Weekend with BD & Fred

We had a great treat this weekend: visitors! Though we were plagued by migraines and rain storms, UVa's graduation (excuse me: final exercises) and questions from tourists, we managed to have a lovely time with old friends. It's the little things, right BD? ;-)

After showing off our apartment Saturday morning, it was time for Spudnuts, one of the thirty-five remaining outposts of the national potato-flour donut chain. After visiting, I can confirm: any time is Spudnuts time, especially if you get there before the donuts run out!

I think Ben agrees.

It was a perfect little dive with a very efficient hostess, hot donuts, and $2 sandwiches. What could be better for the weekend?

I think we shamed Dave with our dueling photography, though. BD has the blogger's eye for photo opportunities. In fact, she's basically the original travel blogger, though she hasn't yet updated to a modern technological delivery system. We're working on her. Dave can write the commentary under your watch, BD, and you can keep planning the trip and snapping the photos! ;-)

Because the intrepid travelers, who have been everywhere, hadn't ever toured Ash Lawn-Highland, we headed up the mountain and learned all about Monroe with a brisk guide.

Monroe, good guy, fifth president, interesting home, yadda yadda; I really liked that tree in the wind and the house on mushroom supports, so indulge a few photos, please.

(The white paint indicates the original Monrovian dwelling, and the yellow illuminates where subsequent owners expanded. But the tree!)


In the bright, sunny, and clear afternoon, our newly sun-sensitive companion Benjamin reminded us to get the heck out of the rays. Can we still be Paid in Sunshine if both of us go from pasty-white to lobster-red in a flash? We might need to reconsider our approach here...

Anyway, it was perfectly fine and breezy, great for the wine tasting happening on the lawn, and good for our picnic at Monticello. Unfortunately, none of us were pithy enough in the moment to counter a tourist who came over to ask about Dave's shirt, which he wore in honor of my recent initiation into the world of The Princess Bride. Poor lady, going around with the last name Montoya and not knowing about the movie...

After a brief afternoon crash and a few too many miles lost in Albermarle County, we met south for dinner at the Devil's Backbone Brewery in Nellysford. It was a fun scene, and the ride down was gorgeous.

We even had nachos and half-pints under the watchful gaze of stuffed animals.

This was all before the Great Storm that opened from the sky just as we got to our cars. It was an adventure crossing the Blue Ridge on the way home through torrential downpours and close lightning strikes, but it was worth it for the good company. We hear that Halk-kar and the not-happy-to-be-referred-to-as-Mrs.-Halk-Kar arrived home safely just in time for the Survivor finale. And good thing! What a show! I still like Tyson, mustache and all, but I think we can all agree that the ending seemed appropriate.

PS: Survivor fans, check out the Ponderosa after-the-show videos. They're really interesting!

Back to another work week, this one filled with deadlines and an ever-slimming countdown to our relocation (not a moment too soon; there were more gunshots outside last night!).