Another Adventure

Have you ever had to totally change your plans after you arrived at your destination?

We planned to go shopping in Abingdon, Virginia, for part of the day and then make early dinner reservations at a great restaurant we recently visited. Since this is not a busy time of year for them, I thought we would just call earlier in the day for the first seating. We found that the restaurant and many others in town were either closed for the whole month or operating with a minimal lounge menu.

This is the always inviting porch at the Martha, where the desk manager told us about a great new café around the corner.

So off we go on a new adventure.

Earlier, we stopped briefly at their small T.J.Maxx. I have been looking for a luggage or camel color bag to replace my Liz Claiborne bag. After being carried for several years, it was time to retire it because the zipper finally broke. I was thrilled when I found this Michael Kors one that I have been coveting for more than a year! None of the other stores I have visited still had one in stock, so I was thrilled to find this one at a much lower price than the ones I had been looking at online.

Instead of complaining about my lack of planning, the wonderful Mr. Mickey smiled and suggested we try the new place. It turned out to be great! We will revisit 128 Pecan.

The Virginia Creeper Trail starts a couple of blocks from downtown Abingdon.

An old railroad track was converted to a bike path that extends to the top of Whitetop Mountain. We have actually ridden our bikes from the top of the mountain into Damascus but not all the way back to Abingdon. Perhaps on another day, we will try that.

No Saturday adventure is ever complete until we have shared an afternoon dessert. On this day, we stopped at Anthony's Desserts for a coconut cream pie tart. 

Mickey found the old book on French Country style is one of the shops we visited. He knows how French my heart is.

We saw a large house on the hill off in the distance, so of course, I suggested we get a closer look. The road that passed by the house continued upon the ridge, so we drove to the end of it, where we saw this awe-inspiring panoramic view of mountains and rolling pastures on three sides.

Today's outfit includes a long sleeve white tee, a blue Ponte jacket, and black So Slimming jeans, all from Chico's. The short boots are Madden Girl from Belk a couple of years ago.

Shopping in Asheville

On a winter Saturday afternoon, blue skies often mean a trip across the mountain to Asheville, North Carolina for Mr. Mickey and me.

We took a break from shopping in the Grove Arcade to visit Carmel's. One of our favorite treats is their homemade pimento cheese appetizer, a house-made blend of cheeses with jalapenos served with garlic crostini.

Later in the day, a cup of hot chocolate was just the thing to take away the chill.

It's always fun to visit the Screendoor to look through an eclectic mix of treasures, junque, and books.

No trip to the Biltmore Village is ever complete until we stop by Chico's for a peek at the sale rack. The necklace, long sleeve tee, vest, and pants I am wearing today are all old from Chico's. The coat is also old from Geiger. The short boots were Ralph Lauren via T.J.Maxx last year. The black Tignanello handbag is old from SteinMart.

I hope your shopping trips have been successful! 

Dinner with the Wine Club

After a long busy week, we always look forward to date night on Friday. This evening, we enjoyed a special dinner with friends at the beautiful home of our wine club members. 

The gold necklace, metallic copper sweater, and wheat-colored tank are from Chico's Fall 2013 line. The black pants and low heeled shoes are old.

Enjoying the bouquet of a lovely Veramonte Ritual Pinot Noir from Chile. Cool night air coming off the ocean allows the grapes grown to result in a wine with a bright fruit aroma and flavors of black cherries, blueberry, raspberry, and plum.

Rick graciously conducts our wine club gatherings. He humbly shares his vast knowledge of wine, peppered with stories of his travels worldwide to visit vineyards. It is always a pleasure to be in his company.

It was so nice to spend the evening with dear friends and get to know some new ones a little better.

Upon the Mountain

Today we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to one of our favorite villages, Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Our visits to Blowing Rock almost always end with Mr. Mickey and I enjoying a scoop of Kilwin's ice cream while sitting on a bench in the park across the street. Today I shared a bench with a scarecrow!

This is the door of a stone church in the village.

For some people, Sunday afternoon is a time to watch football. Shopping is a sport, isn't it? Unfortunately, all of my shopping lately has been at Lowe's. 

Here's a peek at my new home. We stopped there on our way out of town.

I will be moving my furniture in soon, but for now, there is still more work to be done.

Today I am wearing a dark purple sweater from Chico's with a lighter violet tunic from Covered Perfectly. This is my version of a sweater set. I don't care for those short clingy ones that you often find in stores. The necklace and brown ponte pants are also from Chico's. I now have my favorite Louise et Cie shoes in brown leather, black suede, and animal print. They are so comfortable! You will find them only at Nordstrom. The bag is old.

Uncork The Fun

Last evening Mr. Mickey and I attended a fun Gatsby event hosted by The Johnson City Area Arts Council (JCAAC). Our regional arts council is dedicated to preserving and nurturing the traditional arts and cultural communities of Johnson City and the surrounding five-county area.

I try to dress age-appropriate, even in costume. Here I am in shades of gray and black again!

Doesn't Mr. Mickey look handsome as a gangster?

Arriving in this car would have been fun, but it was just parked outside the venue for the event.

The Rick Simerly Group entertained us for the evening.

Our friends Tom and Joy McGinnis. Joy is a famous artist from right here in Johnson City.

I don't think this gentleman sat down for the whole evening. It was such fun to watch him dance with all the ladies. Here he is doing the Charleston. 

Thank you for reading about our fun evening for a good cause. I hope you have a lovely Sunday!

The Wine Club

Mr. Mickey and I are charter members of a wine club. Last night we attended a tasting which included the Italian wines Baraolos and Brunellos.

I am wearing a long black, red, and cream sweater over a long-sleeve red tee with a bold Asian-inspired tassel necklace all from Chico's. The straight leg black pants are from Stein Mart a couple of years ago. The shoes are from Nordstrom. The bag is by Tahari via T.J.Maxx last year. 

Before the tasting, I studied that large map of Italy showing all the wine regions on the easel. Have you been to Italy? 

The River Valley

On Sundays, we leave behind our schedules and hectic lives to do something very peaceful or nothing at all. On this Sunday, we took a drive down to the river valley. 

Our earlier plans of taking a drive up on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday were abandoned because of fog, which lasted until late in the morning. Instead, we drove down to the Nolichucky River Valley, as seen below from the Appalachian Trail.

(Photo from Wikipedia.)

This rich and verdant agricultural valley is where a lot of our local produce is grown. It is a summer tradition to drive down to the river to buy local fresh vegetables and fruit. 

On this day, we found lots of pumpkins at our favorite vegetable stand, along with tomatoes, plants, tree bark birdhouses, and other local crafts. 

I am wearing a Chico's jacket, necklace, tank, and khaki jeans. The Vince Camuto animal print flats are from Nordstrom. 

The Silk Kimono

Long jackets with flowing lines and minimal lapels have always been my favorite clothing articles, so of course, I adore kimono-style jackets. Recently I received this hand-painted silk kimono from Dalitika.

The previous two weeks have been very hectic, filled with many long days as I helped Mr. Mickey move into his new home and help him decorate it. (His previous home sold after only five days on the market!) Our aching bodies were ready for a day of relaxing, so we went out for lunch and had a couple's massage at the Austin Springs Spa located in the beautiful Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City.

After a massage, my face and eyes always get puffy, so I had to pull out all my tricks to get ready for these photos. I keep a clean wet washcloth in a storage container in my refrigerator. After my shower, I hold the cold cloth on my eyes for a few minutes each morning to reduce the puffiness. (Always drink lots of water after a massage.) 

This week on Facebook, we have been discussing makeup techniques and eyebrows specifically. Have you noticed that when we are young, the brows are normally darker than the hair? As we start to color our hair or let it fade to gray as I have done, we tend to forget this and try to make the brows the same color as our hair, making us look older or more tired. It is important to rethink your makeup techniques after forty. What worked when we were in our youth will make us look dated and not our best current self. For example, when I learned to apply makeup, I wore a light color with a bit of shimmer under my eyebrows and a darker color in my lid's crease. If I did that today, my eyes would appear to recede. The color I use under my brown now is a muted matte pink color by Merle Norman called Pink Truffle. I use a pale cream shimmer color only at the inner corners of my eyes now. 

A couple of hours after the massages, we were on our way to our favorite restaurant in the mountains of North Carolina. The Artisanal in Banner Elk is truly a world-class dining experience. On this evening, we dined on the terrace overlooking a mountain stream at the edge of the woods. As dusk started to fall, a great owl took flight from one of the trees and glided along the stream on his way to look for his own dinner. I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of this magnificent bird of prey!

On this evening, there was no private party in the Artisanal wine cellar, so we took the opportunity to do this photoshoot there. 

We have been in the restaurant when a helicopter has landed on the lawn to deliver special guests for dinner. Those who prefer total privacy go down to the wine cellar for their dining experience. The wine cellar private dining provides the ultimate food and wine experience in an unforgettable setting. They can accommodate parties of up to thirty-two guests. The owners, Anita and Bill, will assist you in creating a memorable experience down to the finer details. Their guidance in planning every facet of your event to the menu selection, place cards, or floral arrangements to any other special occasion needs makes the tasks of planning a party feel effortless.

The wine collection is massive, including more than a thousand bottles of fine wines. (Note that the floor of the actual wine storage area is pea-gravel.) A long glass wall separates the diners from the wine vault, but it is enjoyable to view all those neatly stored bottles.

The decor of the grounds and building are based on equestrian events, racehorses, and a barn.

This massive poster is on the far wall of the wine cellar.

With the fabulous hand-painted silk kimono from Dalitika, I am wearing a tank and a long necklace from Chico's. The ankle pants are from Talbot's. The shoes are by Guess, and the copper beaded clutch is old.

I got a new haircut a couple of weeks ago. It is softly layered and a little longer on the sides so that I can tuck some of it behind my ears.

I love you this much for reading my blog!

Dinner with Mr. Mickey

One of our couple traditions is to have a date night on Wednesday. It gives us a chance to unwind, get caught up on the busy first part of the week, and plan our weekend ahead.

For this date night, I wore soft, fully lined black crepe pants, a black tank, and a lightweight, almost sheer blue jacket, all from Chico's last year.

The shorter necklace is from Nouvique, also worn here, and the longer necklace is from Chico's. The black strappy sandals are old from JCPenny. The black ruffled evening bag is also old.

I don't work for Chico's, and I don't get free clothes from them, but you might think so. Clothes that last for more than one season and keep their shape after going through the laundry are worth the investment. In my area, there are only a couple of stores in which I shop for that reason.

Tomorrow is my fifty-seventh birthday. There are a few messages I would like to share with my teenage self if that were possible.

1. Happiness is an inside job.
2. Find out what you can accomplish on your own before you commit to a relationship or marry. 
3. Become a vegetarian now for the best lifelong health and weight control possible.
4.You would be wise to buy one timeless top quality black pair of pants that you can wear for many years, rather than to buy five pairs of cheap pants that will only be worn for one season at most.
5. Imagine an event that you might actually be attending. Go to your closet and put together an outfit for that event. Your wardrobe should allow you to participate in any activity without causing stress or emergency shopping when it comes time to get dressed. Plan your purchases accordingly throughout your life.

The Johnson City Country Club

Many of the special events of my life have been held at the Johnson City Country Club. The 100th year of our grand lady is being celebrated this year.

I attribute my love of classic architecture and French influences to my early visits when I was only a teenager.

  

The entry hall leading to the ballroom has always been so warm and welcoming.

The outfit for date night dinner with great friends includes a necklace, tank, ankle pants, and a lightweight cardigan from Chico's. The shoes are old from Nine West. The bag and sunglasses are from Stein Mart.