A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.
-George Moore
Oh, it feels so good to be back on the Shore! Whenever we return home it is an absolute requirement that we roll down the windows and experience the Bay. I took a great shot from the car that all but smells of marsh but some technical difficulties are keeping me from posting it; wish I could show you what we see as we cross the Bay. It's funny, I made that same drive alone in 1998, car laden with dogs and belongings, and sobbed the whole way because I didn't want to leave Richmond...

We had a great trip. Okay, things didn't exactly go as planned. We scrapped the camping because of bad weather predictions (we should have gone anyway) and some of our other plans fell through (dinner in Floyd, for one), but it was still a wonderful time. We spent Friday afternoon on the Blue Ridge Parkway visiting old haunts, including Rocky Knob, where we had our "Second First Date". We shared a bottle of wine at this overlook sometime in August 1987 and that was the beginning of our current relationship (we figure high school dating does not count, although it did generate some funny pictures, including Prom, that the girls can mock later). It was wonderful to visit this spot given that we were celebrating our 14th anniversary, and it is still just as beautiful as it was 20 years ago.


Across the street from this spot was the most beautiful specimen of flame azalea I have ever seen. Flame azaleas are native to the Parkway, and are one of my favorites...aptly named, and this one took my breath away with it's size and color.

We also poked around in shops from Meadows of Dan to Floyd, enjoying the ability to look around without having to repeat the litany "look with your eyes, not with your hands" (although I did have to threaten to take Tracy outside if he did not stop longingly touching the bluegrass CDs; he's an addict). We barely made the last tour and tasting, then shared a bottle of wine and ate a wonderful dinner at Chateau Morrissette. Given that we love wine and have our own wine-loving Black Dog, we have always had a soft spot for the Winery; we felt like proud parents seeing how much they have grown since our first visit almost 20 years ago. Even their barrels bear the mark of the dog; you gotta love the theme.

One of our favorite moments of the whole weekend was waking up Saturday, glancing at the clock and realizing that it was 7:45 and we were just opening our eyes. I know that sounds early to many of you, but I haven't slept that late since India was born! Unfortunately, Kate and India did not give their grandparents a break; poor Dex and Judy were up around 5 each morning. Since Saturday was a bit of a bust weather-wise we went to the movies together for the first time in 5 years (!) to see "The Da Vinci Code". Yes, I too am absolutely sick of the hype, but I have to say it was a great movie despite the poor reviews. How I feel about the topic is another long subject entirely, so I won't get on my soap box. Let me just say that any belief system worth it's salt NEEDS to undergo questioning and scrutiny to survive, so I think the novel/movie are very good things even if I am SOOOOOO tired of hearing about it. Go see it!

Today Tracy's parents brought the girls to meet us at Mabry Mill. I've been eating there since I was India's age, at least, and not much has changed since then. I think we even had the same waitress (you think I'm kidding). After breakfast we had a great time pelting the poor, sleepy ducks with leftover biscuits, and India wanted to know all about the "Ferris Wheel". I scared some woman to death by pointing out a snake emerging from the water, and I worked very hard keeping the girls out of the Poison Ivy that seemed to be growing everywhere. These pictures have suffered the same fate as those of the Bay...sadly I had a great photo from Lover's Leap, as well, that I am sorry to lose. Then we loaded ourselves into the car for the 6.5 hour drive.

Now it's time to start a very busy week, so I think I'd better go unpack and do some laundry. Glad to be back!