Doing my part

"Well,  if dead people can vote, why shouldn't I? Actually, Mom wouldn't let me, so I stole her sticker."

 Looking down at Lake Lure from Chimney Rock.

 Hickory Nut Falls

 My faithful sidekick and me on the hike

 Down near the lake

Happy camper

Gadding about

 Ariela and Sapphire's new friends--a dynamic foursome

 The python that I "petted" at the Roper Mountain Science Center

Some individuals are just dead boars.

 A three-week-old lamb named Betsy

 Avon calling.

Bessie seems offended that I would try to milk her.

 Bees busy pollinating.

 No venom there.

I KNEW I shouldn't have eaten that unripe papaya!

 The airport in Cincinnati

 Joseph's granddaughter, Scarlett

 And her twin, Sebastian. Delightful children.

 And their parents, Andrew and Elizabeth

 Charity, directing traffic at the county fair. It was HOT.

 Shipshewana's Blue Gate Restaurant.

 On the restaurant's porch

 A presumably Amish man witnessing for the Lord

 The acquarium at the Indianapolis Zoo

 Tree huggers beware.

 Sleepy meercats

Ah, the orangutan choosing the symbol on the computer, for each piece of fruit. The handler pushed for donations to his project. Monthly donations.

 A cute warthog. If you like the stringy look.

 Reminded me of "Taming the Tiger" by Tony Anthony

 Cheery blooms

 Posing by the cheese factory. One day the high was to be 90, with a RealFeel of 108.

 Conquering the Mohican River in Ohio, with friends

 The last pic before the river conquered us. Sort of. But my memory card survived, my watch, and the two cell phones aboard. Parts of the river were so shallow the canoe would get stuck. But when I had to swim after the paddles, my feet didn't touch bottom. We admitted, though, that the adventure was fun. We drove to a delightful thrift store to find dry clothes, and there struck up a conversation with a lovely Polish lady who related her testimony and her husband's.

The end.

Biltmore Castle

For my sister's birthday, I took her to Biltmore Estate, in Asheville.

Fashionable Romance, that is, in films, several gowns on display.

Some brave soul put up that gorgeous elegance.

The Winter Garden

The Banquet Hall for an intimate lunch

The view from a balcony

Another fashionable gown of that day

Don't you love this step stool for when you can't reach a book?

Take a look at all those tapestries.

George Vanderbilt's bedroom. See  how short the bed is?

And Edith's, too. Guess the high canopy is in case she got to bouncing on the bed.

Grace descending the staircase.

Ah, the tulips! Which is why we waited until mid-April.

Now that makes a picturesque frame.

Three or four different people offered to take photos for us. Nice.

The orchids room--lovely, lovely.

The lady from the Music Conservatory filled the room with absolutely beautiful music.

A stop at the little farm provided  a look at this sleeping caprine family.

Farewell to Biltmore, and one last stop at the Moose Cafe, a few miles away.