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!

A great trail but we ended up not riding our bikes. Instead we drove to Travelers Rest and stopped here:
It was quite the busy place! A free plant swap:
The little girl inspected each bicycle wheel in turn, until she got her arm stuck in the spokes. I heard her quietly saying her arm was stuck, so I asked if she needed help. “No, I’m ok” and she immediately pulled it out.

This morning we went on a breakfast tour in downtown Greenville with Rose at Foothill Foodie Tours. We started at Crepe du Jour.
Mimosas, bacon, scrambled eggs, and a beautiful crepe! The filling was delicious but we couldn’t quite figure out the flavor.
The filling was almond cream cheese mousse. As delicious as it sounds.
As we walked to our next stop, Rose talked about the history of Greenville and the revitalization of the downtown area,took us to an artists collaborative,
and pointed out a couple of the Mice on Main Street (there are 9 altogether).
Next stop:
Biscuits and sausage gravy with scrambled eggs and bacon.
Our final stop, the Hyatt Regency:
Chef Daniel explained that “farm to table” is the old phrase. Now it’s “soil to city” He uses 25 local farmers in this restaurant.
French toast bread pudding made with hallah. And another mimosa!
Even though neither of us totally finished any of the breakfasts, we are stuffed. Happily stuffed! Time to walk it off with a stroll down Main Street to Falls Park on the Reedy: