Roadtrip 2011: Louisville, KY and HOME

After our visit to Durham, it was time to circle our way back toward the Midwest. Once again, we stopped at Jessica's in Louisville on our way back. She let us share her birthday morning with her and her girls. (You haven't aged a bit, Jess!)

We had a doughnut party
And an indoor sledding party
And, eventually, a farewell party on the walk out to the car

It was sweet to see our girls become such instant friends.
After all of this roadtripping, Ramona has come to be quite the champion traveler. Hope you had fun, Mona-pie--thanks for going on an adventure with Mommy and Daddy!

Roadtrip 2011: Durham, NC

Our North Carolina trip would not have been complete without a visit to Durham to see my long-time friend Brittany.
Ramona's version of "Brittany" tends to come out closer to "Barney," so we encouraged her to just call her "Aunt B," which she happily did.

And we called Britt's sister Taunja "Aunt T." Both aunties completely showered Ramona with attention all weekend.
Saturday Aunt B showed us around the local farmer's market


And walked us through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens that afternoon
She showed Ramona how to make a wish in one of the ponds there


Red-faced and sweaty, Ramona was eager to explore as much of the gardens as she could. While she marched ahead of us, she frequently stopped to strike this dramatic pose (as she often does when she is in an adventuresome mood):

She also insisted on laying out her blanket on the lawn for a "picnic."


Sunday morning:

While visiting Brittany's church, we got to listen to her give a Father's Day-themed talk in front of the congregation. She was amazing.

Thanks Aunt B and Aunt T, for having us!

Roadtrip 2011: Craggy Pinnacle, NC

For our last hike in the North Carolina mountains, we chose a little trail up to Craggy Pinnacle, just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.





For as short as the trail was, the views were incredibly rewarding.



While we were up there, we talked to a couple from Wisconsin. "I'm glad we skipped the Biltmore for this," one of them said, and I had to share the sentiment.

Roadtrip 2011: Asheville, NC

For our fourth day in North Carolina, we decided not to venture out quite as far and just stayed close to our hotel in Asheville. In the morning, we visited the local arboretum. It was fairly expansive, and included:
a "quilt" garden,


a bonsai garden,

a trail through some Carolina woods,
and a rhododendron forest

Lunch: Tupelo Honey Cafe in downtown Asheville
Afternoon: Asheville Zoo
Bears, Wolves, and Otters, oh my!


ROAR!






Dinner: Pizzeria Ritrovo for pizza and from-scratch-gelato