Road Trip: Chapter V

Beautiful Babies

If there were a climax to our trip, it was our stop in Maryland to see children and grandchildren.  It was also the turn-around point. Bill's parents had not yet met the youngest one and hadn't seen the other one since she was a wee bairn.  She's still just a tater tot but with more personality and expression than a Disney sitcom and a whole lot cuter.  You'll have to take my word for it or look on my Facebook page.  I've graduated from "Grandpa Jo" to "Grandma Jo" since we last saw them.  Besides good company and good food, we also enjoyed a snow fall from the comfort of their house.  It was a brisk morning but clear roads on our way out of town. 

The Next Ville

So as I was walking into a truck stop "super" store for the umpteenth time for a pit stop, I was trying to remember which state it was that I saw the silliest sign I've ever seen in a bathroom stall.  There was a hook on the door, as women expect, but with a plaque underneath that said, "Hang purse here."  I was thinking, "What on earth else would you do with a hook on the back of a bathroom stall?"  Hang your baby by his overalls?   That would keep him from peeking under the stall at others or touching things on the floor too scary to describe!  Genius!  Honestly, I don't think they give Arkansas women enough credit. 

Back to the car: From North Potomac, MD we made a bee line (well a drunken bee line because there was no straight shot over the mountains) for Asheville.  There we spent a very enjoyable evening with a cousin from the Potter side of my family.  I've always considered myself very Cohen-y looking so I was quite surprised when I looked at this picture and saw how Potter-y I look.  What do you think?

 

 

Asheville's main attraction is an 8000 acre estate built by George Vanderbilt in 1895.  Since the weather was not conducive to strolling through downtown or hiking, this was about our only choice.  It's not that I didn't want to see it, but the entrance fee was outrageous.  Bill and I forked over not just an arm and a leg but some vital organs too for the privilege.  It was beautiful and impressive.  The most fun we had was imagining life through the eyes of Downton Abbey fans - us.  The house was set up similarly to Highclere Castle and the lifestyle seemed to fit the same era. 



Biltmore Estate

Blessings:
Healthy children and grandchildren.
Reuniting with my Potter cousin and family.
Purse/baby hangers in bathrooms.