Gadding About at the World Equestrian Events in Tryon

This past weekend my friend Jen and I made a quick trip to the western part of North Carolina to spend one day at the World Equestrian Events in Tryon, NC.  This is the Olympics for Equestrian Events and is held every four years.

We stayed at my place on Chatfield, in Cleveland County and traveled up to Tryon for the day from there.

Notice the Modrian art dish displayed on the end table.  The hostess gift from Jen fits the decor at Chatfield perfectly.  

We passed Forest City on the way to Tryon, and it was a perfect opportunity to enjoy breakfast at Smith's Drugstore.  It is known for its breakfast and for its pimento cheese.  I had to have a liver mush biscuit, and don't knock liver mush until you have tried it. I think of it as poor man's pate'.  Jen even had a grilled pimento cheese sandwich.  We were having a late breakfast or early lunch.

My liver mush biscuit. 

I'm not very knowledgeable about horses and Equestrian Events but I enjoyed the Vaulting immensely.  The horses were beautiful and well trained and the riders performed spectacular acrobatics on top of the moving horses. The video below shows one of the female vaulting contestants.

Me with the Grand Master of Ceremonies. 

In the evening we met friends in Boiling Springs for dinner at the Italian Garden.  Always good to see friends when I'm back in Cleveland County.

We were still having fun as we traveled back home on Sunday.  Lunch at the Green Valley Grill at the O Henry Hotel in Greensboro is never disappointing.  In fact I think I am going to add to my bucket list a night at the O Henry followed by dinner at the Green Valley Grill.  (I'll splurge.  Maybe a gift to myself.)  Or maybe I'll invite a friend.

My toad in a hole: fried egg in toasted brioche with Italian sausage bits and tomato compote on top.   

Checkered cab in front of O Henry Hotel.  It is used to transport guests.  

We packed a lot in during the three day trip.

Gadding About in the Morgan Street Food Hall

Thursday my hairdresser and friend Rana was telling me about going down to the Morgan Street Food Hall over the weekend and mentioned that there was a place that sold lobster rolls.  That whetted my appetite for lobster and sparked my interest in visiting the Food Hall that had only recently opened in downtown Raleigh.

It was 10:45 in the morning and I knew things wouldn't be so busy so early and with the storm brewing perhaps the traffic would be light.  Sure enough I made my way down and found a parking place right in front of the Food Hall where all parking places on West Street were vacant.

I figured out how to use the new to me parking meter.

The street was empty except for a lone green bicycle over on the sidewalk.  

While waiting for the Food Hall to open I photographed the outside bar area.

The outside bar. 

Lots of cool places to drink/eat outside. 

Once inside the spacious building I could see there was quite a variety of food choices in addition to lobster.

At one far end of the Hall is one of my favorite Mediterranean food restaurants, Sassool.  I bought a few things to have on hand this weekend when the storm hits.

There is a place to get curry in a hurry.  Although I like curry I passed it up this time.  Whatever strikes your fancy, I think you can find it here.

My lobster roll.

Got my lobster rolls to take home for later, and then ventured over to an ice cream stand called Raleigh Rolls where they make ice cream in little rolls.  Watching their technique was as much fun as eating the ice cream rolls.

My rolled ice cream.  Delicious. 

Yes, I ate every bit.  It was made using coconut milk not dairy.

I made a video of their making the ice cream rolls and although it is about 3 minutes long, it is definitely worth watching til the end.

Gadding About in Cape Breton With My Longtime Friends (75 year friendship).

Arriving in Cape Breton Island. 

This is a continuation of my last post.  We did so many things on this trip to Nova Scotia I couldn't cover it all in one post.  Late on Wednesday we arrived at the house, and very soon after our arrival had a nice visit from friends Catherine and Michealette.

Up early on Thursday to head to Sydney via St. Peter's stopping at the post office in West Bay to see Linda, friend and post mistress. St. Peter's is a pretty little town and a trip there always means a visit with my friend Frances.  In Sydney we visited down at the waterfront where there is a giant fiddle that welcomes visitors.

In front of the Giant Fiddle in Sydney.  

We returned to the house via The Cedar House where we ate a late lunch and stocked up on their wonderful baked items: bread, oatmeal raisin cookies, Aussie cookies, oat cakes and blueberry pie.  They were out of strawberry rhubarb pies, my favorite.

Friday we were up early and made our way over to Cheticamp and drove up the Cabot Trail as far as The Bog where Pat W. and I hiked out over the wooden walkway suspended on the bog.

The Bog along the Cabot Trail. 

In the afternoon we headed back down south to Inverness and the Cabot Links Golf Course.   The Panorama Restaurant that overlooks the 18th hole at the Golf Course is a favorite place to have dinner.  We arrived a few minutes before Panorama was open, but I very nice gentleman took us up to the back in his golf cart where we could enter the Restaurant without climbing the steep stairs.  He let us in and we each ordered a dessert to have while enjoying the beautiful view.  The gentleman turned out to be the Assistant Manager of the Food Services and when he learned that we were celebrating the year we all turned 81 he brought us champagne on the house.  And after our desserts he took us down to our car in his golf cart.  What hospitality!!!!

Our ride to the Panorama to avoid the stairs.  Great hospitality. 

Here's to our 81st year. 

Cookies and ice cream. 

Looking out over the 18th Hole. 

On Saturday we went over to Iona to visit the reconstructed Highland Village.  The church that is there was moved by water from Malagawatch. 

The pulpit of the church.  

Sunday we just stayed around the house, slept late and enjoyed the beautiful view.

The house.  

Our neighbor Patt Up (I'm Patti Down) had beautiful flowers planted in our window boxes.  

Before we left for Halifax I made one last breakfast where we enjoyed the cinnamon buns from the Cedar House Bakery and frozen wild blueberries with banana slices.

Cinnamon buds from the Cedar House Bakery 

Three Friends and Their Hats (A Repost in Memory of my Friend Christene)

Three friends in August 2014.

I'm reposting this in memory of my friend Christene (left in photos) who passed away today. I was fortunate to be able to visit with her last week when I was in Cape Breton.  She was a good friend and a delightful lady.  We had so many good times together.  I will miss her terribly.  RIP my dear friend.

In the summer of 2013 my friends Michealette and Christene came out to Marble Mountain to spend a leisurely day walking on the beach, playing Scrabble and just catching up.  In the course of the afternoon, David (Christene's son) took photos of the three of us, but we could not get Christene to have her photo made without covering her face.  We told her she was camera shy.  So this summer when they were out for an afternoon we decided to try and recreate that same photo.

Photo from summer of 2013.  L. to R. Christene, me, Michealette.

Photo from this summer 2014.  An attempt to recreate a similar photo.

We persuaded Christene not to be camera shy so she agreed.

Christene camera shy no longer.

In the first photos I was wearing Michealette's hat and Christene was wearing a white hat that has been around the house here for as long as I can remember, but for our final photo this year, we each wore our own hats.  Christene had just got back from a trip to Vancouver and  was sporting a new hat from there.  Michealette had her original pretty sun hat, and I had my visor from the US Open which was in North Carolina this year. 

Photo from this year 2014 each wearing our own hats. 

The three of us always have a good time when we get together.  It's not just the young who can have fun, those of us who are not so young can continue to have just as much fun.  Stay tuned for next year's photo update.  

Friends for 75 years!!!

Celebrating our 81st.  

Last week I was gadding about with Pat W. and PJ in Nova Scotia.  We've been friends since first grade which was 75 years ago and that means we were also celebrating the year that we all turned 81.  Yes 2018 has been a big year for us.

We arrived in Halifax, (Pat W was sitting in my wheelchair.) 

After flying from Charlotte to Toronto (where we missed our flight to Halifax but were able to get another one) we arrived in  Halifax to spend a couple of days.

I wanted to be sure my friends saw some of the South Shore of  the province.  We of course hit Peggy's Cove and then Mahone Bay and Lunenberg.  Along the way we had to have a meal at the famous Tim Horton's.

Peggy's Cove

Beautiful Church in Mahone Bay. 

A pretty B & B in Mahone Bay. 

Lunch at Tim Horton's. 

Back in Halifax we visited Becky, Bruce, and Sherri Campbell, and we were charmed by their new little husky Juno.

Juno, the newest member of the Campbell family. 

Then off to Marble Mountain in our rented Lincoln MKK, a vehicle too smart for us.  We were constantly having to check the manual to see how something worked. 

Our Lincoln MKK.  Leaving for Cape Breton.  

The weather was perfect  and after we arrived in Port Hawkesbury we had dinner at the Fleur de Lis, shopped for groceries and headed out to Marble Mountain.  (to be continued)