On Up the Road a Piece

Gordon's birthday was the next day and he wanted to spend it in the city of his birth and eat Chik-fil-A.  So up the road a piece, we spent the afternoon and evening in Roanoke, Virginia, Star City of the South.  We drove downtown to see his grandmother's house (still standing after all these years) and stopped at the local hot spot for dining:

Yes, it's the Texas Tavern.  Chili and buttermilk.  Or a hamburger for a buck-fifty.  Ten stools at the counter.  And according to the sign, yes, ladies like to eat here.

After Roanoke, we headed to to DC to see the kids.  We went to an Irish Pub to have brunch, drink Guinness, and watch Arsenal play football.  Then, we took a little nature hike at Roosevelt Island.

We tried to get the herd of deer to pose for us, but they were having none of it.  Anyway, everyone was well in DC and after a great visit that included the grandchildren and our cousins Amy and John, we headed back home, but not until walking through a boisterous wedding reception at the hotel where someone was butchering what was left of what appeared to be a goat.   In the foyer.  So glad we missed the ceremony.

After Racing Road Trip

We left VIR and headed down the very rainy road to Asheville, North Carolina to see the Biltmore Mansion.  The countryside in that area is, supposedly, gorgeous.  We were mostly treated to rain and fog.  Oh, well.

The size of the Vanderbilt's palace and grounds is beyond belief.  George Vanderbilt officially opened the Biltmore House on Christmas Eve, 1895, after six years of construction.

The family lived there until it was opened to the public in 1930.  The property has gardens and trails, two hotels, a farm and a winery.  The gardens are something to see:

We took a long walk through the gardens and open spaces, following the creek to the bass pond.

On our way, we encountered this interesting tree.  It's an Upright Japanese Plum Yew.  What??

The Conservatory is a greenhouse that contains the most fabulous collection of plants you'll ever see!

And then, the house itself.  Now, that's what we call a HOUSE!  In addition to the family living quarters, the home includes a a library...

A tapestry gallery, a music room, a salon, a breakfast room, and a banquet hall with a 1916 full-size pipe organ.  In addition, 33 guest bedrooms housed visiting family and friends and this started to look more like a cruise than a house.  Guests could begin their day with breakfast in their rooms before enjoying a variety of indoor and outdoor amusements, including reading, letter writing, lawn tennis, croquet, hiking, hunting, and fishing.  Oh, and there's an indoor swimming pool and a bowling alley.  Here's the billiards room...

And up to 30 servants to care for every need.  The servants, by the way, were very well housed, each having private quarters that looked pretty good by early 1900's standards and were well fed in their own dining room.  If you need assistance, please ring the maid's room or the butler's pantry:

OK, we were impressed.  We'd recommend visiting the Biltmore if you get a chance.  It's amazing.  If we get the chance to go back, we think we'd stay over at one of the hotels on the property so we could get out onto the many hiking trails that cover the estate.  And, there are plenty of Chik-fil-A's in the Asheville area.

IMSA Racing Time!

This year we really did it up, endurance racing-wise.  After Le Mans, next race stop was Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  We've posted plenty of pictures from previous races at this track, we know, but here's this year's sampling:

OK, if you can name all these guys, you are an official race nerd...the drivers, not the kids!  Yes, of course we can name them.

Green flag and headed for the Cheese Bridge!

And finally, Pati met her hero and got a picture:

The following month, we were off to Virginia International Raceway near Danville, Virginia.  Well, actually, it's not "near" much of anywhere.  We stayed in Martinsville, an hour's drive from the track but very near the Chik-fil-A.  VIR is a beautiful track and the turnout of fans was tremendous.  Like Road America, you bring your chair, park yourself, and watch the people and cars.

These VIR images were some of the first taken with Gordon's brand new Leica camera, by the way.  We did witness one spectacular crash.  Four fools overturned a golf cart on the side of a nearby hill.  Certainly no adult beverages could have played into the situation.

New Front Yard

Finally got the front courtyard redone.  New expanded the pavers, all plants replaced!

Before:

Granted, this pic was taken to show the Homeowner's Association the condition of the planting on the community area, but you get the idea.

After:

Much better!

Le Mans 2019 and Onward

This trip contained a verified miracle!  All the transportation ran on time or early!

Off yet again to Le Mans via Paris.  For those who, like us, are fans of Marks & Spencer's snack offerings, we are pleased to announce that there are now M&S stores at CDG.  We stocked up on Percy Pigs before meeting up with Steve & Angie from ToursF1.com and our friends Anthony and Cathy (we met them on the world cruise).

We've plagued this blog with several years of Le Mans, so this time we'll keep it short.  Our beautiful hospitality setting, thanks to ToursF1.com:

Racing in action!

The iconic landmark (where lost souls reunite):

OK, on from Le Mans to Saint-Malo, France via train.  We are only posting a couple of pix for two reasons.  First, we've been there before, posted stuff about two years ago, and second, it rained most of the time.  We love Saint-Malo, the home of the historic Brittany Pirates and the ladies with the weird hats.  If you haven't been to Brittany, we'd highly recommend it.  Stay in the old town at a quaint hotel like the Hotel des Abers (wonderful hosts) and walk around.  The town is loaded with history and excellent food.  The rain didn't stop us from chowing down on the local specialties of Galettes and Kouign Amann (it's a specialty bread).  Here are a couple of views, grabbed in between showers.

Next stop: Portsmouth, UK via ferry.  We didn't have a lot of time, but the weather was very nice so we took a walk south along the Milennium Promenade from our Hotel at the Gunwharf, after a stop at Weird Fish to buy sweaters.

This is the fast way to get from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight:

And we found a rose garden and the cutest car!

Here's a guy having a good time at the beach...

Why is there a picture of something other than a Wiener Dog?  Because they were few and far between.  We called off the search upon boarding the Queen Mary 2.  The ship has kennels, but no Wiener Dogs were to be seen.  Final score:  Pati 3, Gordon 1.

Speaking of the QM2, it's a long, long, long, ship.

Gordon's down at the end of the hall...somewhere...maybe if we really squint...

Nice 2019: Le Carnaval

King of Cinema was this year's theme.  We went to the parade on a beautiful, sunny Sunday and the Big Heads were amazing.  And, ACTION!

We thought the King was a little nondescript this year, but the Queen was quite lovely:

Poor Harvey, he never gets a break...

Recall, Gerard Depardieu decided that he likes Russia better than France, so, salut, Gerard, mon ami:

Charlie Chaplin, done in absolutely perfect black and white:

And Hitch, complete with birds...

As always, nothing and no one is sacred.  Every public figure is roundly mocked at Carnival.

Finally, Charlie again.  This float was absolutely amazing and so popular that the organizers finally left it in the plaza so everyone could get a picture.

On Avenue Auber, animals are great.  Especially someone's parrot that screeches all day every day.  Some new people moved in across the way with two cats.  We call them PeeWee the adventurer and Popeye the watcher.  PeeWee first decided to visit the balcony next door.  We watched Popeye watch the humans trying to coax him back.  Priceless.  Next day, PeeWee adventured a little too far...two floors up and he couldn't get back down.

Meow?  Meow!  MeowMeowMeowMeowMeow!!

Popeye went inside and took a nap.  PeeWee was finally rescued through an upstairs apartment.  So disappointing that the pompiers weren't called.  That would have been a show.  Sorry to not have video.  We were laughing too hard.

We can report that while Jack Russell Terriers, Yorkies, and Chihuahuas are still very much in vogue, one now sees the rise of the Cocker Spaniel and the Shiba Inu.  Wiener Dogs are still around, and this year, Pati won the contest 34 to 29.

This year was so good, we've rented the same apartment for next year.  I mean, why not, y'know?