Mountain Hideaway

We had a leisurely day... Reading books and working on our Mountain Hideaway puzzle. At a point we needed to find Wi-Fi so that we could book our rooms for the last leg of our trip. We also needed a few things... Like coffee and pastries and something for lunch. We waited for a break in the rain and then headed into Boone. 

We first located the library, where we planned to spend some time looking at genealogy and using their Wi-Fi to make our plans. We got our bearings, and responded to calls and texts and emails that had accumulated since the last time we were "alive" to the world. Then, we drove around looking to locate a place for a bite to eat. We wandered briefly through the campus of Appalachian State University, with it's beautiful grounds bright with azalea blooms.

Our first stop was the Stick Boy Bread Company, where we found some delicious spinach cheddar scones for a light lunch, knowing that we were going to have an early, heavy dinner. We also walked away with a box full of pastries for the next three days' breakfasts, and a focaccia for lunch one day. And, of course, coffee in the form of a divine hazelnut latte with almond milk, and a hot tea for mom.

Our next stop was Ingles grocery store for a few necessities, then a short drive through a back road tunneled with trees. Back at the library, it had started to rain again... Our cue to spend some time inside. We located the genealogy section, then got connected to take care of the business of making room reservations at the last minute for Memorial Day Weekend. Ugh. Not fun when you're cheap. :) We may end up staying in some questionable places, but we'll see how it goes.

As it got close to time for dinner, we packed up and headed toward Dan'l Boone Inn, past the college kids playing acoustic music for donations on the corner. Our dinner dates were Laura and Kaitlyn Eagan, my second cousins once and twice removed... Who I grew up knowing as Laura Doty, to distinguish her from her Aunt Laura, my second cousin. Her grandmother Ernie is Mom's first cousin. We hadn't seen each other since we were kids, but the magic of Facebook has allowed us to keep up with each other somewhat over the years.

We had a nice long visit over an all-you-can-eat meal served family style. We caught up on Kaitlyn's dance recitals, plans for high school starting next year, and the struggles of trying to do art and band and dance and still have a competitive GPA for a college career majoring in architecture. As for Laura... she was glad to have a connection from home, having not been back to Texas for 10 years or so at this point. Her days are filled with making math interesting to fifth graders, keeping up with Kaitlyn, and enjoying time with her parents, who are now closer in Raleigh. She and her dad have researched their Bryant line with exciting results, so I look forward to seeing if there's any connection to the Bryant line on my dad's side.

After saying our goodbyes, mom and I headed back up the mountain to spend the remainder of the evening watching the sunset and working on our puzzle.

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