'Rents in the Flo Bra

Tim's parents, Mary and Peter, drove all the way to Flowery Branch to visit us. It is the perfect time of year to visit N. Georgia, and experience the fall colors (and mountains) that are lacking in Savannah.

We started out our day with Red Velvet Pancakes (a gift from Tim's sister that we had been waiting to try, and thought this was a great opportunity).

We drove up to Blairsville, GA to go to the farmer's market, and promptly arrived 10 minutes after they closed. Oops. Mary and Peter managed to buy up some produce from some vendors anyway. We could have opened up shop from our trunk by the time they were done :).

We stopped at Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi at Neels Gap to admire the view. This store is along the famous Appalachian Trail (AT).

Mountain Crossings Outfitters at Walasi-Yi in Neels Gap

Mary and Tim looking out at the view

I got them to pose for me...sorry for the lack of photography skills here.

Better view of the...view

The AT passes through the building, making it the only covered portion in the 2100+ miles of the AT. I thought that was cool. The store was neat and had all sorts of gear and souvenirs that made you want to go conquer the AT yourself.

The AT passing through the building

Yes, those are boots...in the trees!

My understanding is that when people finish the AT (a might feat), they leave their boots in the trees here as a "right of passage". I'm not sure what else to call it, but it made me want to be one of those people that get to hang my boots up there...one day...maybe.

Then we ventured over to Logan Turnpike Mill. If you have ever had grits in Georgia, there is a very good chance that they came from Logan Turnpike Mill.

Logan Turnpike Mill on the side of the road on the side of the mountain

It is hard to imagine that this building on the side of the road produces a significant amount of the grits we consume in Georgia. We also got to visit a little with Cecilia, the owner, who is sweet as can be. And of course bought some goodies, including one of my favorites, Ezekiel bread. The recipe is taken from the book of Ezekiel in the Bible. Here is a picture of the grains and legumes in Ezekiel bread.

Ingredients in Ezekiel bread

After visiting the mill, we headed over to some local shops to peruse all the souvenirs we could buy...but probably wouldn't.

We are just so cute, can you bear it?  harharhar

If you eat too much at lunch (and I did), you can rent this and they will wheel you outta there.

Peter and Mary in the big chair

Us in the big chair

And since we're always talking about our homemade cooking adventures, we thought it was only fair to share some with the parents when they came to visit. We ended our fun day with homemade pasta with Italian sausage in homemade parsley pesto. You hungry yet?

Homemade pasta with Italian sausage and homemade parsley pesto...YUM!

And I found great amusement while reading these, so I thought I'd share.

This was really for my own amusement