The High Country

We always enjoy our drives into the high country of North Carolina.

This evening we were traveling to the Artisanal restaurant for dinner.

The small town of Banner Elk does a beautiful job with the border of flowers that continues for almost the whole length of the town.

The Eagle's Nest private gated mountain community has a beautiful new welcome lodge.

Flowers and trees always seem to thrive in the high country.

Of all my evening bags this is Mr. Mickey's favorite. I bought it on a long-ago buying trip in Atlanta at the apparel market.

The sateen jacket is from Dillard's. The black brocade pants and blue top as well as the turquoise necklace are from Chico's. The Steve Madden heels are from Nordstrom.

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.