Loads of Fun in Bristol

We certainly have had a whirlwind of a visit, but before I delve into the fun, let me get you up to date on the Wayside Inn Adventure in Middletown.

When we arrived, the woman who greeted me had been SO excited that the Corvette Club was staying with them.   Her exuberance even had ME a bit interested......and that's saying a lot since anyone who really knows me realizes that I couldn't tell you one make of a car over another even if my life depended on it.

Well...Marty and I headed out for a morning walk, expecting to find a parking lot full of Corvettes.

Imagine our surprise when this is what we spied:

oh....and I can't forget the one parked in the handicapped space!

Yep...that was the grand total.  Five cars.  But I will admit that the group was quite rowdy in the breakfast room, so I can see why the woman might have thought they were a bit larger crowd.

So much for THAT excitement!

But the inn itself offered quite a bit of history, and the employees were probably some of the friendliest that I have ever met.  

As you can see, it was a gorgeous day!

And the fire danger was low....thank goodness!  (I don't know about you, but I haven't seen one of these signs in quite some time!  This was on the fire station wall.)

There is a famous battlefield, Cedar Creek, just a couple of miles down the road, but we didn't really have time to investigate that as we had an anxious grandson waiting for our arrival.

So, after a scrumptious and very hearty breakfast, we headed back onto the highway to fight the traffic on I-81.  We arrived around 2:00 and wasted no time getting out for some fishing at a nearby lake.

Success in short time, even if the catch was tiny!

I was a bit amused by the relaxed fishing technique:

and even more so when I spied Violet in a similar pose.

Perhaps it's a southern thing?

This morning we woke to the sound of rain, but that didn't stop us from getting out there and enjoying the day.

First on the list:  Blackbird Bakery

Always a delectable adventure.

Then, back home for a couple games of chess, outside on the porch, with the background noise of raindrops pelting on the roof.

With the rain seemingly having no end in sight, we decided to head to Bass Pro Shop.

We wasted no time sitting down and playing a game of checkers, which was actually a first time experience for him but he caught on quickly.

Then there was some coloring

and an outdoor fishing event

which resulted in another tiny catch....but certainly was a lot of fun!

And, of course we couldn't pass on the $5.00 matching t-shirts!

The skies cleared just in time for some outdoor water gun fun with Grandpa G

who obviously had some experience with this, resulting in a whole lot of giggles and excitement!

Of course, we couldn't forget some playtime with violet

and a game of Flipping chickens with Gramma G joining in as well.

I don't know about you, but I'd say that today has offered about as much fun as one could ever squeeze into one day!

Let's just say that there's one tired tike in the house.

And I should probably add that there are a couple of tired grandparents as well!

So, I better sign off and get some zzzz's!  Tomorrow is another day!

At the Wayside in Middletown

We are gallivanting through Virginia, on our way to Bristol, stopping for the night in Middletown (which is most certainly NOT in the middle of this trip), and staying at the Wayside Inn.  This historic building makes claim to the oldest motor inn, having been established in 1795.  I'll try to remember to take a photo in the morning.

We arrived much later than expected, but were enthusiastically welcomed in the tavern, where we could hear the melodic tunes of a guitar player singing.  The bar tender telephoned the kitchen to tell them of our interest in dinner, and they were happy to accommodate.

So we found ourselves sitting in a room with a total of 4 other people, listening to an entertaining fellow singing songs from Glen Campbell, Cat Stephens, and Dierks Bentley, the latter at Marty's request.

While dinner was being made, I went to check in at the front desk, which, in itself was quite an adventure as this inn seems to stretch longer than the average city block!  But after walking through several eating areas, all very cozy, I turned the corner to find the huge front desk, and within seconds, I was being greeted by a very friendly woman who gave me her cell phone number, should we need anything.   She directed met  my room and gave me a warning about the water:  it will get hot......it might just take awhile....a LONG while.

I decided to take a peek at the room before venturing back to the tavern.  

The bed takes up most of the room, which is really fine, but what I found amusing was the height!

Let's just say that when you roll out of bed, you are literally up and ready to go!

I headed back down to the tavern, where Marty and I enjoyed our dinner with this fella as our entertainment, since we were pretty much the only ones in the place by this point.

Definitely a pleasant surprise, and a much needed break from the hectic harried highway travel on Route 81!

Oh and as if this all wasn't exciting enough....it appears that the Corvette Club is staying the night in the hotel as well!

I suppose that we'll be checking those out in the morning.

I'll be sure to keep you posted!