Been gone for a few days here. (actually developed a life for a few days!) Ralph and his family showed up for a few days and we've been going at the activity list full blast. These ol' creeky bones hiked part way up Mt.Rogers with Chris,Ralph,Elise,Erica, and little Mark while Janet was taking care of some guests back at the homestead and whipping up a fantastic dinner (grilled steak,salmon,pork chops,corn on the cob, salad, etc, etc.). Did I mention Cheesecake? LOL (Do yourself a sinful favor and truck on down to Sam's Club or anywhere you can buy a plain cheesecake by the Cheesecake Factory. Only $12 (bet those servings are $5/each in the restaurant) for about 12 servings. Think everyone agreed it was one of the best cheesecakes they had ever had. Now everyone knows what they can send me for Christmas! (you sure don't want to read the nutrition label on that thing!).
We also headed over to Damascus one day and rented bikes and took the 17 mile downhill bike ride back to Damascus along the Virginia Creeper Trail. Glorious day - sunny, cool, nice breeze. One oddity that Chris and I experienced - the bouncing on the gravel caused us to feel like we were being bitten by something - sort of like a rash on our arms. Obviously from irritation of the nerve endings- very odd. Stopped halfway down for a nice lunch break and again later on for some good ice cream. Chowed down later at Cracker Barrel in Abingdon and then headed back to the ranch.
Next day Ralph, Mark and I headed out to do some blueberry picking on a spur trail of the Appalachian Trail, not far from the Inn. Got about 3 or 4 cups worth in a half hour for cobbler later that night . Cobbler flopped, since baking powder was ancient. Made it with Splenda though and couldn't tell the difference! Blueberries tasted gritty inside - never had a blueberry that tasted like it had seeds or gravel inside. Any thoughts on that? (actually found a link that indicates there are some varieties of Rabbiteye blueberries that have a gritty texture. Remember those blueberries are powerful good stuff - great source for antioxidants (more antioxidants than any other fruit or berry). Click on that link to learn a bit about what antioxidants are all about and the benefits of blueberries.
Met up with the ladies later who were busy as bees at the fabric shop - went out and chowed down on some good food at Sagebrush Steak House. Had a nice waitress and got to throw peanuts at each other during the meal.
Spent our final day over in Boone, NC doing some window shopping and introducing the kids to some vegetarian food at Angelica's - think for the most part, that they approved.
All in all - a great 4 days and we were fortunate not to have anyone staying at the Inn from M-W, thus enabling us to get out and do all these things. And a big thanks to Ralph,Chris, and the kids for helping us clean rooms at the Inn. Way cool.
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