Down East Doll Show Trip - Monday

Breakfast on the porch before we are off again



First pineapple cream muffins and then craisons almonds, granola, cantaloupe and melon with spices and wine reduction


Followed by Steak with raspberry vinaigrette, French toast stuffed with cream cheese and apricot and encrusted with pecans - Gary the innkeeper needs to publish a cookbook!

Now well fed, we set out for the Smokey Mtns and Nashville.









Lunch stop - opting for a simple cheap one after our big breakfast





Got to Nashville and off to a winery


First wine tasting then we bought a bottle and feasted on our cheese and grapes





Suddenly a storm blew in


And everyone had to quickly move further under cover






After the rain ended, a night of dinner at Bricks and lots of talking and catching up with our dear friends in Nashville.

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Down East Doll Show trip home

Next we continued to Asheville,a particularly picturesque small town where you can find so many five star restaurants in the downtown it's very hard to decide where to go.
First we found At Cumberland Falls B&B Inn which is fantastic.









We were lucky enough to be the only guests and had this gorgeous mansion entirely to ourselves.















We drove around Asheville awhile - partly looking for a bluegrass place we went to years ago but couldn't find it so its probably gone.






Eventually we chose Jerusalem Garden Cafe and were not disappointed!










Lamb shank that was so good


Bill claims his pistachio encrusted lamb chops were as good



Our cute waitress/artist who told us we have to come back again





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Down East Doll Show Trip - day 11

Show is over - sad to leave new acquaintances so soon. Started with breakfast but we left before the baby shower/gift exchange and awards from the contest were given out as we wanted to get on our way home.



Baby shower gifts


Linda showed me a doll she had sold to a doll museum in Switzerland that had been dressed in clothes she had bought from me!



So we were off. We drove towards Tennessee


but made our first stop in Pittsboro NC where Bill worked some years ago when they put in a new 3M plant. Turns out they are closed Sundays so we had to look from afar. The town square and then the plant some miles out of town at a quarry.








On towards Asheville NC - stopped in Ashboro NC for lunch at very highly recommended David's Restaurant -



from its looks and clientele (mostly older folks coming from church services at noon on Sunday and it was packed by the time we left)



about like a Denny's but there the comparison ends. The menu selection was extensive, imaginative and all fresh foods - even the peaches in my crab stuffed avocado plate.


Bill's Athenian Wrap



Back on the road


Looking like rain


Yup


And suddenly gone



Asheville and our wonderful B&B in the next post

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Down East Doll Show Saturday

Up early again to eat so we could ready everything again for the 2nd day of the show - we had such a good time just hanging out with the people we got to meet!



Pictures of customers' dolls in their new outfits from The Preemie Store














Taking down exhibits at the end of the show - our car had a little more room but the plastic drawers we kept clothes in still took up the same space empty...








Hat contest after the show



And dinner....



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