging porch is kind of sad : (

Further up the road I spied another Sycamore further away. Hmmm, I thought, that one looks bigger than the last one and what is that building?

Lady, all will be revealed. A place like this will send me on a quest to learn it's story.

Yep, it is definitely bigger than the other one.

Can you see Jen standing on the lower right hand corner among the limbs?

If I never see another tree again in my life, I will feel blessed to have found this one.