Day Datin' Episode Two: Highlands NC

So good news. I've talked hubs into 52 dates in 52 weeks. More or less. Probably less but we're going to try. I'm going to try. I'm not sure I actually told him the exact number, but whatever...he'll go along with it because that's what you do when you're married a long time. You zig and he zigs with you. Something like that. 

Also he loves together time while I'm a person who craves space. 

See? Zigging and zagging. 

Let's define the word 'date'. We're retired so we naturally spend a lot of time together. We dine out at some point every week and I guess technically you'd call those 'dates'. Except we don't. We just call it grabbing lunch or dinner. I'm going to use the word date here in a more intentional way. As in, we're going to put a literal date on the calendar. We're going to plan ahead. 

Well probably I'll be the one planning but that's okay. I told him we'll snap a picture every week too, because it you don't snap a picture did it really happen? 

Not in 2025. Plus how do I make a 'date book' if we neglect to photograph it in some way? 

Date number 2...

We like to drive into our favorite nearby mountain town every fall and last Wednesday was the day. You might have thought I was kidding when I said we were going to write these dates on the calendar, but we had this one written on our calendars. 

There was a little bit of rain in the forecast but we woke to sunny skies, and ended up having lovely weather the whole day. We wound our way up the mountain to the charming town of Highlands NC for lunch and shopping, and we thought maybe a stop at the waterfall. Construction was ongoing there so we didn't get to hike. Western N. Carolina is still recovering from Helene in so many ways.

We remembered to snap a picture this time. 

That's  Old Edwards Inn behind us, a very well known beautiful hotel, spa, fab restaurant. We arrived close to lunchtime but visited a couple of shops before heading to our lunch spot. Which was not Old Edwards, but still is one of our favorites-Wild Thyme Gourmet. The cuisine is American with an Asian flair. 

We shared an order of their spring rolls to start, then we both had their crab cake sandwich. 

I've said before we're crab cake snobs and these were excellent. All crab, no filler. We didn't have dessert because a pastry shop that's on the way out of town was on my agenda. 

We spent a leisurely afternoon browsing shops, holding hands, designing our mountain house (kidding!) and enjoying the beautiful day. 

We left the town square and started for home around three, but first! pastry. 

I want to come back here when that hydrangea hedge is in full bloom. 

The pastries here are works of art and after we got home I googled the shop and learned the pastry chef, Oksana Shchelgachova, is on the current season of Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship. 

I haven't been watching but will tune in now.  

I'll vouch for her too because her pastries are delicious!

We finally made our selections and took our dessert and coffee out to the big front porch. They serve their coffee in real cups and get bonus points for that. 

Hubs had the key lime tart...

 and I had the pavlova. 

We brought the pumpkin home to have the next day.

On the ride back down the mountain we stopped for the requisite photo of the lake. Never fails to make you exhale and be grateful you live in a place with so much beauty all around....

...and your favorite date to share it with. 

Linking today with Joanne for her Talking About It Tuesdays blog hop. 

Day Datin'

Retirement is funny. We should have all this time to figure out fun places to go and new things to see, but between home maintenance-cleaning-improvement tasks that need doing, grandchildren that need grand-ing, appointments that need attending, and our various hobbies and volunteer commitments, the days fly right on by. 

Most weeks Wednesdays are a day we're both pretty free so I've declared it date day (hi hubs!). I'm trying to put a few things on the calendar for us to do together, even if it's just lunch someplace new. 

I was determined to find some fall last week so we drove about an hour from the lake to an apple orchard everyone talks about that we've never visited. When we lived in New Jersey we had a lot of orchards around us and apple picking happened every fall. I miss that so last week we made it happen. 

For starters, the day could not have been more beautiful. The sky was a bright blue, with some puffy clouds and a nice temperature for being out of doors. The orchard was just across the state line in the 'other Carolina', and sits atop a mountain, hence the name-Sky Top. 

We thought we might pick the apples ourselves, but when we stepped into their little shop and saw it loaded with bags and bags of freshly picked apples we decided to buy instead. 

We walked out into the orchard though, and wandered the property to see what all was there. 

For starters there was an apple cannon. 

We saw it in action and it was powerful. They gave you earphones to wear because it was also loud. 

There was a duck pond, some play spaces for kids to run and climb, picnic tables, and donuts right out of the cooker. There are few things better on a fall day than a warm cider donut. 

Just ask this guy. 

We bought apples, apple butter, apple cider, and some peanut brittle to take home, then headed in to the nearby town of Flat Rock for lunch. 

We'd never been to Flat Rock so relied on the internet for a lunch recommendation. We ended up at the Highland Lake Inn and Resort's restaurant- Seasons. 

The property has a long history dating back to the late 1700's, and over the years it evolved from a grist mill and private estate into a summer retreat for wealthy families. Throughout the 20th century it served as a school, camp, and Catholic retreat center and in 1985 was transformed into an inn and conference center. Today the focus is hospitality, dining, and preserving its historic charm. 

Hubs and I both had a cup of their homemade butternut squash soup and a salad, and both were delish.

Did I take a picture of my date? Nope. Just lunch lol. 

After lunch we drove about a mile down the road to check out Carl Sandburg's home. Through the years, on our treks north and south, we'd see the historic marker signs on the interstate, but we never took the time to get off the highway and see what it was all about.

The house sits above the town, and it's a little bit of a hike to get to it. There may be closer parking if you approach another way, but we were in town so parked at the bottom. 

Sandburg spent much of his life in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan but moved to Flat Rock in 1945 for the more temperate climate and a better environment for his wife's prize winning goats. You can tour the house (called Connemara) which sits on more than 250 acres along with the goat farm, sheds, two small lakes, several ponds, gardens, an apple orchard and 5 miles of hiking trails. 

We started the hike up and ran into a short detour due to a bridge being out. A year later and remnants of Helene are still evident in this area. 

We got about halfway up the trail when a man walking his dog let us know the house was closed due to the government shutdown. Sigh. Next time. 

Sidebar-that's the most I've walked since May. May!! I did go back to the ortho and have a new plan for the next couple of weeks in hopes of getting on top of this. 

Anyhoo, we had a really nice day and since I didn't take a single picture of us together, or even separately, you'll have to take my word for it. 

Also I never say anyhoo in person but for some reason it comes out of my mouth here. Stay tuned for more retirement shenanigans happening every Wednesday for the next 51(ish) weeks. Dream big, right? 

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays

Hello Monday

Good Monday morning friends. We've had the most glorious weather and have spent a lot of time out in it and enjoying our porches too. Here's how our weekend looked-

Friday we did some of the usual stuff that needs doing before the weekend rolls in. I picked up groceries, bought gas, made a quick stop in the drug store, and returned a library book. Hubs scrubbed the showers and did some outdoor tasks including cleaning all the outdoor lanterns, and knocking down the cobwebs from the porch ceilings. 

We left around 2 for the nearby city. We were meeting friends for a late lunch/early dinner around 3, then it was on to an evening with Tara Leigh Cobble and The Bible Recap. Her event was held in a large church and we had great seats. 

We weren't sure what to expect from the evening, but we all agreed it was very well done. For those of you who don't know, Tara Leigh hosts a daily podcast which is a read through the Bible (chronologically) and then she 'recaps' what you read that particular day. You read three or four chapters a day, and then her recap is between 5-10 minutes long. 

She's adorable in person and is so naturally funny. She's also wise and comes across as warm and genuine. There were some fun bits to start, then she spoke on Psalm 23, and then a Q & A at the end. We all enjoyed the evening. 

Saturday we slept in, I cleaned all the bathrooms, and then we hung out on the screened porch and watched some college football. The Vols had the day off, but Hunley says go Tigers! 

Also, he's not allowed on the furniture. Oops. 

Friends invited us to a wine tasting they were hosting which started at 4. The wines were all from the Napa Vineyard- Ladera, and the winemaker Dan Ladera, was there to present the wines. 

They have a great story as to how his family went from Minnesota farmers to Montana ranchers to California winemakers. Our hosts made really nice charcuterie boards and hubs and I called that dinner. 

Sunday we went to church then made a quick stop afterwards at Lowes for something hubs needs for a project here. I grabbed two big mums since we were there, but as usual I forgot to snap a picture. 

They almost made this shot. Almost. 

My daughter and I have been a little bit obsessed with these big wreath bows we've seen online but the price is ka-razy! She's crafty and made one for herself, and on Thursday I met her at Hobby Lobby to pick ribbon so she could make one for me too. She brought it to me at church and I love it! 

Once we were back home hubs vacuumed while I did some dinner prep which included an apple crisp of which I also forgot to snap a picture. It was good though! Our next door neighbors came for dinner, hubs grilled, and we had a nice time catching up in person. 

And that was the weekend. I think fall might finally be here, and I hope the sun shone for you too.  If you'd like to add a recap of your own or read what others are saying, hop over to the host blogs -Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books). 

Have a great week everyone! 

When Harry met Sally

Kim is having a fun little 3-part blog thing this week and I'm playing along but have adapted the timetable just a smidge. Smidge. Is that word still in use? I'm pretty sure my kids won't like it. Anyway, Monday was part 1 and Kim asked people to tell how they met their significant other. She also asked how you knew he/she was 'the one'. I missed that post so I'm telling our story today.

Hubs and I met many years ago. Feels like a lifetime. Well, half a lifetime anyway. We were students at the same university in a small Tennessee town. He was a preppy Southern boy and I was that Yankee girl. If you weren't watching Saturday Night Live back in the late 70s and early 80's you won't appreciate this but SNL used to have a skit back then where Joe Piscopo would say, "You're from Jersey? I'm from Jersey! What exit?" I wish I had a nickel for every time someone at uni asked me that question and then laughed hysterically at their clever self.

It was Exit 4 by the way. If you were from NJ of course you knew 'what exit'.

Back to me and the hubs. He loves to tell people that we had a history class together at the beginning of our sophomore year and his roommate was also in the class and they thought I was pretty and they also thought I was unfriendly. Except they didn't use that word. ahem. Here's the thing-my roommate was also in that class so she and I walked in together talking the whole time, sat together talking the whole time, and left together talking the whole time. I was not unfriendly.

I was in a sorority and hubs was in a fraternity so our paths crossed every so often at events and parties. Mostly everyone knew hubs because that's just how he has always rolled. I thought he was cute and a little bit mischievous and his sense of fun and the way he grabbed at life appealed to this rule follower. Alas, he had a girlfriend at the time so that was that. In the spring of our sophomore year one of my best friends was dating one of his best friends and they orchestrated an introduction after he and the girlfriend broke up. We went on our first date soon after. I guess I might mention here that hubs had a broken hand and a black eye when we went out the first time. You know that saying about 'wild oats'? Yeah. Let's just say he sowed a few and we'll move on along.

We dated and met the families and made lots of memories and had a lot of fun. We graduated and got jobs and lived in our own apartments in separate towns for about a year and still we stuck. He also likes to tell people about the night I asked him to marry me. Right. We're sharing proposal stories in part 2 so you'll have to tune in tomorrow to hear the real 411.

How did I know he was 'the one'...I'm not sure. The first year and a half we dated we were very much on again off again. I think 21 year old boys need space in their lives to grow up and work out some things before they settle down. And I gave him that space. I think we complimented one another in that he loosened me up and I calmed him down. And while in some ways our approach to life was opposite we held similar beliefs when it came to the really important matters of the heart and the future and family and life.

Oh, and did I mention he was fun?

Why not visit Kim and tell your story too?