Let me start here. I had a doctor’s appointment this morning which had to be cancelled at the last minute because I had a dead battery. I got a really quick solution to my problem at my local Subaru dealership and was only 30 minutes late to Thursday @ Merrilyn’s! Only to find that Bob also had a dead battery and was waiting for his solution!
Meanwhile, great food, wine and company. We had Vegetable potstickers; and Carmelized onion and bacon dip, Mushroom pate with crackers, chips and vegetables.

.. Home again,
Jiggety jig.
(with a big smile on my face): every time we drove into her garage, Billie said this old rhyme from her childhood.

I’m home again.

Jiggety jig!

On Tuesday, Billie and I went to tai chi again, followed by advanced line dancing and beginning line dancing. I really enjoyed these classes. So many of the ladies there were friendly, encouraging and welcoming.
Later, Billie made a wonderful quiche for dinner. And the leftovers were packaged for my travel the next day! Yum!
Which we both promptly forgot the next morning! LOL!

Yesterday afternoon and evening, there was a tornado warning. It was all over the news as each potential outbreak was followed closely. Lots of rain and raging wind. Today it was cold with clear skies and wind at about 25 mph. Not good for bike riding or walking outside so we went to the mall and walked for an hour or so. Every time we made the circle, this guy was in the same position tying his shoes!

This morning we went to brunch at

The food was really good but the service was even better because Billie’s grandson Rickey was our server.
Lemon blueberry quinoa pancakes:
Farmhouse hash:

On the way to Lewisburg WV, we stopped in Fincastle VA which was settled in the mid-1700s. The jail:
Billie bought our tickets online ahead of time. A good idea since 40,000 were sold and only 200 more were available this morning.
There were 34 tasting locations. Each sample cost one ticket.
Long lines.
From Corn + Flour, Avalanche Cookies make with chocolate, peanut butter, rice krispies, mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips plus a pink-foil-wrapped truffle Billie picked up somewhere.
Big crowd!
On the way home, we stopped in Daleville at
Fun day. Thanks Billie!

We drove 2 hours to Fries (pronounced FREEZE, but Billie said in the summer it’s called FRIES, like the French-cut potato – is that true?). JD drove up from Charlotte to ride with us.


The trail to the left goes to Pulaski, to the right it goes to Galax.
Crossing the New River:

We rode along Chestnut Creek:
An old railroad turntable site:
The falls were our turn-around point. This is also where Billie rescued her cat Chessie 10 years ago. She was just 2 pounds at the time, life has been good to her ever since.

A beautiful trail. So much fun! Miles = 20

My friend, the cat lady, with Chessie and Bobbie:
I went for a walk, part of it on a golf course which usually has zero people playing. But not today, I found a shortcut after I politely skirted four four-somes.

This morning, Billie and I drove to Vinton, a nearby town,
where, every Tuesday, she takes three classes in a row. First tai chi:
Then an advanced class of line dancing (I had a hard time keeping up with this one) and a beginner’s class (more my speed).
After a bit of shopping, we had lunch at FarmBurguesa.
Very tiny, but the best hamburger I’ve had in a long time!

Time to drive back to Roanoke.
Back at Billie’s in the late afternoon, a big thunderstorm rolled through. This picture does not do justice to the amount of rain that came down. It rains differently here than it does in Sacramento!