We’re back on our son’s front porch in North Carolina. The temperatures are mild, and it’s wonderful drinking our morning coffee out here. Yesterday, a long, gentle rain fell, but we could still sit on the porch and watch the rain fall, and it was lovely.
The woods next door offers a beautiful view of fall colors. We get to experience an extended fall season.
This morning’s show included an occasional leaf gently floating down and many active birds…the ones I could identify were finches, eastern blue birds and a woodpecker. The cardinal is the state bird of North Carolina, and I’ve seen many already, just not this morning.
We left North Carolina early Thursday morning to start our journey back to Minnesota. We planned a new route home, because we wanted to see a part of Mississippi.
Welcome to Mississippi.
We wanted to stop there because there are only two states I do not recall having been in…Idaho and Mississippi. Since Mississippi seemed a reasonable distance to include on our trip home (Idaho, of course, was not!) we decided it would be fun to stay overnight in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Road maps.
Therefore, on Thursday we drove from North Carolina, through South Carolina, through Georgia and through Alabama to Mississippi. We stopped at the birthplace of Elvis, a must-see attraction in Tupelo, before checking into our hotel…then we went out for dinner. It was a pleasant day.
The house where Elvis Presley was born, in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The clouds put on a pretty display for a pleasant evening in Mississippi.
The next morning we drove on the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444 mile national scenic byway, that goes through three states.
Directional sign.
The road roughly follows the “Old Natchez Trace” a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, European settlers, slave traders, soldiers and a few presidents. It has a lot of history to tell, dating back to the late 1700’s.
A scenic two-way parkway, with little traffic.
Natchez Trace Parkway.
We drove on the parkway for thirty miles before getting off to head towards Kentucky. There was another attraction we wanted to see on our way back to Minnesota…the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.
A wonderful museum in Paducah, Kentucky.
A step inside the quilt museum.
The quilt museum was interesting. I have more thoughts and photos to share in an upcoming post.
Our third morning was a bit different than the others. We spent the night near St. Louis, Missouri, and woke up to a snowstorm (unusual amounts expected for this part of the country). We got an early start, but it was slow going the first few hours, until we drove out of the storm and the roads cleared up.
Snow-packed road conditions as we traveled north through Missouri. Fortunately there was not a lot of traffic.
As we checked out that morning in St. Louis, the clerk at our hotel gave us a blessing for our safety while traveling through the snow…she was a kind-hearted woman and a delight. It felt right, and special, to start our journey that day with her blessing.
Heavy snow-cover along the side of the road.
A Minnesota winter scene.
We were thankful we made it back to Minnesota safely.
It was hard leaving North Carolina Thursday morning. We arrived in North Carolina before Christmas, to visit our son, his wife and their two children.
Santa’s reindeer.
Making Christmas cookies.
Together, we celebrated Christmas. We were there for the new year, and the grandkid’s winter break from school, and also for a time after they returned to school. We had a lot of fun together.
A picnic at the nature preserve.
At the nature preserve.
Hedgehog craft project from pinecones we found at the nature preserve.
It was so good to be there, to catch up with our son and daughter-in-love, and to see our grandchildren so happy in their new home, and thriving.
Playing on playgrounds.
Polishing toenails.
It was difficult to say good-bye as they headed out for school and we headed out for our three-day journey back to Minnesota. We already miss them…their excitement and smiling faces.
We’ve had some fun adventures on this lengthy (for us) time away from our home in Minnesota. We took a road trip to North Carolina and are staying with our son and his family. The time is going by fast; maybe because it started over the Christmas holidays, and is extending into the New Year. Or maybe because we’re visiting family and grandchildren – that is always special. I always anticipate having all kinds of time to write, but that never proves true for me. I get distracted with the days activities. We are still here, but I’m taking time to write now.
On the front porch at our son’s home in North Carolina.
Initially we had some warm days in North Carolina. We were able to sit on the front porch and drink our morning coffee, and go to a park on a sunny, 75* day and play with the new Stomp Rocket.
Having fun in the park.
We also had a couple warm and sunny days in Georgia, and I wore my sandals while walking along Savannah’s Riverwalk, but now a cold front has come through and it’s a bit chilly…but not as cold as it is back home in Minnesota.
The Riverwalk along the Savannah River.
We did take a mini road trip to Savannah, Georgia (a road trip within a road trip!) and enjoyed exploring that lovely, southern city. We had four wonderful days there. One, of many, interesting tidbits from our time in Savannah is from our first afternoon when we drove through the beautiful, historic Bonaventure Cemetery, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and located on a scenic bluff on the Wilmington River.
The cemetery has acres of old, interesting tombstones and monuments with mature southern live oak trees with Spanish moss dripping from them, and rough gravel roads that create a very mystical place.
This was not your typical manicured cemetery, but it was eerily peaceful in the late afternoon as we drove around.
Sun rays lighting up some Spanish moss.
Rod iron gates around clusters of marble and granite tombstones, large and tall monuments, cement angel and crosses, and all manner of cemetery props are within its gates with mature trees and other greenery.
On our way out we stopped at the info center just outside the cemetery where someone commented on our Minnesota license plates. He stated we’re a long way from home and asked what part of Minnesota we were from? “Northfield,” I said. And he said, “we are too!” Two couples from our hometown had just toured the cemetery. It was a fun moment.
I know it would have been smart to get in my daily walk during the early morning hours on our recent trip to NC, where we went to visit our son and his family. At this time of year, in July, the temperatures climb high, as does the dew point, so getting things done in the early morning is a good idea.
The front porch.
But the allure of their front porch won out. Our son and his wife and two children moved into a lovely two-story house with a veranda in the back – off the kitchen, and a porch in the front. They are at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a wooded lot next door and a landscaped, water collection pond across the street with more trees in the background. New houses were being built the next block over.
There are two very tall trees, with skinny trunks, across the street from where we sat on the porch. I loved looking at them – sometimes they would sway with the wind and intertwine at the tip top, and sometimes they would stand tall and alone – but they were striking, and greeted me every morning.
Sister trees…
I quickly got in the routine of sitting on the front porch every morning. I would usually be the first one up, make myself a cup of coffee, and head outside to the front porch. There were two comfy chairs waiting for me. I would enjoy my quiet time there as eventually the others would wake up. The best part was when the grandkids woke up, came out, and sat on our laps while we welcomed the new day.
Good Morning Sunshine.
There are a lot of front porches in the “south” as tradition dictates. It was fun to look at them as we drove through the area. In this new neighborhood, when we saw folks on their porch, we always said hi, and in turn, when I was sitting out in the early morning and neighbors walked by, there was always a greeting. What a wonderful thing.
Peaceful morning.
The porch made me think of my neighbor across the street from us in Northfield. She’s has made her front porch into a sitting area, an extension of her house, and she’s out there as much as her time allows (which is a lot). People always stop to visit with her. I think of her as our neighborhood watchdog, and find comfort in her being out on her porch so much.
Across the street, my neighbor has flowers surrounding her front porch…complete with rocking chairs and an umbrella. The corn growing from her flower pot was planted by a squirrel. We’re watching the stalk grow!
Our front porch, at our own house in Northfield, has a swing which I also love, and use often. However, a swing is not conducive to drinking coffee. Our front porch is covered and faces north, therefore shaded all day. Yet, it’s set back so it’s not as open and visible to passerby’s. We do use our back deck a lot. There are many trees providing shade in the morning hours and late afternoon/evening times.
Our front porch swing.
I ask myself would I do this – drink my morning coffee on the front porch daily – if our front porch had chairs instead of a swing? Would I fit it into my daily routine? I’m not sure. It just seemed right in North Carolina. Maybe because we were on vacation…
All I know is a front porch is inviting, and a great place to spend time!
Visiting someplace new is always fun. And staying in a private home instead of a hotel is delightful. And having grandchildren at that home is the best!
A new home in North Carolina.
We spent eight days in a suburb south of Charlotte, North Carolina visiting our youngest son and his wife and two children. They recently moved into a new home there, leaving a two-bedroom apartment in Colorado. It was great to see their new house and their neighborhood, to actually see their faces to know how they are doing, and to hug the grandchildren.
I enjoyed choosing a photo – or two – every day to send a “Photo of the Day” to our other son and his family back in Minnesota. It gave a glimpse of some of the things we were doing during our time away…like going to a fireworks display on the fourth of July, or going to the neighborhood swimming pool, building a workbench,
Building a workbench.
working on art projects, playing dominos, going to parks and playgrounds, going on a picnic, going out for ice cream.
A “spin art” project.
Playing dominoes.
At a playground.
And simply sitting on the front porch every morning, drinking our coffee, waiting for the kiddos to wake up and come down to greet us each day. Hopefully creating memories for the grandchildren.
Lovely mornings on the front porch.
Being silly.
Their house is next to a wooded lot so we saw deer several times, and lots of birds. We heard interesting creatures (insects and/or frogs) at night when we ate dinner on the veranda, in the back of the house.
The covered veranda at the back of the house.
As we sat on the veranda on our last night before returning to Minnesota, we saw two fawns and a mama deer in the woods. We talked about how curious we were as to what was over the hill and down the road in the wooded area.
The “Private Drive, NO TRESPASSING” sign.
A “Private Drive, NO TRESPASSING” sign was posted at the entrance to the driveway leading into the property, at the end of the cul-de-sac, next to our son’s property. We had seen little activity there over the past week. Our son and daughter-in-love had not ventured past the private property sign since they moved in, about a month ago. We had been there only a week and were curious!
The wooded property at the end of the cut-de-sac.
So Andrea and I decided to venture down the drive that last night. We bravely walked down the road, arm in arm. The deer saw us and ran away. We approached a modest house on a lake, and took a look at the surroundings. Our curiosity satisfied, we turned around and walked back up the drive. Just then we saw a car’s headlights! The occupants were coming down the drive.
We were busted!!!
After all the times of no activity… and then…here they come when we are trespassing.
Our son’s house next to the neighboring, wooded lot.
The car stops, of course, and two young men in their 20’s rolled down their windows. We greeted them and told them we are from the house right past their driveway and we were just curious to see what was down the gravel road. Thankfully they were very nice about it. After a little small talk we continued on, walking very quickly back to the veranda where our guys were waiting, curious to hear what happened. They had seen the car go into the drive and wondered what kind of reception we’d get.
We settled back on the veranda, let out a sigh of relief, and then had a good laugh.
The weather predicted for our time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was rain. But our plans were set and we were going to stop there for three nights on our way to visit our son and his family in North Carolina.
A view of the green Smoky Mountains.
So when we had beautiful, mostly sunny days while in the park we were grateful. We stayed on the “peaceful side of the park”, as Townsend, TN boasts. And the cabin we rented was less than a mile from the park entrance. We liked the location.
The lookout at Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park.
The GSMNP is busy, one of the most visited parks in the US. There is no entrance fee, which is unusual for a national park. There were a limited the number of people allowed in the visitor’s center so we never did get into one because of the long lines.
From the top of Clingman’s Dome.
The park is lush green this time of year…so many shades of green. The road through the park follows the Little River and that added to the beauty.
A hike along the Little River.
The big Little River.
We did some hiking in the park…to Clingman’s Dome (the parking lot fills by 9 am) and to Laurel Falls (same deal for parking) and other smaller hikes.
Laurel Falls.
One day we ate lunch in a wonderful picnic area, and drove through Cade’s Cove (an 11-mile loop through an 1800’s farming community in the park) at twilight on two different nights.
Gary and our car in the background for perspective of how tall the tree are.
The first night in Cade’s Cove we saw some deer, but on the second night we saw one owl and five black bear. One bear was in a tree, a mama bear with two cubs crossed the road in front of us (we were third car back) and the fifth bear was walking into the woods. The Barred Owl was sitting on a tree branch. They were all exciting to see.
Mama Bear.
Barred Owl.
On our last evening, as we drove out of the park back to our cabin, it started to rain.
Pretty in the mist…leaving the park…on our way to North Carolina.
