Found this serene scene along a quiet dirt road on the outskirts of Charlottesville.

Barracks Road, Charlottesville, Virginia

Worn wood fence and rusted chain along a Virginia back-road near Charlottesville.

*Thanks for the idea JD, you were right*

Traveling through the Blue Ridge Mountains I came across this beautiful scene in the early morning fog. As the fog lifted, portions of the mountain treetops were bathed in frost where clouds had left accumulated moisture. Reminiscent of Jack and the Beanstalk, the valley looked as though giant stalks of cauliflower had grown up overnight.

I would have taken many more shots but I was lucky to get this one with what was left of my dead camera battery. I need to remember to charge more often!

This picture was taken along Barracks Road near Charlottesville, Virginia. I thought it would make a beautiful Christmas card next year.

I wrote an article over at CyberCletch on the 10 Lessons I learned from Cirque de Soleil. I had never seen a Cirque performance and am so thankful Tamara insisted we go.

In case you missed it earlier, here’s a little video I put together from all the video snippets, camera and phone images I took.

Video not visible? Watch here.

During the divorce negotiations, the dog went to my ex. He’s since reconsidered and I was notified today I’ll be keeping the dog from now on. I had chosen to shut out how much I missed having Caesar in my life on a daily basis. I’m beyond excited to have him home full-time; he’s putting up with the hugs and the costume because that’s the kind of dog he is. Woman’s best friend.

This was today’s visitor, they often hang out at the end of my lawn where there is some flooding or fish in the shallow water beside the dock. This is the first one I’ve seen actually ON the dock. Wish I had a lens that let me get closer. This was taken through my rain soaked family room window because if I had opened the sliding door the Great Blue Heron would be gone. It is a Great Blue, isn’t it?

We headed out to the Apache Trout Grill for dinner. The wait was appreciated because it allowed us to sit by the water with a drink and enjoy the view.

The food was delicious, particularly my taste of the crab and lobster bisque. I kept my meal simple with Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad. The tuna was served more raw than my preference, but I was enjoying myself and didn’t think twice about it.

We arrived back at our room in time to watch the sunset. I spent all night pacing in the hotel room with extreme belly pain; it never occurred to me that it might be food poisoning until dinner came up around 5 am. I was finally able to sleep and did so until noon.

I would still go back to the restaurant, the food was incredible and I’m sure if my illness was caused by the tuna, it was an isolated case. Next time, I’ll make sure my seafood is fully cooked.

I expected to be awoken in the morning by an impatient maid waiting to clean my room. In other hotels, the attendants never see the “Do Not Disturb” sign – somehow – knocked to the floor. Instead, I awoke to a note under my door that explained the cleaning staff had stopped by, but respected my request for quiet and to let them know if I needed supplies. I so appreciated the uninterrupted sleep, I thanked the staff at the front desk when I asked for some extra towels. Later that day, I arrived back to a made bed and cleaned room. That’s good service.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the charming town of Traverse City, I purchased some spices, infused oil and vinegar and saw my first medical marijuana store front.

There are so many quaint shops, historical buildings in a pretty town, I was surprised to discover that only 20% of Traverse City’s visitors reside outside Michigan.

I discovered Trattoria Stella using Foursquare, someone had recommended a basic dish that sounded simple and good. I was ecstatically surprised by the quality and philosophy of the restaurant. Listed on the menu are the farms they purchase their food from, the majority are local and they butcher their own meat. The food and service were the best on the trip.

The location was unique too, it’s housed in the the basement of a complex called The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The commons is a large scale redevelopment, still in progress, of several historic buildings previously used as the Traverse City State Hospital and the Northern Michigan Asylum.

After dinner, we had drinks on the patio of our hotel and watched the sunset. A relaxing and enjoyable wrap-up to a trip I didn’t want to end. I’ll definitely head back to the area but next time I’ll stay longer and explore more.

While there I discovered I was near the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. I knew I had to record the momentous occasion. Instead of building a cairn, I checked in on Foursquare.

It was while checking in I discovered that 2 Lads Winery was offering a special for Foursquare users. We had seen the winery on the way up, but hadn’t planned on stopping. I couldn’t resist.

We traveled past beautiful fruit farms, wineries, bed & breakfasts, all with striking water vistas.

2 Lads Winery is an impressive looking architecturally modern building set upon a hill with panoramic views of Grand Traverse Bay.

I ordered a tasting flight and was surprised. I have come to appreciate red wine in recent years, but even as a white wine drinker, I only enjoy dry wines, and avoided rieslings because they tended to be too sweet for my taste. The Fouch Vineyard riesling was the first riesling I enjoyed.

I carefully packed my purchased bottles away for the roadtrip home.