Road Trip!

As mentioned in my last post, my sister and I traveled from Virginia Beach to Kansas City together last week, via Asheville and Louisville.  Jayne says she still hasn't forgiven me for moving to Michigan sixteen years ago, so we were both thankful we had this time together.  Given the nature of the trip, I can't think of anyone better to have along for the ride.  We laughed together, cried together, prayed together, did our yoga exercises together (cause for more laughter), and tried to keep each other on the right roads.  The only complaint I had was that Jayne was reluctant to participate in snack time, but that didn't stop me from indulging. . .with moderation, of course.  ;)

While driving through Virginia, we were captivated by the beauty around us.  The trees seemed to be in peak fall color, and we saw numerous cotton fields in full bloom.  Nothing like cotton fields to give you a real down south awareness. . .that, and sweet tea.  Our first destination was Asheville, North Carolina, home of the famous Biltmore Estate.  Jayne and I had both toured Biltmore before, but this time we scheduled our tour for their evening Christmas Candlelight Tour.  The mansion was decked out in Victorian Christmas decor - dozens of Christmas trees (including one 34 ft. Frasier Fir in the dining room), mantle arrangements, and Victorian accent pieces. Since indoor photography is prohibited, I could only capture the front of the house as we saw it that night.

Our next destination was Louisville, Kentucky. Ashlea arranged her work schedule, so we were able to spend most of Monday together.  She took us to Locust Grove Plantation, established over 200 years ago by the the Croghan family, relatives of George Rogers Clark, founder of Louisville.  Though the home is not lavish by today's standards, it was quite remarkable for its time and was visited by quite a number of dignitaries, including three U. S. Presidents.  The details of the home's restoration are quite fascinating. 

Jayne, Ashlea, me