Finally, A Weekend of Rest

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air." - Eric Sloane

    This past weekend Justin and I met my parents and my brother in the mountains. They rented a house at Lake Junaluska and invited us to come along! It was a nice break from our normal mountain routine, considering we were not spending our time painting, nailing, gluing. Even though it was past the peak Fall leaves, the foliage was still beautiful.

       Of course you can't go to the mountains in the Fall without going to the apple orchard. When we arrived the aroma of apple turnovers captured Justin's attention more than the sight of heaps of apples. For only $1.75, Justin was in heaven!

    There were only a couple items on my agenda, one was to go to the apple orchard, the other to Mast General Store! So, after downing his turnover, we hopped in the car and headed towards Waynesville, NC.

  The leaves were the prettiest in Waynesville. As we walked downtown we couldn't help but stop and act like total tourists! The whole Parrott side of the family used to vacation at Lake Junaluska every summer. So this weekend brought back some great memories! It was good to spend the weekend with my family, also!

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air. - Nathaniel Hawthorne

"The season for enjoying the fullness of life -- partaking of the harvest, sharing the harvest with others, and reinvesting and saving portions of the harvest for yet another season of growth."- Denis Waitley

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."- Albert Camus

    When we made it to Mast General Store I was so excited! Everything about the store makes me smile: the squeaks in the floor, the rustic feel, and, I can't forget, the candy! Mast has so much more, but the only thing I usually ever purchase is candy! They have dozens of barrels filled with different types of candy, it is always a hard decision. They charge by the pound, so we picked out a variety of  items. Of course we intended only to get a pound, however we ended up going WAY over! From fake cigarettes and Pixie Stix to green apple bubble gum and sour gummy bears, everything was a must have! : )

    When we got back to the house we figured we needed to walk off a good bit of the candy we ate on the way home. Since Lake Junaluska has a 2.6 mile walking path that runs alongside the entire lake, that's where we went. From what I remembered, there were always a lot of ducks in certain areas of the lake...and they liked to be fed! As we approached the lake, we were greeted with several types of geese and duck breeds and they appeared to be hungry--and unafraid!  When you would stop feeding them, some would peck you and some just follow you. Either way, they let their presence be known!

   It was a fun and restful weekend. It was nice to be able to sit on the front porch and enjoy the view of the lake surrounded by the colorful mountains. I would recommend this place to anyone!