HOW ABOUT A HUNGRY BEAR?

When I first saw the above sign at a rest stop along Blue Ridge Parkway, I thought it reads a "federal" bear is a dead bear (so to be a live bear, it has to be a "state" bear)!  Usually the sign would read, "Danger - Don't Feed the Bears!" warning people not to make any contact with the wild animal.  Somehow each year there would be one person who managed to get killed while visiting a national park and thought the bear was cute and irresistible.  

We did not see any bears and did not try looking for any bearpen either.  Besides, we already got Mitchell and he is definitely cute and very harmless!

FRIDAY SKY - BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY

It was cloudy this morning but then turned into a glorious sunny day.  These photos were taken last July (2012) on our Southward Adventure, driving the entire length of 470+ miles of Blue Ridge Parkway.  We visited my sister in Atlanta, Georgia and my husband's brother in Charleston, North Carolina and celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary riding in a private red caboose on the Great Smokey Mountain train ride.  

I finished reading the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Missouri Revised Statutes (RSMo 490).  I looked over the assignment but don't feel like working on the questions right now.  There are 10 questions on evidence (direct or circumstantial) and the answers have to be whether the evidence is admissible or inadmissible and whether there are any exceptions.  The other 10 items on the assignment are statements (from the witnesses) and we have to identify whether they were hearsay and if exception applies and if so, which exceptions (policy exclusions or admission of a party opponent).    

One of the priests at our parish has been reassigned to another parish.  The new priest won't be arriving until mid-July.  He is finishing his study in Rome and he is only 27 years old!  I said to my husband, "We could have a 27 years old son who is a priest but then we would never know the joy of being grandparents!"  I guess you just can't have everything you want.  Happy Friday everyone and enjoy your weekend!

MITCHELL AT MARBY MILL (BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY - MILEPOST 176, VIRGINIA)

Sunday, July 8th - We attended 8:30 Mass at Holy Angels Church in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.  It was Father "Zyandrewski" last day as he was being transfered to another parish.  We jokingly said to him after Mass that we could have made some pierogies for him if we did not rush to get back to STL.  Upon hearing about our road trip, a nice lady told us to be sure to stop by Mabry Mill at milepost 176 to see the restored mill and exhibits on rural life in Appalachia.  The Mill is one of the most popular gathering places anywhere on the parkway.  

The Blue Ridge Parkway Travel Planner stated that this century old gristmill is the most picturesque spot on the entire parkway.  Mitchell agreed. 

Ed and Lizzy Mabry built this mill and ground corn for their neighbors for three decades.  In addition to the mill, visitors could also see a wheelright shop, sawmill and blacksmith shop.  It was pretty crowded when we were there, so we did not try to watch the blacksmith demonstration and the ladies spinning or making baskets.

MT MITCHELL, NORTH CAROLINA

Please say hello to "Mitchell" a latest edition to the TOTA family.  We found him all alone in the jungle (well, more like among all the other beanie babies in the gift shop) and Benjamin needed a little brother to play with.  Mitchell came along for the drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway and he told us he has always wanted to go up to the Top of the Arch - haa haa.  Mount Mitchell State Park is located some 33 miles northeast on the parkway and 5 miles north on NC 128.  Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the eastern U.S. standing at 6,684 feet. 

It was Saturday afternoon (July 7th) when we stopped for a break at Mount Mitchell State Park.  There was an observation lodge that houses a restaurant, a museum and small gift shop.  After 8 days of driving, sleeping in different beds every night, I was so tired that I just wanted a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee.  After lunch, we spent a few minutes sitting out in the observation deck wishing we had more time to really enjoy the breathtaking views.

2,982 MILES

2,982 miles - that was the total mileage we drove in 9 days during our recent road trip last month.  (We were tired and wanted to get home so we did not drive around for an extra 8 miles to make it an even 3,000 miles as suggested by Qaptain Qwerty - haa haa).  For all the miles we drove, we only added North Carolina to our list of States we visited.  We still have about 13 more States, mostly in the northeast (i.e. Maine, New Hampshire), northwest (i.e. Oregon, Idaho) and Hawaii, to complete all 50 States for our From Sea to Shining Sea Adventures.

We started driving on Friday, June 29th from St. Louis with a stop in Metropolis, Illinois so my husband could take pictures of his precious Mustang in front of Superman sculpture.  We spent the night in Manchester, Tennessee.  The next day, Saturday, June 30th, after a visit to Ruby Falls and Rock City in TN, we continued to Atlanta to visit my sister CH.  We met for dinner and CH proudly showed us her new home and the neighborhood of Atlantic Station.  (I was there last November but it was my husband first time in A-town.)
After 9:30 Sunday (July 1st) Mass at the Cathedral, we went to the King Center.  We took the above photo of the Olympic Flame from the 1996 Summer Games but it was too hot to walk around Centennial Park.  We went to Varsity to get their famous "dawgs" for lunch.  In the evening, CH treated us to a very nice dinner at South City Kitchen in Midtown. 

Monday, July 2nd - On the way to Savannah, we stopped by Stone Mountain Park.  For the last 10+ years I had been telling my husband about "the best salmon I've ever had" and he agreed after our dinner at the Old Oyster Factory in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  We spent the night in Charleston, South Carolina.  The next day Tuesday, July 3rd, after the trolley tour, we drove to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit my husband's brother PP and his wife. 

It was a beautiful sunny day while we celebrated July 4th with PP on board his sail boat.  (I ate a light breakfast and my motion sickness was under control.)  The next day, Thursday, July 5th, we went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.  (Alisa, I am sure even the good people in Ladue would feel like paupers touring this lovely chateau!)   

Friday, July 6th - to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary, CP reserved a private caboose on the Great Smokey train ride just for the two of us.

It took us two days, Saturday July 7th and Sunday the 8th to complete our drive some 470 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway as it "winds and twists" along the mountain crests from western North Carolina to Virginia.  Opie was not home when we stopped by Mt. Airy, aka Mayberry, the hometown of Sheriff Andy Taylor, my favorite television classic, The Andy Griffth Show. 

Along the drive, we stopped at Mount Pisgah, the town of Little Switzerland, and Mount Mitchell. 

Our beloved Benjamin had a great time (he is such a good kid always smiling) while posing for a picture next to the marker of the highest elevation of Blue Ridge Parkway Motor Road.  Monday, July 9th we started heading back to St. Louis thru Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and finally home around 5:30 p.m.  It was a shorter road trip compared to when we drove 3,838 miles last year covering Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Colorado.  Our Route 66 Adventure in 2010 totalling 4,437 miles would be the longest road trip from Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California.  That was a lot of driving but having two cool cars (the T-bird and Mustang) made it more enjoyable and we are still "happily" married - haa haa!  I promise to post photos and sharing many interesting stories.