Dear Reader:

When Tommy, Kaitlyn, and I left last Wednesday for Lake Toxaway for Thanksgiving we had no idea… that we would get a peek at Christmas too…two holidays for one!

It was a fabulous get-away…my eyes were full of awe and wonder…like this little surprise waterfall that pops out to remind drivers leaving…they will want to return again.

We will go ‘back to the present‘ today starting with Sunday and Saturday first. Both fun days…well maybe not Sunday except for our last fabulous Sunday brunch at Greystone…the traffic was packed and heavy all the way home with heavy rain showers!

We went into Brevard Saturday…such an adorable little mountain town …for me to look for grandchildren stocking stuffers and just ride around this lovely area of the mountains.

When we got back… the inn was in the process of transforming….from Thanksgiving to Christmas….the trees had arrived…and lights were being put on them.

***The whole family… delighting in the lights and wonderful outdoorsy smell of Christmas trees! 🙂

Several children were staying at the lodge with their parents…and they were beside themselves with excitement ….especially the first child who spotted the “Elf on the Shelf” high up on the antler chandelier!

***The children were also busy filling out their letters to Santa to put in the Greystone special express Santa mailbox!

*Notice the white squirrel…you won’t leave the area without hearing its legend… resulting in becoming Brevard’s mascot…will save it for another upcoming post. Cool tale.

***The moon was almost full while we were there and reflected off Lake Toxaway each evening…magical and enchanting.

The weather was perfect….40’s at night…low 60’s in the day….but snow is predicted for this week.

Earlier Saturday we went to the most famous toy store around  the area…O.P. Taylors...I went beserk filling my bag up with stocking stuffers….then we went to Bullwinkles Outdoor Store...where Pip rested on the big moose. Even the street lights have silhouettes of the white squirrel…mascot of Brevard.

SSSHHHH! Picked up a white squirrel for each grandchild’s stocking and one storybook of the White Squirrel and Christmas for each family.

Now let me give you a tour of the past few days and some of our adventures….Enjoy!

Friday Tommy and I (Atticus and Pip) went to Triple Falls in Dupont Park…I wasn’t sure I could handle it…to tell you the truth…between the higher altitude, masks, and elevation of the lodge…with the addition of never-ending precarious stone steps that seem to climb into heaven… leading to every building you went to…my respiratory system was working way over time.

 Triple Falls...I did have to stop and rest once we got there and started climbing in between levels… … but still I did it!!!! I reached the third waterfall! 🙂

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The best part of the Thanksgiving adventure was, not only seeing gorgeous views, but meeting new people at the lodge…we had a ball. Everyone fell in love with Pip and Atticus…soon we were famous for having the dogs.

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious…in fact every meal was…and every evening there were bonfires out front or playing games or just conversing with guests around the fireplaces…in fact that first night we arrived we were treated to complimentary champagne…I felt like royalty.

***The days were breathtakingly beautiful… walking the estate…and silently thanking this woman for building her dream.

This really was a fairy tale Thanksgiving. I felt like the ‘Princess and the Pea’ (without the pea!) I slept better there than I have in quite awhile. The bed was luxurious and I think I got the best room of all…it was at the tip top of the inn…so when I looked out…I could see tennis courts out one window, kayak landing out the other and the beautiful Lake Toxaway out the third window.

My room at the top!

Even climbing in-door landings to get to my room didn’t deter me…because I knew I would be in dream land when I arrived.

We did have one mystery…every good adventure needs at least one…the mysterious fog of Lake Toxaway. One morning we ate breakfast outside while the sun was pouring down on our welcoming faces…but before we could return to our rooms…this strange fog  started crawling in…. covering big chunks of the lake…strangely beautiful. It happened three different times.

So until tomorrow…I am most thankful for this wonderful adventure that got me out and seeing new things…I hope for one and all… you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we all counted our blessings for what we have.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh