We had a very nice weekend. Things started out however at 3am Friday morning with a rip roaring thunder and lightening storm with heavy rain to follow ... It kept it up for about an hour and then started in again about 5:30am. By the time Susan and Hal arrived the rain had tapered off and it was just a bit on the cool and cloudy side. With Hal driving and "Miss Molly" nagivating with help from Mike we arrived in Blowing Rock, NC up in the mountains in time for lunch at the Six Pence Pub on Main Street. We had a delightful and wonderful English lunch before wandering off to find our hotel: Chetola's Lodge. Imagine an 87 acre private resort within walking distance of a quaint mountain village, neighboring a 3600 acre National Park and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. We settled into our two bedroom condo with a full kitchen, wondering dining area, gorgeous and comfy living room and a view overlooking the resort. After dropping our belongings off we went on a journey through the area and out part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We eventually found this really little country store with some wonderful goodies. Our favorite was the Vidalia Salsa! It was definitely a winner. After our sojourn through the countryside Susan and Hal headed off to a small grocery store to pick up wine and snacks for the evening. By that time we were ready to sit and relax and enjoy Calendar Girls which we brought with us.

The weather on Sat. and Sunday was fantastic! Bright sunshine, mountain air and about 68 degrees. On Saturday, after a leisurely breakfast and lots of chat time, we headed down to the Blue Ridge Celtic Festival. After haunting the vendor booths for jewelry (only bought a couple of things) we settled down on the blankets to enjoy the concerts which would be going on throughout the day: "Fire In The Kitchen", Celtic Folkers, Classic Celtic followed by Rathkeltair and the Walsh Kelley Dancers. We abandoned our blankets during The Haggis as the music was more geared to a younger generation - loud and just barely picking out the Celtic tunes -bag pipe and fiddle - beneath the sound. We were back for the Boone Scottish Country Dances and then headed back to our Lodge Room for snacks and listened to the music from our Balcony.

In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Blowing Rock, North Carolina we went with Susan and Hal to celebrate Celtic and Appalachian Heritage through music, art, dance, demonstrations, food, and educational activities that will help you find your Celtic Soul. This one day festival, ending with a spectacular concert, celebrates the influence of Scottish and Irish people on the Appalachian region of the North Carolina Mountains.

# Enjoy great Celtic Food including Turkey Legs, Roasted Corn on the Cob, traditional stew, corn dogs, popcorn, ice cream a great selection of Celtic Beer and drink.
# Stroll throughout the grounds and visit vendors, artisans and demonstrations. Demonstrations include weaving, chair making, spinning, handmade pottery, blacksmithing and more.
# Lots of Children's Activities including Jousting, Inflatable Castle, Hands on Activities
# Scottish Country Dancing, Irish Step Dancing, Highland Dancing and Cloggers!

On Sunday after a leisurely breakfast we headed out trying to find some more of the wonderful Vadalia Salsa without any luck but picked up lots of other goodies along the way. One of our stops was called Blowing Rock. It is said that a Chickasaw chieftain, fearful of a white man's admiration for his lovely daughter, journeyed far from the plains to bring her to The Blowing Rock and the care of a squaw mother. One day the maiden, daydreaming on the craggy cliff, spied a Cherokee brave wandering in the wilderness far below and playfully shot an arrow in his direction. The flirtation worked because soon he appeared before her wigwam, courted her with songs of his land and they became lovers, wandering the pathless woodlands and along the crystal streams.

One day a strange reddening of the sky brought the brave and maiden to The Blowing Rock. To him it was a sign of trouble commanding his return to his tribe in the plains. With the maiden's entreaties not to leave her, the brave, torn by conflict of duty and heart, leaped from The Rock into the wilderness far below.

The grief-stricken maiden prayed daily to the Great Spirit until, one evening with a reddening sky, a gust of wind blew her lover back onto The Rock and into her arms. From that day a perpetual wind has blown up onto The Rock from the valley below. For people of other days, at least, this was explanation enough for The Blowing Rock's mysterious winds causing even the snow to fall upside down.

A stop at Cracker for an early lunch finished off a wonderful weekend for us all and Susan and Hal then dropped us off before heading back to their neck of the woods.

PS Some of the pictures may be a little out of order. Mike was taking pictures with one camera and me with another ... so we'll start with the "L"s first and then move into the "Ps"/