Heaven on Earth

So here we are driving to one of our favorite places in the world. Its a long drive and with two 13 month olds in tow, it seems to work best when we drive through the night. Don't get me wrong..it would be impossible to sleep with the anticipation of getting there. "There" is Lake Lure, North Carolina. Our first real family vacation--just the four of us. It will be tough with all the extra help Nana provides but this is something we all need. We will cross through Georgia and into South Carolina. This trek from Eastern to Western South Carolina seems to go on forever. Finally we reach North Carolina and then and only then do we see the mountains in the distance. Those dark shadows I wait so anxiously to see. Its like the prize at the end of the great race. Dark windy roads. Oh look theres the Indian Rock. That means we are getting very close. And then after 8 1/2 hours we have arrived. Heaven on Earth. Time to hurry up and get the kids back into bed so we can catch a few hours of sleep before our days begins. Mmmmmmmm...that cabin smell..pine. We wake up. Coffee on the front porch. It's actually spring here. The leaves on the trees are so new that they are a mix of yellow and green. The dogwoods in bloom everywhere.
If you haven't seen western North Carolina in the spring, you are truly missing out on one of lifes wonders. This is a place where you can drive and drive. You actually enjoy driving. Spacious farms..acres and acres of green. Oh and you know know those fences where they pile wood on top of wood and somehow manage to make a fence. Oh and so quiet. I must admit I took advantage of the kids naptime and took a nap on the front porch swing. Cool breeze blowing. Just the right temp. Ahhhhhhh.
Window shopping on Main Street in Hendersonville. The people are so friendly and welcoming. Talkative..Patrick loves that. We go to the Mast General Store. Browse all the toys. The toys of yester year. You know..a real jack in the box. Wind up chattering teeth. Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Curious George. And the candy. Like an old fashioned candy store. Barrells full of anything you can think of. You can buy it in bulk. Pez, lemon heads, sugar daddys, atomic
fireballs, fruit stripes gum,Now and Laters candy. On and on. We pick up a Coke a Cola in a glass bottle. Oh we cant leave without a visit to the Chocolate factory. Need some homemade fudge for the ride back to the cabin.
By the time we left the apple blossoms covered the apple trees. A good sign for this area of North Carolina as their main source of income is the apple season in late August. We are leaving now. Time to head back to reality. Knew this day would come too quickly. As we drive away, I try to absorb every last moment. Paint a picture in my mind. The Broad River flowing fast alongside the road. The damn must be open. Goodbye Indian Rock. We will be back to see you soon. I see the mountains in the rearview mirror. Keep looking until finally they are no more.