When you spend the day exploring the North Carolina high country, it’s wise to take a tote packed with the things you might need.
As the day began, we shared a chicken salad sandwich and pasta salad at Reid’s Cafe & Catering, followed by dessert at Eat Crow. Our fun adventures continued as we included a visit to the Grandfather Vineyard in the afternoon.
We enjoyed a glass of wine as we sat by the creek, watching the kids play in the water while listening to the live music on the patio. Mr. Mickey had a Pinot Noir, and I enjoyed the Marsanne.
In a few more weeks, the grapes will be ready for harvest.
After the winery visit, we shopped for a while in Blowing Rock, where it’s always fun to sit in the park and watch the people and cars pass by while enjoying a scoop of Kilwins ice cream. Later in the evening, we shared a lobster roll at Antler’s Bar in the Bistro Roca. We usually share dishes during our outings to avoid the temptation of overeating.
I packed a crossbody bag, the camera, a change of shoes, a jacket and a hat for our day in the high country. (The links are for similar current items.) Hat – Tote – Crossbody Bag – Tee – Jeans – Jacket – Platform Sandals – Flat Sandals – Necklace (Use the code SAS10 for $10 off any one item at Beauty in Stone Jewelry.)
After riding around town with the top down on the convertible, hats are a necessity. The cool evening air always has me reaching for a jacket. It is so nice to be prepared and comfortable for the whole day.
My adventure partner also wore a sporty, comfortable casual look. Similar current items: Cap – Shirt – Pants – Shoes
That winery is in a beautiful location. My husband and I live in western Austria and we’re headed east to the wine country later this week. We got engaged there last summer (after being together for 20 years!), so we plan to go back to the same winery/restaurant exactly one year later to celebrate.
Congratulations!
You are always appropriately & well dressed! Do you wear jeans on a hot, humid day?
I wear white jeans often here in the higher elevations, but not when I am in the much hotter and more humid weather in the lowlands.
I enjoy your blog. You have an ageless, classic look which is what I aim for.
Your blogs are always an inspiration for me. At age 85 and retired, my lifestyle is now much more casual and your sense of style suits me. Thank you for that. In addition to dressing differently, I now find myself needing to change my diet to accommodate some minor digestive issues., (the pipes are wearing down!). Once again, I find your recipes interesting and I wish you would include more of them in your blogs. Perhaps a blog of just recipes??
Wishing you – m
Thank you for the nice comment, Muriel. I have likely included every recipe I know of since I rarely use one. Mostly my food is fresh fruits or vegetables, lightly steamed, roasted, or eaten raw.
Thanks for the tip on taking a tote full of extras. I was wondering how you “explored” in your high wedges!
My husband and I just got home from a week in North Carolina where we spent two days in delightful Blowing Rock. Thank you for introducing us to the town, which I learned about from your blog.
I’m so glad you enjoyed your visit.
Thank you for your post! As a newly retired person, I look to your styling for inspiration. When I go somewhere where I’ll be gone for most of the day, I also take a tote with anything I might need . Thanks to your inspiration, I decided it would be better to have a more ‘stylish’ tote than my normal gym bag LOL! I was wondering, if sometime you could cover hats in your blog? The one you often wear looks really great on you, but I tried on something similar with not so great results.
Hats and glasses should flatter the shape of the face. For example, I look terrible in ball caps and other hats that fit close to the head since I have a roundish fleshy face. I need hats with more structure, height at the crown, and a brim that measures about two inches.
How do you handle “hat-hair” I always look so awful after I take my hat or motorcycle helmet off. Ugh!! I have all of these cute hats but don’t wear them because of the after-math!
I don’t take off my hat until I get home. Ladies don’t need to remove their hats indoors.
I love the detail of the different fabric on the inner collar and sleeves of the jeans jacket. It looks so good styled that way. Both of you look so well and happy. I don’t cook a lot. I usually lightly steam or boil my veggies. I love green peppers,tomatoes, celery, green onions, etc. I do like chicken salad and pasta salads and salmon filets. I feel better when I eat better. Do you eat eggs and fruit?
I do occasionally have eggs and fruit, but vegetables are what I eat most often.
I love your posts. Can hardly wait for your next one. Best wishes, Karina from Bremen in Germany
Thank you!
What a lovely day you had! Thanks for the pictures and links.
Hi to Mr. Mickey.
I enjoyed this escape along with you. Love Blowing Rock too. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful places you visit. Enjoy your day.
I love your adventure posts. You have so many interesting places to visit near you! I used to wear platform sandals but now am a bit worried my foot could slip and turn my ankle. Maybe the structure of the sandal makes a difference? Thank you.
Thank you for sharing. Evelyn
I hope you’ll continue to blog for a long while. I always enjoy your posts!
I love the navy shirt and white pants. I must have more than a dozen navy shirts. I also have a lot of black. Very sharp with white pants and the huge variety of bottoms to be purchased at Chicos!!! Love them. I never feel short of something to wear. I buy them in various weights. I love the cotton in this hot weather. When they fade from constant washing I wear them around the house.
You look great. What you wear can make your look (and feel) more youthful.
I enjoy your blog. I subscribed months ago and have been so inspired by it. I love the fact that you take what you have and add complimentary pieces. I’m 81, five feet tall, and your sense of style appeals to me, so I am an avid follower. I’ve been inspired to purchase a couple of items which is perfect. While I’m a Canadian and live much further North, my husband and I are somewhat familiar with your part of the country, and the pictures you post are lovely. Thank you so much, and I’ll continue to look forward to seeing where you go and of course what you wear.
Ann r
I have to say the same with Karina .I love your posts. I am waiting for them.
Every picture (style, landscapes, adventure traveling ) is perfect!
Thank you
It’s nice to see you and Mr. MIckey out and about enjoying your outings. You look like a happy and healthy good looking couple. Blowing Rock is lovely and I hope to visit someday.
Your outfit is perfect for the occasion as usual. Same for Mr. Mickeys.
Bringing a tote with handy items is something I always do. Michigan weather is always changing it seems more so this year.
Thanks for sharing your day.
Living vicariously through your outdoor adventures!
We live in the mountains of NE Washington state. We are under heavy smoke from wildfires (to the north, south and west of us), with off-the-scale bad air quality and terrible visibilty. I know we have mountains but, we haven’t seen them for weeks!
Drought conditions preclude any trips away from home as fire danger is always at hand. No rain in our forecast. Probably in September.
As a result, we are pretty much shut-ins, as it is too unhealthy to be outside. Our only outings are at 6:00 am, for quick grocery-basics shopping. On the plus side, our masks help keep smoke out of our bodies, too!
But, I still dress nicely, for myself & my darling husband (though, admittedly, we do dress lighter because of the heat!). Everyday is a “date day” for us.
There is no reason we can’t look our best for each other and it certainly makes one feel better!
Keep those green scene photos coming and enjoy your clean, smoke-free air.
Thank you, Leslie. Last week we had air quality warnings here in East Tennessee due to all the fires out west. I can’t imagine what it must be like there. Please stay safe.
Enjoy your adventures out and about.
Sorry, that smoke was probably from here!
Visibility, from our living room windows, is less than 1,000′ and, what you can see, is through a grey-brown haze.
Deep breathe some of your clean air for us!
Hi Susan. I always enjoy reading your posts. Thank you for sharing your life with us. You and Mr. Mickey are a very handsome couple.
Thank you!
What a fun day! My husband and I will be visiting Banner Elk in a few weeks, so perhaps we will visit the same places. Thank you for your “take along tips”- I’ll remember to pack them! I love how you and your adventure partner, aka Mr. Mickey, are enjoying your retirement!
What brand are Mr. Mickey’s shoes…I saw them in your most recent post and they are so fashion-forward for a Southern Gentleman!
I’ll have to ask him about those shoes. He has had them for a few years. I think he got them from Zappos.com