SUNDAY DRIVE

(An old fence on the left of the barn which has also seen better day.  Still beautiful though.)

Last weekend, feeling a bit of cabin fever, we thought it would be safe to take a ride in the countryside. We wanted to find a nice, quiet area for a walk and so, with a full tank of gas, we set out. 

(An old farm with fences out front again.  Hard to see those fences as they seem camouflaged against the grass.)

Much to our surprise there was a lot of traffic on the roads, and when we drove to all our usual places, the parking lots were packed and people were heading for the trails.  We didn't feel comfortable being around all those people.  There wasn't 6 feet between them to spare, so we drove by and went on our way.  

(Another farm with a silo painted like an ear of corn.  And there are the fences again.)

Not once did we get out of the car, and the only time I opened a window was to take these photos. Our speed was generally between 40 to 55 miles per hour on open roads, much less of course going through towns, and along narrower roads.

(Other rural scenes as we drove by.)

It was good to get out but I don't think we will be doing that any more.  

(Another fence in front of the cemetery.  We were in Manassas by this time.)

(The rest of the photos were also taken as we were driving through Manassas.)

(Approaching the traffic light I noticed the mural on the left.)

(Here's a closer look.)

 (The historical old town area is very nice.)

(You can read about Manassas at this link.)

(I have often thought I would like to look around Iron Horse Antiques.  One of the comments I read from a happy customer, was that it is the best furniture store in the Northern Virginia area and it is one of the top 10. Their furniture is made out of quality solid wood at a great price with professional customer service.  Now that is quite a glowing recommendation.  

Apparently they have obtained solid oak European furniture from military people who have purchased overseas, and there is also Amish furniture of the same excellent quality.  The salespeople appear very knowledgeable, knowing all about the fabrics used, whether they were treated, what was in the cushions and much more.  If ever any of our furniture finally falls apart, I think I will look here first.  Unfortunately I couldn't find a website but it has plenty of good reviews on Yelp.)

These photos I am sharing today for Gosia's Fences Around the World, were taken on our Sunday drive, and I was happy to see several fences, so win-win!

Thank you for hosting Gosia.  

If you would like to see other fences, or join in with your own, you will find the link here.  

Thanks for stopping by.  

Enjoy your day and stay safe and happy.

COROLLA NORTH CAROLINA TRIP - SECOND DAY DAY - SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2017

Saturday, September 2nd, 2017 

Second Day

Leaving Elizabeth City at 11.00 a.m.

Mileage: 59939

11.44 p.m. We just left Andy's Pancake and Steakhouse, not far from the hotel. 

Great food, friendly people.  It had 4-1/2 stars on Yelp, popular with the locals mainly and a few like us, passing through.  We asked at the front desk before leaving our hotel if they could recommend a place.

I always enjoy reading these kind of placemats advertising local businesses.

Gregg had sausage patties and eggs, with what he thought were some of the best hash browns he has had in a very long time.  His meal came with a biscuit. 

I had what turned out to be an enormous plate of French Toast with apples and butter (I shared with Gregg), an order of grits, and coffee with never-ending refills.  I only managed two cups.  There was a mountain of yummy cooked apples and whipped cream on top of those pancakes.  No wonder I am smiling.  Let the holiday begin!  We had better do plenty of walking.

2.27 p.m we stopped by the waterfront - still in Elizabeth city - and then after a short walk, we saw there was a museum across the street. 

We had an hour around the museum. It was great fun, very interesting.  I am going to have to do another post on the museum but here are a couple of favorites.

We left the car in the parking lot and walked behind the building, as we noticed a small cemetery when we drove by. It looked old and full of history.  We walked around for half an hour, then back to the car. 

Trying to exit at the other end of the parking lot, the street was flooded. It rained hard last night. We turned around and came back the way we came in. 

Culpeper Rebellion? (If I see historical markers that we don't have time to read, I make note of the title and look them up later.)  

We are in Currituck County. 

3.54 p.m. and we have just reached Duck. Crawling along in traffic for the last half an hour with no end in sight.  It is after all Labor Day Weekend, and everyone seems to be heading to the beach.

8.18 p.m. We have been at the house for several hours. We weren't sure we had rolled into the correct driveway at first, then our nephew appeared to welcome us.  Besides having the company of my sister-in-law, her husband and son, there are also my brother-in-law's brother and his wife who are here for the long weekend.  We spent a very pleasant evening chatting.

I  adopted a most comfortable easy chair by the window.  It swings around (I don't do much of that, but I love how it gently rocks back and forth.)  Everyone is in full relaxation mode. We are at the beach!

I went outside before going to bed.  There is a door that opens from our bedroom onto a balcony, and steps to the beach on our left.  I look forward to exploring tomorrow.  I can't see the water but I can hear the surf.  Migrating martins get a lot of help from people in North Carolina.  There are clusters of bird houses on tall poles everywhere I look.  Good to see!