Showing posts with label mid-life fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mid-life fun. Show all posts

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Jazz at Wellington's

Today we had the nicest weather of the summer!


Earlier in the day, we attended a Bristol Race Day brunch at our dear friends' lake home. It was great fun to see a few of my sweet girlfriends again and just be silly. Some of us are trying not to fall off the steps while Mr. Mickey is snapping pictures before we are ready.


The view from my back deck was stunning on this sunny day!


Before dinner, Mr. Mickey took me to Chico's since we had a few minutes to spare. Isn't he the best?!


Happy going in the door...


Even happier coming out the door!

With the sale, they were having and my birthday Passport discount added, it was like getting a tank top for free! Tank tops, or any other basics that you wear as often as I do mine, need to be updated at least once a year. The tanks at Chico's are top quality, and I love it that the necklines are not too low. I buy a size too large because I don't like them to cling to my middle so much.



Wellington's is a fine dining restaurant that is part of the Carnegie Hotel and Spa in Johnson City, TN.

We visit this restaurant often, but on this evening we had the best meal in years! The fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese and orange marmalade appetizer was one of the best things I have ever eaten. They also had our all-time favorite wild mushroom soup. We are two happy people!



There was a splendid live Jazz performance in the lounge this evening, but we could hear the performance from our table as well. 

Local readers may recognize a special ETSU professor back there in the center. We enjoyed sitting in the lounge listening to them after dinner. Mr. Mickey snapped this photo as I walked away from the tip jar. He is my own personal Paparazzi!  



Both my outfits for this day are from Chico's. I have been asked to be a style ambassador for them. However, that would require additional trips to Asheville for shows or seminars. At this time, my plate is much too full to add anything else, so I will consider it again in the future. For now, I am just a pleased, loyal Chico's shopper! 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Glass Onion

Mr. Mickey and I often turn dinner reservations in a nearby town into a day trip full of other activities. Saturday was one of those days.



I dressed for a warm day in the city, followed by dinner at a restaurant we haven't visited before.



We spent part of the afternoon in Asheville sipping a beverage at a sidewalk cafe, watching the local characters. This is one of our favorite street performers. He plays, sings, and dances all at the same time.




Sister Bad Habit is always a fun one to see zipping about.


These performers made their own instruments to create their haunting melodies. We bought one of their CDs they were so good!




We shopped in the Grove Arcade, which has an amazing entrance. Gargoyles are a recurring theme throughout Asheville.



The flowers on many of the streets were amazing!



This is an apartment building across the street from The Grove Arcade.




As twilight approached, it was time to take Asheville's short drive back to Weaverville for our dinner reservations at the Glass Onion.



We tried several different items from the menu, and each was a great delight to the eyes and the palate. 


We shared a delightful dessert of a profiterole filled with lemon cream and topped with blueberry reduction. It was so excellent!



The husband and wife (this is Natalie with me) owners have always been head chefs at fine restaurants in New York until they decided to take the plunge and open their own restaurant here in the western North Carolina mountains. We are so fortunate that they did!

We loved the casual elegance, wonderful food, attentive service (but not too much), and visiting with the other diners around our table. It was a lovely and entertaining evening centered around exceptional food. We look forward to returning very soon to try some of the other entrees.



The white ankle pants are by Jones of New York. The tank, cardigan sweater, and necklace are from Chico's. The bag is from Stein Mart. The sandals are by Bjorndal from Rack Room Shoes.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

It's Greek to Me!

The town of Weaverville, North Carolina, is just a short pleasant drive across the mountains from Johnson City.

 
 
Mr. Mickey and I especially enjoy the Stoney Knob Cafe, one of several excellent restaurants there. They offer a menu of American, Greek, and European cuisine.
 


They serve the most awesome focaccia bread and olive oil dip before dinner. Supreme olive oil is poured over fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta. We could make a meal from just that and a glass of wine. It really is over the top good!



I haven't worn these Vince Camuto shoes very much this year, so I wanted to style an outfit around them for our Saturday date night before summer slips away from us.


 
Weaverville is a surprising little town with sidewalk cafes, art galleries, gift shops, excellent pottery galleries, and the Well-Bred Bakery & Cafe, where we stopped in to pick up a fresh-baked loaf of wheat bread.



We have already picked out the next restaurant we will visit in Weaverville. We have heard great things about The Glass Onion, and their menu looked really interesting.



Voted one of the top 200 Salons in America, Aabani Salon is also located here in Weaverville.




There was still plenty of time after our meal to take the ten-minute drive into downtown Asheville. We had an after-dinner Scotch and water at a sidewalk cafe where we sat for more than an hour watching all the people passing by. We also really enjoyed visiting with two lovely women sitting at the table next to us. We make new friends wherever we go!



The lightweight jacket and matching tank are both from Chico's. The side zip ankle pants are from Talbots. The clutch and Oscar de la Renta sunglasses are from Stein Mart. The awesome coral cuff was a gift from my sweet friend Lois.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Home and Garden Tour

The homes and gardens in Blowing Rock and Linville, North Carolina, are some of the most charming in all of the high country.



On Friday, we visited Blowing Rock for the St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church tour of homes and gardens. The event is one of our favorites, so we try to attend each year.



The first home on tour was abundantly English in both the gardens and the home.



This home is one of seven the family owns.


There were also French and Italian influences on the grounds, in the main house, and in the three guest houses.



The foggy side lawn view includes a glimpse of the Moses Cone Manor on a distant mountain. Grandfather Mountain can be seen on clear days from the front lawn, but it was obscured by fog today.



Later in the day, we took a short drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Linville. The buildings in this community are often covered with bark and bordered by thousands of beautiful flowers and trees.



 
The Eseeola Lodge is always a good place to stop for a refreshing beverage and dinner.



 Dahlias are among the most perfect flowers, and they seem to thrive in the climate of Linville.


Window and rail boxes overflowed with colorful flowers.



Even the parking lot is bordered by flowers.






My outfit for the day includes a Travelers Collection
sweater, white tank top, and white side zip ankle pants, all from Chico's. The handbag is from Stein Mart. The Adrienne Vittadini shoes were from T.J.Maxx last year. The sunglasses are Oscar de la Renta from Stein Mart. The lariat style necklace is one of my own designs in silver and rose quartz.


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Knoxville in the Rain

We have had record amounts of rainfall in our area this summer, but that doesn't keep Mr. Mickey and me from taking fun trips to neighboring towns.


This weekend we took a trip down to Knoxville, Tennessee, about a hundred miles south-west of my home. Even with the rain, we still had fun shopping for antiques in one of my favorite places, Willow Creek Gallery.



During the first part of the day, I wore khaki ankle pants from Chico's with a tank top from Stein Mart and a lightweight red jacket from Chico's. The bag is by Coach. The sandals are Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx. 


 

We enjoyed our stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is very convenient to downtown and the shopping areas off of Kingston Pike. The odd spots in this photo are raindrops on the lens ... of course. 

In honor of our visit to this famous French restaurant, I wore side zip black ankle pants from Talbots and a black tank top from Stein Mart, along with a sheer black jacket with a soft ruffle at the front. The jacket is many years old. The shoes are also old by Sam and Libby. The ribbon detail clutch is from Stein Mart. 


We had dinner at The Orangery, which is a landmark in Knoxville. Being a great lover of all things French, I was thrilled just to be in the midst of all the building's statuary and architecture. The food and service were both superb! We will return as soon as possible.


The World's Fair was held in Knoxville in 1982, which is why this fabulous park was built.


I wore white ankle pants by Peck and Peck from Stein Mart with a Chico's skinny sweater over a white Chico's tank for the trip home. The shoes are also by Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

One Sunny Day

Saturday was a rare sunny day here in East Tennessee. We have seen rain almost every day for the past few weeks.



We took full advantage of the beautiful weather by visiting one of our favorite small towns. Abingdon, Virginia, is about an hour's drive from my home. 



Many Abingdon homes and shops date from 1778. 


You can catch a glimpse of fabulous gardens and moss-covered courtyards as you stroll along the tree-lined streets.


Breezes were starting to blow in another round of clouds by the end of the day.


Most buildings have been restored to their former glory, including such details as ordering the handmade glass from Germany to replace windows.



There are already so many wonderful shops and restaurants, and more are opening in the coming weeks. Many events and festivals take place here, including world-class antique shows. Music, artisan crafts, and wine, which are among the best in the region, can be found here in Abingdon.




After our day of shopping, we had a lovely dinner at Sisters located in the Martha Washington Inn. The gardens at the Martha are fabulous at this time of year.

Thanks for sharing our fun day with us!

The floral tee is from Chico's. The white Peck and Peck ankle pants are from Stein Mart, as is the handbag. The shoes are by Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx.