Mid-August and the heat goes on...

Mid-August has finally arrived and in this area at least, we are on our 60th day of 90+ degree temps.  Really!  I am officially over watering my outdoor potted plants, most of which look something like this:

Petunias have long since burned up and almost nothing is blooming

Once again we will not be traveling at the end of August.  We passed on Will's backpack trip to Oregon for a couple of reasons, mostly because I have been working full-time for only 3 months and I am building vacation, some of which I will carry into 2011.  With that said, we look forward to a couple of weekend get aways and have begun the conversation for 2011 vacations.  Half the fun of travel for me is the dreaming and planning.  This process gets me through the months of daily routine. Besides, John and I tend to develop inertia when we don't plan. 

Currently our discussions center around two main destinations, both have to do with long time dreams.  The first is backpacking on Baffin Island.  While our dream has centered around exploring Ellesmere Island, the trip is cost and time prohibitive and we can't find a good way around these roadblocks (we have been looking for almost 10 years).  Baffin Island, located on the east side of Greenland, is roughly a bit south of Ellesmere and fits our time and cost objectives nicely. The scenery on Baffin is probably better than Ellesmere with magnificent glaciers, mountains and river valleys.  We think this trip would be similar to our spectacular 2001 backpack in the Gates of the Arctic in the Alaskan Brooks Range, only we would be dropped at the start of our hike by boat instead of float plane. 

Our other vacation option is Egypt.  On my "must do" list for almost 35 years, Egypt would be a dream come true.   Who wouldn't want to wander through the land of the pharaohs and pyramids, float down (up) the Nile, shop in the markets and maybe ride a camel? The culture, the food, the land, we think we would be remembering this experience for many years to come.  Where we will end up is really any one's guess.  I know John would like to take a trip with his mother and siblings and this is in the discussion too. 

Meanwhile, we remain in Knoxville. We have a busy couple of weekends coming up so today we ran some errands and did some of that stuff that has to be done.  Yesterday I worked 1/2 day (1 of 4 Saturdays a year I have to do so).  After work we jumped in the car and headed to the tourist town of Pigeon Forge to hit the outlet malls. The town was crazy busy with back to school shoppers and end of  summer vacationers, traffic was bumper to bumper.  While we enjoyed being close to the mountains, getting to Gatlingburg on the outskirts of the national park was  not something we were willing to sit in traffic for.  So we walked around Five Oaks Outlet complex, looked but didn't buy too much.  We did stop at Harry and David's to pick up these jars to goodness:     

Salsas and pepper/onion relishes

We ate a "gray hair" dinner (5:00 PM) at the Applewood Farms Restaurant (also in Pigeon Forge) and were home by 7:00 PM.  By all accounts, we had a nice weekend.

Hello August...

After working 1/2 day last Saturday and looking forward to the same for the next 2 Saturdays, I wanted, no needed, to sleep in on Saturday. Unfortunately I am not a particularly late sleeper and John was stirring around by 6:30 AM preparing for his 60+ mile bike ride. So around 7:15 AM I found myself awake and in the kitchen wondering why John hadn't pushed the brew button on the coffee pot before he left. Ah, nice quiet time to lounge in my jammies, drink coffee and and catch up on blog posts. Okay, not exactly. I hear baby Dunlap moving around upstairs and I scrambled to get some shorts and a t-shirt on before the kid is permanently scared by seeing me in a night gown.

After a couple hours of undisturbed time on the computer, it was run time. Saturday should have been a longer run, but, with rain threatening, I decided to put it off until Sunday and went out for a short effort. On the way out, I stuffed my camera in my pocket in case the private plane that had flown head first into the river early last week (pilot is okay) had not been removed. It had.

A few rain drops started to fall as I ran by the airport, then more drops and finally a downpour. I found a temporarily dry spot under some large oak trees, checked to be sure my cell was in a plastic bag, took a photo and ran home.

Since I did not get a chance to photo the plane before it was lifted out of the TN River, I borrowed this one from the WVLT website. The white cloth floating around the plane is a parachute. Fortunately, the plane was too close to the river so the parachute, while deployed, was not needed. The current speculation is that wind and weather in the area may have played a role in the crash.

John drove into the driveway just as the rain really broke loose.  He was pleased with the 60 mile group ride from Maryville through Townsend, around the Cades Cove loop and back to Maryville. Apparently a big (12 person) turnout with lots of friendly competition. Rain continued for a good part of the afternoon  and we lounged about doing nothing in particular.

We headed to Chaiyo's Thai and Sushi restaurant for dinner.  One of our favorite types of food is Thai and Chaiyo's is truly the best Thai food in Knoxville. Located on James Agee Street, the restaurant lies in the heart of the University campus and since most of the students on break right now, this was the perfect weekend night to grab a nearby parking spot and enjoy a quiet, intimate meal.  We ordered too much... soup, chicken sticks, vegetable rolls and Panang Curry but managed to eat every bite and sop up the last of the curry sauce with an extra scoop of rice.  Both of us waddled back to the car, holding our stomachs, complaining about eating too much but smiling big.

Sunday morning arrived and like it or not, it was time to do a longer run. I am struggling with my long runs right now, the heat and humidity are kicking my butt.  After yesterday's rain, the humidity was heavy! A thick cloud cover kept the sun at bay but there was no hint of a breeze.  As usual, I ran the first miles through the neighborhood.  Somewhere near the downtown airport, a car full of burly guys slowed to a stop and rolled down a window.  A cloud of marijuana smoke poured from the open window and one the guys asked if there was a good place to eat nearby. Really?!  I know I run slow but do I look like I want to stop and chat about restaurants?  I mumbled something about turning around and heading downtown and went on.

Eventually I arrived at the waterfront and my favorite running reward, the Coke machine.  I run with a $ bill just for this purpose.  Small problem, today the machine would not take my bill.  In a panic, I pulled my cell out of it's plastic bag and dialed 577-JOHN.  I kept running while he got a Coke and drove down to the landing to meet me.  Coke consumed, John went home and I kept running.

The last couple of miles were tough but I made my 10-mile goal.  As I said a few paragraphs ago, my running has suffered recently.  Last night John and I had a long talk about my running goals and ability to achieve them.  He is so encouraging but I am struggling with some real confidence demons, he cannot do the work for me...

Anastasia Itsa Whitesell...

My precious aunt lost her battle with cancer in the wee hours this morning. We had not expected it quite this soon. I will miss her so...

Anastasia Itsa Whitesell

June 5, 1928-July 20, 2010

And the heat goes on...

With June on record as the hottest month to date, we have slipped into July and are on the way to breaking another record. Our yard is a parched desert desperately in need of some hydration. Last night we received the first good soaker in some weeks, a couple of inches or so the weatherman reports. The garden water gauge collaborates his story but our yard is not looking much better.

My after work plan was to take it indoors and run on the gym treadmill but at the last moment I changed my mind and decided to run the large hill near our home. The humidity was so high I felt like I was drowning with each breath. Thunder rumbled across the sky threatening rain at any moment. I set a couple of water bottles on the sidewalk but I noticed several people walking dogs by the bottles and worried the dogs would lick the condensation off the sides. Aware that every dog's tongue is used as toilet paper I found the thought disturbing and spent too much effort keeping an eye on my water bottles. Sad, I know...

Fives times of up and down was enough hill work for me. I headed around the boulevard for a lap or so and ran home sweet home where the AC was blasting!! Ahhhhh...

The last of the summer family celebrations...

My sister celebrated a really BIGGGGGGG birthday today. As she turns over another decade, it reminds me that I am just a few years from the BIGGGGGG birthday myself. How did time slip away so fast!!? Anyway, this is the last of the summer family celebrations. It will probably surprise you to know that we did not take dinner to Shannondale to share with our mother but went out to eat instead. We did take dessert to the nursing home, cupcakes, to be shared by all.

A pic of John and me from the day...

Virginia again...

A last minute decision to join friends Will and Kim in Abingdon necessitated an early morning start to our Saturday morning. After a 9-mile run for me and 52-mile ride for John, we grabbed some stuff for the weekend, loaded our "mountain" bikes on the back of the car and headed to Abingdon.

Abingdon is a pleasant drive from Knoxville, all interstate that is fringed with broken patches of Appalachian mountains...absolutely beautiful. We arrived in the small resort town in time drag the bikes inside, change for dinner and meet Will and Kim in the lobby. We had dinner reservations at House on Main before our theater reservations at Barter Stage II.

This was our first visit to this restaurant and dinner was fabulous! We each ordered something different and tasted around, except Will a vegetarian, who stuck to his squash and eggplant lasagna. I had a Maine Scallop dish and John, goat cheese ravioli. My mouth still waters thinking about it.

After dinner, we hurried to Barter Stage II, an intimate theater across the street from the original Barter. Stage II was constructed in 1829 as a Methodist Church and converted into a theater in 1967. The intimate space holds about 170 people and provides the opportunity for theater goers to be very close to the stage. It's a wonderful space but the play, Violet, not so good.... Enough said about that!

Sunday morning was all about bike riding. Although Abingdon is famous for its hiking and Virginia Creeper multi-use trail, a lesser known trail lies some 1.5 hours southeast of Abingdon, the New River Trail. This 52-mile trail is another rails to trails conversion and runs from Galax, VA to Pulaski, VA with a side leg to Fries (pronounced Freeze if you want the locals to understand you). The New River Trail was our destination.

We arrived outside of Galax (at the Shot Tower parking lot) around 10:00 AM where we were met by a shuttle service. As it turned out, our shuttle driver considered himself the unofficial promoter of all things Galax, VA. A local bicycle racer, married to a successful local runner, our shuttle driver is the son of the Galax mayor. During the school year, he teaches high school chemistry, during the summer he shuttles New River Trail bikers and races. He took us on a quick tour of the small mountain town, talked about the challenges of unemployment in a community who had been dependent on furniture and textile mills for survival and suggested places for us to eat and stay. Fun!

The shuttle was quick, about 20 minutes , after all, Galax is not a big town. We unloaded our bikes at the trail head and noticed a number of other cars in the parking lot. As with the VA Creeper, this is a multi-use trail and includes not only runners and bicyclers but also HORSES. We are not fans of horses on multi use trails due to the random dropping of horse poop and the skittish nature of trying to pass horses, with on bikes or foot.

Much of the trail is in the shade, which made for a pleasant ride on this hot, summer day. The surface is the same gravely surface used on the VA Creeper Trail and with the recent dry conditions, we stirred up a lot of dust that stuck the suntan lotion we had sprayed on our legs.

I had not been on a bike in almost a year and it didn't take too many miles on the rough surface for me to feel the effects of sitting on a bike seat...a discomfort that got progressively worse as we road the 27-mile section of trail. Luckily the scenery along the trail was distracting.

The trail followed several water ways. Cooper Creek ran mostly along side the trail from Galax to the Fries turnoff. From Fries turnoff to the Shot Tower, the trail followed the New River.

Along the way, we crossed a number of railroad bridges and rode through a couple of tunnels.

The bridge below crosses the New River at the Fries junction.

We also stopped to explore a couple of power plants.

With all the stops to check things out and eat lunch, we finished the lower section of the trail in just under 4 hours.

Post ride, John and I jumped in the car and drove home, we had my parents 65th wedding anniversary to celebrate today. Will and Kim hung around the area another day to explore.

A great trip! More photos and commentary here .

Sunset run...

With heat and humidity settling in for the summer, I am testing different times to get my run in while minimizing my misery. Monday and Tuesday I ran directly after work, it was hot and unpleasant but doable. Tonight, something new. After dinner, I took a 15 minute nap to shake post work exhaustion then left the house about 8:15 PM for a run.

The sun had started to slip near the horizon, clouds partilly obscured the sky and the humidity was brutal. I slogged around our neighborhood, listening to the evening insect calls, smelling mimosa blossoms and enjoying the peacefulness of the summer night. About halfway through the run, I headed toward the Downtown Knoxville Airport and discovered this sight...

Humidity and the warm water resulted in a low level fog on the river. I called John (yes I was talking and running), who is occasionally willing to act as my paparazzi. He grabbed the camera, jumped in the car and met me at the waterfront. As soon as the short photo session ended, we went our separate ways, me to finish my run and John back home. Such a lovely night in the neighborhood...

A busy June weekend...

Busy June weekend for us. Mid-Saturday morning, we met my family at Shannondale for a family "group" birthday (read to celebrate Leslie and my birthdays). The Smith family has so many summer celebrations that combining a few here and there works for all of us. We did the usual food, presents and cupcakes. Always a good time with family, we cherish every moment.

Saturday evening our plans included dinner with friends, Will and Kim. Will, a vegetarian, pulled together a dinner of black beans and rice with a middle eastern (sorta) influence. We brought fresh strawberries and blueberries served over cheese cake. Lots of chatter and laughter. As usual, our talk somehow gets around to travel. John and I will have a slow travel year thanks to my new job and other issues but have a couple of plans on the burner for next year! Meanwhile we look forward to hearing about Will's August trip to Colorado and Will and Kim's August trip to Peru.

Will always does a great job in the kitchen, lots of great food thoughtfully prepared.

Saying goodbye...

While yesterday was filled with laughter and food, today was all about saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to someone you love is not an easy thing to do.

John and I arrived at the apartment around 9:30 AM. Itsa was feeling good and answered the door, giving hugs all around. We sat around the dining room table making idol chatter, mostly about Itsa's 82nd birthday celebration next weekend. Time slipped by too fast and in a flash, it was time for us to leave.

I think it was about that time that Itsa leaned over, touched my arm and looked into my eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. Well no, now that you ask, I am not okay, none of this is okay and I don't know how to say goodbye. Needless to say, lots of crying and hugs followed.

It took us a while to say goodbye...to tell each other how much we mean to each other and to remember the fun we have have shared over the years. We got it all said, or as much as we could fit in through the tears.

The ride home was long but the trip is one I will always treasure. I am going to miss you my dear Aunt Itsa, you have made such a difference in my life...

A day to remember...

After a short morning run around our hotel, John and I headed to my aunt's apartment to visit. With the exception of the roundness in her belly (cancer tumor), she looked good and was still glowing from her family visit last night. My cousins (her daughters) Vicky and Lynn were there as well as her granddaughter Catherine, who was headed back to DC. Shortly after we arrived, her grandson Thomas arrived.

We ate lunch in the retirement center's dining hall and Aunt Itsa had a lot of hugs and tears from her friends. Her cancer diagnosis is recent and her time is short. Back in her apartment, we talked and talked. After a couple of hours, John and I left for her to nap and returned to find her still resting. We curled up in some comfortable chairs in her room and watched videos of several of her trips to Greece. We listened to her stories about surviving during the "occupation" and about how she got to the US.

By late afternoon, we figured we had outstayed her stamina but the family insisted we stay for dinner. Fresh Greek salad made by my cousin Lynn and Greek pizzas from a local Greek restaurant were on the menu. Delicious! At some point, Aunt Itsa stood up and began to stumble back to her room. This was our cue to leave so we headed back to the hotel to relax.

A few pictures from the day, the last one with the reading glasses is my favorite, my aunt is so cute!

The long ride...

Long but uneventful drive to the "far" west end of Richmond, VA, also known as Short Pump (named for a short handled pump located beneath the porch of a tavern located in the area). While the trip sounded like a good idea a week or so ago, 6.5 hours on the road seemed endless and we are glad a planned side trip to VA Beach did not work out! Our purpose and focus of this trip is to spend some time with my sweet Aunt Itsa, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

We pulled up to the Hampton Inn in Short Pump a little after 6:30 PM. Similar to Biltmore Park Town Square (Asheville, NC), Short Pump is a planned upscale community with office parks, condos, apartments, great shopping and restaurants. After a quick drive through the area, we were happy to discover a REI, Performance Bicycle Shop, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods stores, all within a block of our hotel.

Since my aunt has other guests visiting this evening, we took the opportunity to go out to a relaxing dinner and explore a few of the shops. It was our good fortune to stumble across Mama Cucina, a locally owned Italian restaurant. The smell of mouthwatering Italian food knocked us off our feet when we walked through the front door, as did the crowded interior. We had a bit of a wait before a table opened.

Homemade bread with small bowl of olive oil, vinegar and spices for dipping was served soon after we were seated. We struggled over the menu because everything looked so good. I finally settled on chicken breasts stuffed with feta, asparagus, prosciutto and covered in a pink vodka sauce and mozzarella cheese (freshly made in the kitchen as was the pasta). John had bow tie pasta with shrimp, peas and a light, tasty white sauce. Delicious! Were we just that hungry or is this the best Italian food we can remember eating?

After dinner we scurried through a few shops before they closed. Now it is back to the hotel for some sleep. The day ahead with my aunt is unknown.

Farmers Market opening...

Nice, 6 mile loop run downtown and back. The weather was quite pleasant and the Market Square Farmers Market was in full swing. My route took me along on Union Avenue and through the middle of the market. Lots of people and vendors out. After spotting some fine looking lettuce and other late spring vegetables, I decided to head back post run to do some shopping.

Filled my shopping bag with flowers for the table, daisies for the front garden, lots of fresh lettuce, radishes, chard, green onions, fresh baked bread and local artist note cards. So glad the Farmers Market is back for the summer!

An evening under the big tent...

I had a fine time at the the Knoxville Zoo this evening, celebrating the many Zoo volunteers who give so much of their time. While I am not a volunteer, giving time to the Zoo runs deep in my family. My father has been on the volunteer roster for about 3 decades, participating in everything from classroom education, to shoveling rhino poop. He has gotten so much from the experience. My sister Carol is the newest volunteer recruit, giving time as often as she can. I attended the event with my sister Carol and as a sub for my dad, who could not attend.

The dinner was a potluck affair held under a big tent on the zoo grounds. A nice cool breeze kept the bugs away (I should mention I got my first two mosquito bites this afternoon before the event), but the air was buzzing from the chatter of 160 attendees. Had my dad been there, he would have been called to the front, recognized for his efforts and awarded volunteer emeritus status. As it was, the pin was quietly given to Carol while we were in the buffet line and not mentioned during the award ceremony. We were a bit sad about that.

All in all, a great time was had by all!

Happy 86th b'day sweet mother...

Fine birthday celebration today for my Mother. We had all her favorite fixings (none of them healthy), hotdogs, chili, french fries and cupcakes. She was still feeling bad but soldiered through the event with a smile. A few photos from the festivies are below.

A special celebration coming up...

Tomorrow we have the honor of celebrating my Mother's 86th birthday. She hasn't been feeling particularly well this week but hopefully she will be feeling up to a small party. She has only two foods she asks for when we bring food in, Kentucky Fried Chicken and hot dogs. Mother's Day was KFC so tomorrow will be hot dogs, Hardees Hot Dogs with all the fixings. I am going to need to climb off the gravy wagon once this meal is over.

My gifts are small, a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates, my mother loves both. I was a little disappointed with the floral bouquet selections at the store. They appear to be Mom Day's leftovers but maybe they will stay nice and cheery for a few days.



Happy Birthday Mother!

And the ladies of the club...

Had the Ladies Club over last night for our final meeting of the 2009-2010 year. I joined UMW Circle 6 some 17 months ago and have received far more than I have given. Most of the women in the group are at least 10 years old than me, many are very well traveled, most are strong, independent and up on all things religious and political. All the ladies are have quite interesting stories to tell and I have the best time around them.

Last night was my first time hosting this group and I ran John ragged in the weeks leading up to the event. To say we did a little redecorating would be a bit of an understatement. His almost endless patience served us well! We are done with that for a while and ready to entertain our family and friends.

Tonight I have been cleaning up the last of the meeting chaos while John is cleaning up the last of the strawberries, pound cake and whipped cream. This is, unfortunately, not much of a reward for making himself scarce during the meeting but he loves dessert and seems pretty happy about the leftovers. He won't have to repeat this night until I host again next year.

Have a great summer Ladies of the Club, see you in the fall...

Rev3 Knoxville Triathlon...

This weekend we hosted bloggie friend, Wes (A Code Geek's Tail), for the Rev3 Knoxville Triathlon. Having Wes in the house gave us a front row seat to the activities and got us up early this morning to watch some of the festivities. We really enjoyed getting to know him and hope he will be back. Wes is a good writer and did a great write-up about the event on his blog, so I won't go into much detail. John and I did, however, take a few photos from the Gay and Henley Street bridges.

Rev3 flags lined both sides of the Henley Street Bridge.

A view of downtown Knoxville and the waterfront from the Gay Street Bridge. Pro athletes are on the dock and in the water warming up.

A fine group of spectators was on hand to cheer the athletes.

In the photo below, the pros are swimming. All you can really see is a wake in the river.

The little balls in the photo below are the heads of the elite athletes preparing for the swim.

Elite athletes waiting for the signal to go as the pros swim by. The swim will take the athletes under the Henley Street Bridge to the Lady Vols Boat House (across from Neyland Stadium).

Volunteers wait on the boathouse dock. Their job is to pull the athletes out of the water.

The photo below is some of the first pro athletes to cross the Henley Street Bridge. To the left of the pros, motorcycles. John and I got a real chuckle out of this. Apparently, each pro (at least many of the pros) has a team (motorcycle driver and photographer) following them on the course. In other words, each pro has his/her own paparazzi. How heady can that be!!??

We left long before the race was over, celebrated Mother's Day with my family and came back in time to say good-bye to Wes (he completed a half-ironman in a little over 6 hours). We had expected him to call for "pick-up" and were surprised to find him on the road bicycling to the house. Photo below: John in the front yard,waiting for Wes.

A tired Wes, relaxing for a moment in the grass. He still had a several hour drive to Woodstock, GA.

Great job on your accomplishment Wes! It was a pleasure getting to know you and having you in our home. Hope you will be back next year for a repeat performance...and maybe bring the Mrs with you!!

Too hot for May...

John called from work early this morning to tell me the day was heating up quickly, a not so subtle attempt to push me out the door. But as usual on my day off, I sat around drinking coffee and wasting time on the computer until the temp had risen to "a little uncomfortable".

I get frustrated at myself at times cause I struggle so with motivation. It doesn't matter how many solid weeks/months I have been running, I can fall off the wagon at a moments notice. But today was a good day and I got myself out. The heat and humidity were a real wake up to the upcoming summer season but I got through a nice 6 miler with only minor struggles. I like successful days!

28 hours in Abingdon…

We are home from a weekend escape in Abingdon, VA, a quick 28 hours away from regular life. We had tickets for the Saturday afternoon performance of "Always... Patsy Cline" at the Barter Theater, or is it Theatre (and just what is the difference). We had one little problem, I got my show times mixed up. This is unusual for a triple checker such as myself but as a result, we arrived 25 minutes late. Fortunately the play is more about the music and less about story line so we only missed a few songs.

After the play (which we highly recommend), we flirted with the idea of walking around town, but it the temp was at a record high, we have walked around Abingdon before and there really isn't much to see. So we jumped in the car, grabbed some cheese and crackers at the store and returned to our very cool hotel room to watch the Kentucky Derby.

After the Derby, dinner. On the advice of friends Will and Kim, we decided to have dinner at the Harvest Table Restaurant in Meadowview, VA. Meadowview is a sleepy little farming town about 10 minutes outside of Abingdon. Rail tracks run through the edge of town, just down from the restaurant. While the rail station has long since closed up, the tracks remain pretty busy. We arrived around 7:00 PM. We were surprised to find the restaurant was only partially filled, we had expected a long wait. This restaurant is well know for miles around.

Harvest Table specializes in locally grown and raised meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, wines and more with a menu that changes frequently based on availability. We ordered pecan crusted trout with kale coleslaw and an incredible side of gnocchi and cheese (think mac and cheese). Dinner rolls were freshly made and the butter churned earlier in the day. If that wasn't gluttony plus, we ordered dessert, hot fudge cake. This put our sugar levels over the top. Oh, we left around 8:30 PM, the restaurant had quite the wait, seems like others must have stayed at home to watch the Derby too.

The Harvest Table Restaurant and Meadowview Farmer's Guild in Meadowview, VA.

Sunday morning we had a bit of a food hangover but headed to the Virginia Creeper Trail anyway. After a few months of slow down, I have been stepping up my run again and wanted to complete five miles on the Creeper. Several runners and walkers were out, but the bicyclers hadn't had time to make their trek from White Top mountain so those of us on foot had the trail pretty much to ourselves. John, who doesn't run, had decided against bringing his bike and was regretting it as he started walking on the trail. I took off at a slow pace.

It was warm and humid as I got into heavy foliage. A lot of area has been built up around the Creeper since my last visit, some 10 years ago. The trail was smooth and ever so slightly downhill. The running was pleasant and time slipped away quickly. I turned around at the 2.5 mile point and ran back toward the trail head, ever so slightly up hill.

We returned back to the hotel, showered and checked out. Next up, brunch at the White Flour Cafe in Damascus. Another incredible meal! We split orders of Pecan Pancakes with hot syrup, Applewood Bacon, Omelet with feta cheese, spinach and dill, stone ground cheese grits AND fried banana bread. My run was now canceled out. We were stuffed and it was time to go home. Another great weekend!