Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day outside. Jake called me as he was leaving campus and said that we should drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we gathered some snacks and headed out right after lunch. We went south a bit and picked up the parkway in Floyd, then headed north up to Roanoke. It was a beautiful drive, and the weather was so nice that we rolled the windows down and enjoyed the fresh air.

The first stop we made was at the site of a frontier cabin. When Bella looked in and I told her that this used to be a real house she said, "But where did they sleep? Where did they watch TV?" I told her that this was a long time ago, before there was TV. She followed with, "Did they have TV when you were born?" It's good to know she equates "a long time ago" with the birth of her mother. Sheesh!

We stopped at a few overlooks and this is one of the best views that Jake captured:

At another stop there was a high mountain meadow full of tall grass. When the wind blew the grass seemed to roll across the meadow - it was beautiful. It reminded me of the "amber waves of grain" from America the Beautiful. 

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea! 

The girls picked the wildflowers:

Will was more interested in the snacks. His sheer determination makes me laugh... those must have been some good Fritos! 

What a beautiful day for a drive!