sunday morning i got a text from my brother: “do y’all have plans today? wanna do a late lunch… maybe pisgah. take my camera and try to learn a little about it. well that’s what i’m gonna do.”
it was gorgeous, and i mean gorgeous out. sunny. cool, yet warm. not a cloud in the sky. and the leaves are making their colorful premiere right around now. the perfect day to ride the 20-30 ride up the blue ridge parkway (now open again after the government crapdown) and have lunch at the famous pisgah inn. the only problem was that lina needed to study. poor, poor lina. but, i decided to join my brother anyway for what turned out to be a fantastic brother-sister afternoon.
i picked him up (then made him drive) and we headed up the little road to the parkway. we were a little unsure about the status of the leaves… they were looking a little brown instead of beautifully red, yellow and orange. however, the higher we went, the better it got. still, not as vibrant as some years. were we a few days too early? hard to tell.
soon, though, we rounded a bend on a tiny, windy road, and everything turned golden. the sun filtered through the trees, everything shone with brillant color, and i was left breathless.
it was not long and we reached the pisgah mountain area. at the same time, it clicked in our brains that this had the makings of a very long afternoon – we realized that today it just might be packed with tourists and sunday lunch eaters and leaf lookers. what a day to choose. still, we drove on, determined to enjoy our lunch on the parkway.
well, the parking lot was indeed packed. like more packed than i’d ever seen it. people were waiting outside all around. we didn’t hesitate to add our name to the list, though, because we figured that with the amazing weather, the amazing views, and a bottle of beer/glass of wine in our hands, we be just fine. an hour and a half wait? no freaking problem.
we got our drinks, parked ourselves on the ground up against a rock, and just basked in the beauty of the day. my brother played with his super cool, new camera. and i snapped plenty of photos as well. shocking, i know.
soon, our buzzer went off. way sooner than it was supposed to actually, and we went in to get our table. i was crossing my fingers for a table in the dining room with the views, and not the back room, but i didn’t get my hopes up. we followed the hostess to a four person table and sat down on the same side, facing the glorious mountains. i couldn’t believe our luck.
about an hour and a half later, we had finished our yummy meal, laughed a lot, made up stories about the people sitting around us, and were ready to head back down the mountain. we didn’t head straight home, but took a tiny detour, as my brother showed me some places i’d never been before.
all in all, it was a perfect afternoon with my bro. well, i did miss my love (cause everything’s fun with her), but it was important and amazing to just be with the other most important person in my life (not including my parents, of course). totally worth the hour and a half (45 minute) wait.
thanks, little bro, for a top notch sunday afternoon! i loved every minute!
This sounds like an amazing day! What kind of camera did Nick get? Your photos are spectacular, as always!
Nick got a Sony something. It’s a point and shoot, but it is amazing! Thanks, girl. xx
Beautiful photos, Liz! So glad you both had a relaxing day.
geez, I’m so with responses to comments. Sorry! It was a great time with my bro. He’s truly the best and I am so thankful to be home near him again. Hope all is well with you as you make your way up the West Coast. xo
I’ve been up there before and it is beautiful! 45 minutes is actually not too bad for that place!
I know, right? And peak leaf season too! They said like almost 2 hours, but it was way faster = we are way happier. Hehe.
These pics are beautiful! It’s making me reflect on the little village I grew up in, which probably has potential for beautiful country mountain views… but we forget them sometimes don’t we – when we get used to where we live and just let the tourists take the pics…
It’s lovely seeing these! And hearing about the bond you and your brother clearly share! I can’t imagine me and my brother sitting for such time and enjoying (he’s impatient! haha!)
Great last picture of the server clearing the table!
1 hour and a half? Phew! Sounds like a waiting time for a great restaurant here in NY. Glad you stuck it out, though, and no better way than snapping pics. Your bro’s cam looks like one where you can take the lens off and exchange it for another. Fancy gadgets those are!