Chunking Things

Monday, October 22, 2012

The Fall Foliage Tour 2012

My sister is shopping for a lakefront retirement home.  She asked me earlier this year if I would like to accompany her on a road trip to check out some lakes in Western NC and Eastern TN.  I said yes.

We've been on the road for a couple of days so far and the foliage is perfect in this neck of the woods.

We drove from Charlotte, NC over to Johnson City, TN and the colors were glorious.  Of course, I was driving a rental car up and down twisty two lane mountain roads, so no pics of that, but I do like the view of the recreation area at Boone Lake Dam.

The "Tri-City Area" consists of Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol, TN.  I'm a real fan of the area.  It's temperate, gets all four seasons and has a nice standard of living.  I think my sister has eliminated this as a destination for her husband and herself, but I'm considering getting my DH to take a look at it.  Very nice area indeed.

One of the hidden treasures of the area is Jonesborough, TN.  We made a trip to that historic downtown area and fell in love.  First, they decorated Main Street for fall.  Each street light was flanked with bales of hay, stalks of corn, pumpkins and mums.  So pretty!  All the merchants got in line with their own displays of pretty fall flowers and decor.  Walking down that street was a treat.

But what made the experience for me was discovering the International Storytelling Center.  The Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall was a lovely facility devoted to my favorite pastime.  I walked through the hall, checked out the gift store and was crushed to realize that they didn't have performances on the only days we would be in town.  I'll have to wait for next time I visit.  I know I'll be back.  This place invites storytellers to spend a week here and tell stories.  They have a different storyteller each week from May through October.  What a marvelous entertainment for this idyllic small town.  We are heading to VA tomorrow to check out another lake.  I'll try to take some better pictures of the foliage.

--  Sandee Wagner



2 comments:

Marilyn said...

I love that part of the country!

When we lived in NC, I wrote a heroine who was a storyteller and had the chance to see some folks at a fair down in Wilmington. It was so much fun.

Unknown said...

Marilyn,

It is probably at peak foliage right now. Glorious weather and the scenery is stunning! We are loving the road trip. spw