Symmetry Saturday

During our recent trip to the hills of North Carolina we saw all these picnic tables in a parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

They are made of concrete and metal. I cannot imagine how many trips up the parkway were made to move this monsters.  We guessed that maybe their original homes were scattered about the parkway.  Maybe due to COVID they were all moved to this parking lot to discourage too gatherings.  

Final Fiction, Feline, Nature and Friend on Friday

Final (non) Fiction Friday.

Click here to visit YAM-s FFF

 This craft table is at least 25+ years old.  It served me well all those years too.  Over the last  year or so I have  a very sore back after I stand over it for too long.  It is bulky and awkward.  Made entirely of particle board, which I'm sure is another name for cement.   It is 34" high which apparently is not a good height for a Senior Citizen.  In spite of the back ache, the top is a perfect size!

I did a search on GiGi Google for a craft table.  I found this one 36" high,

light weight, on rollers.  The top is the same size as the old one.  Of course it came with 'assembly needed'.  The box weighed 40lbs. Which is too heavy to take up 15 stairs.  My husband took it out of the box so we could take it up on parts.   There are only 3 pieces of particle board

the remainder is sturdy yet lightweight metal.  It took about

2 hours to assemble.  It came with its an Allen wrench and a standard wrench. 

There are 48 screws  in the leaf hinges, bolts and screws in the legs.

We only had one itty bitty assembly mistake that was easily corrected on the crossbars on the legs.

I have to remind myself it is lightweight and does not require brute force to move it about.  

Happy to say I have started a new (ambitious) project.  I found a free quilt pattern on line called Cats & Scraps HERE.  The pattern is 60"x70", which includes 20 cat head squares.  I have limited space on the table made for my sewing machine so this it to be determined..  

It is full of squares with adorable Cat heads, which by the way are such fun to make. Next step is to sew two rows around the cat heads.  I'll practice that a few times.  LOL

Nature Friday host LLB Gang  and Feline Friday  host Comedy Plus

From this point on, I'll let My Mind's Eye take over.

If I am to be honest, I must tell you all white is my absolute least

favorite color.  Whatever I do, rest assured, there will be lots of 

color added. Stay tuned.

Saturday, June 19 we were very happy to see the NC Chapter of the 

 American Wildlife Refuge at our favorite garden shop.

The large photo is a red tailed hawk he lost a wing due to an injury

I didn't hear what type of Hawk the one on bottom left was.

Both Hawks have a permanent home at the Refuge.

Great Horned Owl

The eye color of an owl helps birders identify their species and indicates the time of day they prefer to hunt. Owls with yellow eyes, such as the Burrowing Owl and the Snowy Owl, indicate that they are diurnal and prefer to hunt during the daytime.

 Barred Owls have dark brown or black eyes are nocturnal, meaning they prefer to hunt at night. It's an evolutionary trait to help them to camouflage in the darkness. 

Angel Eric and Flynn's Mom always post flashbacks on Friday, which I looked forward to reading.  Eric and Flynn were two of Angel Madi's first kitty friends. Yesterday we learned that Jackie is in the hospital.  Jackie I hope very soon you are back home looking for more flashbacks for us.  Healing Hugs

Joyful 

Always so positive

Cats R HER

Kind

Ivor

Everyone's friend

Thankful and Thoroughly Poetic Thursday #24

 Today we join 

Thankful Thursday hosted by Brian 

  

We are very Thankful for the invitation to visit our friends last week.  2020 was the first time we did not take our annual trip to visit  since 2009.   Memories are made with each visit.  One of my favorite things each visit is sipping my first cup of coffee in their sunroom while looking out at their hobby vineyard and listening to the birds.  When grapes are ready folks come to pick.  My friend calls them 'grape nuts'.

to the back they have a babbling creek

 Thoroughly Poetic Thursday hosted by 

 Two SPOILED CATS

Angel Sammy and Teddy for the inspiring photos they find for us

Here is our inspirational photo is

I was dared to give it a try

My reply was oh MY.

Upon close examination I spied

raw onions which I will not try!!

Then I was double dog dared

I bent over to give those onions a practiced 

Jenga yank.

The tower of meat, 'maters, cheese, lettuce, special sauce and bread

landed like a tank 

Upon my head.

THE END(I heard all those thankful sighs)

Some words on Wednesday: Great Smoky Mountains

Hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus

On a drive on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway you will have amazing views  of the Great Smoky Mountains.  Which are  known for wildflowers, autumn colors, waterfalls, and black bears. It is also known for the blue-colored mist/natural fog that hangs above mountain peaks and valleys. It looks like smoke, and gives the area its name. This fog is caused by the vegetation emitting volatile organic compounds, chemicals that have a high vapor pressure and easily form vapors at normal temperature and pressure

At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi.  Mount Mitchell's summit (elevation 6,684 feet), located in the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina, is the highest point east of the Mississippi River.

On a clear day you can see Virginia

Happy Tuesday Trek: The Bluffs at Doughton Park

 

Thank you Comedy Plus for hosting

Wednesday, June 16, the friends we were visiting took us on a road trip about 1 hour from their home.  Destination was the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.  We had lunch at The Bluffs (you can read the history of The Bluffs at the end of the post). The  mountaineers have their own vocabulary: 

Of course My Mind's Eye drew me right to this gorgeous Red ride

License Plate is "OUR STUF".  

Their luggage is stored in the trailer.

The owners gave me permission to snap away.  They told me they were from

Pennsylvania.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic ride.  They heard about the beauty of the Parkway and decided to ride the entire length one way. However, they loved it so much they decided to ride it home too.  

Below is a 4 minute video about The Bluffs, the only Restaurant on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was just reopened this year after many years of being closed.  

There are three very distinct accents in North Carolina.  Coastal, Piedmont (where we live) and  Mountains.  You will love Ellen mountain accent.  It is about a minute into the video.  She was a waitress there for many years. I hope you can see it. If not, click here

About The Bluffs

In 1949, The Bluffs became the first dining establishment to open on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For 61 years, locals and Blue Ridge Parkway travelers flocked to the restaurant at Doughton Park for fried chicken, sweet potato pancakes, ham biscuits, berry cobblers, and more.

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Friendly service brought diners back time and time again. Many folks will remember waitress Ellen Smith, who worked at the restaurant for decades. One patron fondly remembers how Miss Ellen always pulled up a high chair for her teddy bear on each Sunday visit.

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Sadly, the restaurant closed on November 1, 2010, after a new concessionaire did not step forward to operate the National Park Service property. Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, and it began to look like The Bluffs might not welcome diners ever again.

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Bringing Back The Bluffs

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Loyal patrons didn’t forget about The Bluffs. After numerous requests to take on the project, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation began raising funds in 2016 to repair and restore the restaurant. Thanks to support from individuals, the State of North Carolina, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, the restaurant has undergone a transformation, including a new roof and kitchen equipment, a freshly painted interior, an ADA-compliant restroom, and a rebuilt dining counter.

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The team has worked diligently to keep the original charm of the former coffee shop by restoring the existing features, such as painstakingly cleaning and polishing the period light fixtures. All of the design choices work to capture the charm of the original interior, while bringing the 1949 facility into the new millennium.

Awww Monday and Sparks

  Hosted by Comedy Plus 

 

Can you see her?  She is always dressed to impress. After all, a red coat with perfectly spaced black polka dots is always in style. A lady bugs make me happy.  This little lady was originally spotted inside on my dining room window.  I dampened a paper towel so I would not harm her.  I placed it on the window she crawled right on it.  I took it to the back porch. Placed it by the plant, she paused a second or two the gently stepped to the leaf.

Happy Father's Day

To my husband who takes me to all the trails and waits patiently while I 

take photographs.

Below is a beautiful pond on the NC Museum of Art Trail