Fun, Fab Fourth!

Really, I don't know where to begin. Maybe I should take this post, one paragraph at a time.



1. Who Let The Dogs Out? Woof, woof, woof, woof-woof!

Yes, the Drool Gang Plus One arrived, safe and sound last Wednesday. There were so many places to explore...so many new smells...so many squirrels. Gus immediately attached himself to Mr. T...where Daddy goes, Gus goes...as the photo to the right shows. This included the Man Walk that the two of them take in the morning to get the paper. Of course, it's awfully hard to sneak out the back door and fool the others, especially Ella Rae. She was everywhere, all over the place (see her with Duchess on the rug in Nana's room), but loved being the only one to be able to jump up on Nana's bed (until Elmo finally figured out the trick for himself). And, she almost made it under the fence at the gate. Hmmm. Too close of a call.

Duchess, ever the reigning monarch, planted herself on our bed and claimed it as her throne...when she wasn't making sure that none of the others was receiving preferential treatment.

Elmo (left), our shy guy, who suffers greatly when his routine is changed in the slightest, found that the sofa he fondly remembered was here, waiting for him...ahhh, peace.

2. Road Trip! A mini-MDBT. As Missy M had used a couple of vacation days to make the trip here, she naturally wanted them to count for something. Sounds like a Mother-Daughter Bonding Trip to me!

So, where in the world were we? The photo says it all...

As we hadn't been to the Biltmore in a dozen years or more, we decided to head the car West toward Asheville for a wonderful day of yarn shop-hopping and seeing how the other 1/2 of one percent lived over 1oo years ago. We weren't disappointed. The Estate has opened several new rooms since our last tour; the winery has been expanded; and, the demonstration garden is huge and welcoming (see Missy M, right, checking out one of the huge sunflowers).

And, like icing on the cake, there are two yarns shops (Yarn Paradise, in Biltmore Village, and Purl's Yarn Emporium, in downtown Asheville, right) within 10 miles of each other. Ah...who could ask for a better day? We ended our journey at a local pizzeria in Newton, NC, that Missy M apped-up on her iPhone. Just like magic.

3. So, that just leaves the celebration of our country's Independence on the Fourth. Good food, including ribs, Tequila Lime Chicken, and corn-on-the-cob from the grill; salad made with fresh-from-our-gardens' goodies (tomatoes, cucumbers, chives, peppers, and peas) and topped with yummy dressing from the Biltmore Winery; and the finale...fireworks in Festival Park (as viewed from our neighborhood) followed by sliced strawberries topping homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, made in my new ice cream maker attachment for the KitchenAid mixer (love it, love it, love it!)


Truly, who could ask for anything more?