Jesse James joined Choco and MJ in the pasture and this showy hibiscus came up by itself inside of a cutting I took from my grandmother’s flowering quince shrub.
I don’t really know what kind of contraption this was. High above the trees, I zoomed in and caught a shot of what looks like a go cart in a glider balloon. If you know what it is, please enlighten me.
This is my husband’s idea of going to a ‘Cat Show’. I was expecting furry four-legged animals. But it was his first little day trip to Boone, North Carolina so it felt good to him to just be out and about. And frankly, an hour without rain was a true treasure for me even if the ‘cat’ turned out to be in the form of big equipment.
The mist rises up out of the valley in the early mornings at Bland, Virginia. I love this little phenomenon – so peaceful.
The next day trip was to the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis. 
They have an amazing candy store and yet, we didn’t purchase a single piece. Can’t say that about the ice cream hut though. Peanut butter/pretzel with chunks of chocolate called my name. Oh yeah!
Even the duck wanted a taste.
And for family style dining, Shatley Springs in West Jefferson offers the best – huge bowls of country ham, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, biscuits, cobbler, and ice cream. Yum! 
Fresh blueberries inspired blueberry bars and even blueberry sauce. Yes, I actually canned a jar for Christmas Cheesecake topping – the one and only jar of anything I have canned. But I did put a few berries in the freezer.
Crockett’s Cove in Wytheville, Virginia has a beautiful little country church that intrigues me whenever we are in the area.
My son visited Galax, Virginia’s annual ‘Smoke on the Mountain’ Barbecue Festival and cook-off. He brought back a recipe and we decided to try it. Cracking out the old smoker, soaking blocks of hickory wood, rubbing down pork loin, and then letting the smoker do its job, resulted in a wonderful smoked pork barbecue. Fantastic! 
We even took a shot at making our own donuts.
Fresh peaches were delicious alone, or baked in a ‘Peaches and Cream Bar’. Another hit.
As for the flowers, the storms beat them down to sad sticks, except for the hydrangea bushes. They managed to survive the torments of never ceasing rain. The purple is a particular favorite of mine, though my husband likes the pink.
This was my attempt at making the cross between a croissant and a donut, complete with custard, and a fresh apricot and pineapple upside down cake.
The supermoon was a curiosity. If you look closer at the smaller version you can make out the clouds and the tops of the trees – spooky.
I think surgery makes men crave sweets. I acquiesced and baked some fresh cinnamon rolls. He probably won’t get them again before November. No wait, that is when I do NaNoWriMo. Perhaps December.
More clouds and my darling Gretel who is as tired of the rain as we are.
Enough about me. How is your summer going?
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Great photos. My mouth is watering looking at the pork barbecue and the donuts and peaches–goodness, Renee. Where are the recipes?? Love your summer album. I posted today along the same subject. Hope you can check it out, too. Happy Fall!
Most of my recipes are ‘throw together’ things. If I get some requests, I’ll come up with them though.
Great photographs, Renee. You are using your new camera to great effect. You have chosen so many different subjects to capture in this post and let me tell you each picture is just perfect.
Have a great summer!!
I thought you would like them, especially the one of Choco. Thanks Arindam.
Ooooooo, your summer looked delicious! Amazing photos! I think the balloon gider think is called parapenting or paragliding. I saw some do it on the Outer Banks this summer at it was called kite surfing.
Thanks for that info. It looks super cool.
What a fun roundup! Looks like a great combination of outings, treats, and life in the moment! Love the “cat” show! And I’m a cinnamon roll maker too, one of my baking traditions! Yours look amazing! And glad that your weather improved…looks like your area dried out after all your rain earlier this season. ~ Sheila
And rain headed back today – yikes! Glad you liked the roundup. I had so many pictures it just seemed natural to choose a few and throw them out together.
It looks like you had a wonderful summer…and a lot of delicious food. This post has made me hungrier than any post I have ever read but I can’t decide what I want first. Hmmmmmmmmmm…icecream or smoked pork?
Why limit yourself. I say, have the bbq and then follow it up with a nice cone of ice cream. yum.
How’s your husband doing these days….besides sweetly? That thing in the air? If it has a tiny motor, I think it’s called an Ultra Lite. No motor? Probably it’s a hang glider. Great moon shot. I’m, of course, drawn to the critters, the horses and the dog. Well…the sweets, too. I can’t believe summer is already drawing to a close.
Thanks for the info Linda. Hubby is doing good, finally. And after being house bound for a while, he has been ready to get out and about. We haven’t gone on an official vacation yet, but he has a trip to Wyoming coming up in October so we might wait a few months. How are things in your neck of the woods?
Oh Gretel you are such a beauty. We’ve had rain a couple of days and Molly was sleepy and good – for the first day. Luckily we’ve had sun ( and sadly hot again today) so she was able to play a bit.
That looks like a wing glider/ kite wing. They fly them off the beach and fields around here. Did it have a little lawnmower size motor? The need them here to get up – other places they leap off high locations and catch the air currents and don’t use power.
Pineapple upside down cake – that used to be summer at our house.
Lovely post – both pictures and food!
It did appear to have a motor, even a steering wheel. Good info Karen. Glad you guys are getting sunshine even if it is hot.
Apparently, much drier than yours! We’ve had adequate rain, but I’ve had to water quite a bit. We went to Mast General Store several years ago. Very interesting place. Looks like you’re having a good summer!
It’s had its ups and downs. Had to dash out in the moments between storms. Glad you are having a bit drier weather. It makes summer easier to enjoy.
You are right — that picture of the mists rising is incredibly peaceful. What a sight!
Thank you. It is always different there and quite beautiful. And I joke that I never know what I’m going to see – like the thing in the air or a carrier pigeon.
That’s what I call a busy and exciting summer! There are so many beautiful places to explore… 🙂