MOUNTAIN DREAMING

Hello all!

Two weeks since we spent our 28th anniversary in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Sigh....I wish I was there right now,sitting in on the porch of the cabin we rented, just looking out at the incredible view. I bet there is a hint of color in the leaves now that the weather has cooled down a bit.

That was the name of the cabin we rented, by the way, Heavenly View. It was. I found the site through a link from Southern Living magazine. They had a link on their website, www.southernliving.com/cabins , where I found a link to the Eden Crest cabin rentals, http://www.edencrest.net/rentals.htm . I found this lovely one bedroom cabin that met all the criteria. Quiet and a "heavenly view".

In spite of feeling like we had really gotten away from it all, civilization was not far away. It was easy to come down the mountain and go out to dinner in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. The added bonus was that the annual Rod Run was going on that weekend. It was fun to ride down the main drag taking it all in after a nice dinner out. And when we had seen all the sights, the faithful Silverado took us back up to our cozy little cabin. Yes, we left the Vettes at home, I had a mind to look for antique shops along the way this trip. But of course, in the usual way of things, when I have the means to haul something, I come up empty handed. Didn't matter, it is still fun to look!

On the day we had to go back home, it was decided that haste was inappropriate. We stopped for a country breakfast at one of the little pancake houses in Gatlinburg-on 321 N. and then headed for Asheville, NC. The Biltmore Village shops are a fun way to spend the day and we had lunch at a great little tea room called Chelsea's Cafe & Tea Room. Visit their website at http://www.chelseastea.com/ to check out their menu. We enjoyed the Roasted Chicken & Granny Smith Apple Salad and also the Grilled Three Cheese, Tomato and Smoked Bacon Sandwich, both were Fabulous! This is a definite repeat place and they have a great little shop with all kinds of things to consider. The Biltmore Estate store located at the entrance, landed me several things that I had been looking for.

Reluctantly, it was time to head back to South Carolina. What a great trip!