The following pictures are from the hike we took on NY day. Neither of us was up for anything too strenuous, so we took a drive up the parkway, and enjoyed the view from one of the lookouts before making our way to a few short hikes along the way.
It was one of those days that just beckons you to behold the beauty in everything, especially nature. Our lungs seemed to sip the air as if each inhale literally ingested more of what surrounded us, believing we could never be satiated. We eventually meandered back to civilization, looking for a soft place to rest.
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The following day, we caught up with friends to see American Hustle in
Boone, followed by dinner at
Joy Bistro. The movie had us on the edge of our seats, unaware the snow had started accompanied by a wicked wind --- but we didn't care. We had been hoping the snow fairy would work her magic, and give us a white post Christmas. She did, and boy, did she. We were not prepared for the chilly temperatures in the low 20's, which was just a taste of the Arctic blast to come. Thankfully we were able to secure a table at Joy Bistro, where we could watch the snow while filling ourselves with red wine, comfort food, good stories and laughter. Katherine, our server (the classic spelling, she asserted), made the evening nothing short of --- perfection!
Another amazing week in the mountains, our second home...
@adriantbrown
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| From one of the lookouts on the Parkway. |
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| Pulled over for a short New Years Day hike, at Cold Prong Pond.. |
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| Along the hike, you come to this clearing. |
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| Cold Prong Pond Hike. |
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| Second short hike took us to Boone Fork where we discovered this creek. |
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| Ice-encrusted tree limb, boulder, and the rush of the creek...I was captivated by this image because it brought a simple metaphor to mind of how sometimes in life we cling to things that don't serve us, despite outside forces that should slough off the useless "thing". Being New Years Day, I wondered what useless thoughts or ideas I carry around that no longer serve me against the will of forces greater than me. |
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| Keith, taking it in...Incidentally, a version of this photo was liked by the Roanoke CVB, obviously promoting the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. |
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| Among the only green you'll find in the dead of winter up here. Beautiful! |
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| One household project undertaken while here....New curtains for the loft. |
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| Oulah! |
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| Finally got some snow! Wind gusts last night were up to 55 mph, and left us with a little blanket of snow this morning. |
