I left home a little early this morning. I needed to get some fresh air and I wanted to take some photos before heading to work.
My first stop was at the Shull Cemetary on Broadstone Rd in Valle Crucis. I wandered around the perimeter and took several shots. As you can see, there is still quite a bit of spot color up here in the mountains. As I got into the Jeep, I noticed a substantially low tire so I drove to the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis to get a shot of FREE air. Yep, there is still a place that doesn't charge you to fill up your tires. I ran into my good friend Brenda there.
Next I drove in the direction of Vilas. I was still on scenic highway 194 when I saw this lady in her yard. At her feet were more than 30 cats! As I stopped to talk to her, the cats scattered like roaches from light. The lady's name is Rena and she tried to give me a couple of kittens, but I politely explained to her that Mister Man would be jealous.
"Oh, give the old Tom a couple of women and he'd be happy," she said.
"No," I thought, "He would not be."
I made a mental note to return to Rena's place soon but only with my anti-cat sheild activated.
I turned onto 421 and headed towards Boone, but veered off the road onto Linville Creek and meandered up the Boone Mountain that way. Pretty trees, old barns, and crooked old farmers were everywhere!
Once in Boone proper, I stopped and took a couple of shots of the maple trees in front of the Jones House. I then travelled to the Mountaineer Restaurant where I was greeted by Roland, the resident chow, who greets all the customers.
I ordered some grits to go and was only then ready to start my day.
