Grayson Highlands

Camping for two days in Grayson County, VA, we day-hiked an excellent stretch of the Appalachian Trail, from Massie Gap toward Mount Rogers - miles of blue ridge views, secret laurel forests, stone caves, mountaintop meadows, wild ponies, grazing steer, herds of deer and countless tiny creatures.  Here's to a perfect weekend.

Summer, concluded.

September has arrived and it's back to work, full steam ahead. Here, some photos I took whilst the summer was winding down. It's bittersweet to look forward to autumn, but I still do. Crisp evening walks with Mabel, and backyard bonfires, are right around the corner - but before we officially turn the calendar page, let's remember (and appreciate!) the joys of summer.

Salter Path

It's no secret that I'm partial to Highway 12, but this little stretch of island, along the southern outer banks, has a lot of charm. Also, you're not a proper North Carolinian til you've had a Big Oak shrimpburger on the beach. Just sayin'.

Sea Islands

We drove down to Georgia and worked our way up the coast, through the Sea Islands, beneath towering pines and palms draped in Spanish moss. 

Savannah was a haze of grace and quiet confidence - with just enough grit to keep things interesting. It's hard to believe I'd never been there before (so many of my friends went to SCAD)! The houses are unreal - of course, you don't need me to tell you that. Those fabled cribs are exhibited endlessly in films, novels, paintings, photographs.  On the drive down, we listened to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which we've both read before but it seemed an opportune time to revisit. I was so glad we did - it made walking the streets and squares of Savannah that much more magnetic.

Hunting Island State Park is a dream and you must go. That's all I have to say - you need to see it for yourself. We spent a perfect day, dividing our time between two beaches, and taking breaks in the shady, sandy paths that wind across the island.  (After sunset, back at our campsite, we set a fire to grill some just-caught shrimp, and nearly fell asleep waiting for dinner)!

If you go, you should also visit the Penn Center - there's a small museum with incredible photographs and documents tracing the history of the Gullah Geechee community. Their mission is to promote and preserve the history and culture of the Sea Islands, and it's well worth your time.

I'm glad to be home, but I won't soon forget these adventures.

And, more photos from our trip.