TOURE DE CLIFTON FORGE VA - Part I - The Club Car Shop & Deli

Honestly, you never know what the day is going to bring.  I have been thinking of driving to Clifton Forge to browse in the Art Center, but have not made the time for the trip.  I sold a couple of items on Alleghany County Bulletin Board and agreed to deliver them to the buyer in Clifton Forge.  I have the day off, it is not raining and I can scratch my art itch.  I can feel the magic of the day while driving on I64 toward Clifton.  Usually I eat at Jack Mason's Tavern, but my buyer works at The Club Car Shop and Deli so I will have a late lunch there.  I have heard good things about The Club Car and have thought of eating there. Can't say why I haven't, but I am going there anyway so I will give it a try. Kara greeted me by name...maybe because she could see her box of goodies had arrived.  Nevertheless, her wonderful personality greets you before her person does.  She happens to own the business with her parents. 

The shop is a fun browse while you wait for your table.

While browsing, I heard a waitress describing the lunch special. Forget looking at the menu...I want that!  I did look at the menu, but stuck with the special, which was DE-LISH!  I started with a cup of roasted tomato soup, which is made by Kara.  Followed by turkey with lettuce and dried cranberries on a spinach wrap. OMG!!

To make room for dessert, I took half of the wrap home for dinner. Yum.  If you have been reading my posts for a while, you may have noticed that I enjoy bread pudding (check out my post when I visited Oregon).  If it is on the menu, I will order the bread pudding regardless of what wonderful chocolate dessert is offered.  Even the hot melt ones, which I can barely resist.  Kara has not one, but two bread puddings.  She suggested I try the "regular" bread pudding.  I swear, if there had not been people sitting nearby, I would have picked up the plate and licked it.  :) 

Not only will I come back to The Club Car, I will make it a destination.  Next time I want to try one of the salads, which look so fresh.  And I will try another soup and a chocolate dessert. In fact, I will keep going back in an attempt to eat my way through the menu.  They have a nice website.  If you want to learn more, go to http://clubcarva.com/.  Bon appetite. 

SPRING HAS ARRIVED IN COVINGTON VA

The arrival of spring is always a joyous time of year.  She was certainly showing herself when I drove into town Thursday morning.








Do you know where these flowers are?

A TOUCH OF HAPPY

The morning I heard of the bombing in Brussels was accompanied by a heavy weight of sadness.  I listened to the news coverage as long as I could. My office provides a great diversion.  The space holds things that give me comfort: work that I can do with my eyes closed, cookbooks, photographs, art stuff and lots of music.  Intending to start a new blog, I first took a peak at what work waited for me.  The first thing I saw was a new claim involving a death.  Some poor soul was  waiting for its body to be removed from under a large commercial mower that had turned over and landed on top of this worker...in a creek. Fleeing this safe place, I looked outside to see what the spring morning might offer.  It offered this touch of happy....

















Mother Nature was watching to see if I was watching.









Just when she was certain I was watching, she gave me the big happy.  The day seemed better already.  Back to the office!

A DOLLY A DAY 3/23/16

BAD KITTY SIGHTING - BIRD WATCHING

I recently put some birdfeeders around the porch to keep the seed dry in the snowy/rainy weather we have been having.  Bad kitty has figured this out and has found new sitting places.  The birds perch on the flagpole before swooping down on the porch banister.  I added some birdseed to a planter for the larger birds.  Bad kitty definitely has a bird's eye view.

 



In the picture below, Bad Kitty is actually lying in a hanging flower pot attached to he banister and resting his head next to the sitting pot, all of which have bird seed in them.





Here kitty, kitty.

ONE RAINY DAY IN ALLEGHANY COUNTY VA

The weather forecast was calling for heavy rain in the afternoon. I left work at 4:00 PM and headed out with my grocery list.  The rain had started by the time I was done.  Some would say it was very dark and dreary, but I found something quite beautiful.  Honey turn the car around.  I was my own "honey" and dutifully turned the car around and headed back to the swinging bridge. The rain sounded like a thousand pins dropping at once. It took my breath away.




I used to be scared to death to walk this bridge.  Now I have to walk it because there is always something it offers.









I took quite a few pictures with my cell phone (cannot believe I left home without my camera).  My phone was getting wet and I was getting wetter so I headed for home.  Wait! let's check out the boat ramp in Indian Draft.  The river was rising and the water was churning. 



I am wetter and getting a chill so I headed for home.  Wait!  Wonder what it looks like down by the Old Smith Bridge.













I was spellbound and so excited that I have the good sense to turn the car around (honey) and to keep pulling off the road to see what I can see.  My hair and my clothes were soaked by the time I finally headed home...I forgot I had groceries in the car.  What a great trip from the store.  A hot shower, drying my hair and a glass of red wine should fix me right up.  Get those jammies on girl!

BAD KITTY SIGHTING - GOING FOR A DRINK OF WATER

Something caught my eye as I was passing by the bathroom. I was frightened at first not knowing what I had seen. 

I went back to investigate.  Oh! Bad Kitty is in the house!!  And she is thirsty.

OVER TO WALMART

Walmart is one of the few options for shopping here in Covington, VA.  They now have one less competitor as KMart is closing in a couple of weeks.  I needed several items so I headed out "over to Walmart" as they say here.  As I pulled into the parking lot, there is still evidence of the big snow we had some weeks ago.

The weather report was calling for light snow on this day.  You could see the snow coming from the mountains as you stood in the parking lot.

The creek next to the parking lot reminded you of how much water has been accumulating in the creek beds that feed the Jackson River.

Glad I left Miss Dolly home where she is comfortable and warm.