When Friends Come to Visit and Hike a Mountain With Us!

This past weekend friends came to visit us here at Mountain Musings, and we had some fun activities planned for them.

It had been years since we had climbed Humpback Rocks (and it's still been years for me as I waited down below at the Visitor Center while the group hiked up)!

This is a beautiful area, and we are privileged to have lived here in the Valley for 22 years:

One of our all-time favorite things to do at the top of the mountain is sing together. The Solid Rock is often one of the choices, so other folks who have made the climb are treated to an unexpected concert!

We also love taking any of our guests who have visited through the years to the picnic area on the Parkway for a picnic while there: Hiking the trail at Appalachian Farm is another fun part of the Parkway to see how folks lived many years ago:

Raven's Roost Overlook is also a popular stop for a view of the Valley. Everything looked different to us in this season...we're used to traveling the Parkway in the fall with the other leaf peepers:

Back home again, we checked out the garden while some of the young people played volleyball in the yard, and others rested after the tiring hike:

Then it was time to get supper ready. I appreciated having so many helping hands in the kitchen! The main dish was Baked Stuffed Sweet Potatoes topped with barbecue chicken, cheese, and red onion...one of Jonathan's favorites:

And here we are chowing down out on the deck...what nice temperatures that evening to be outside:

That evening was music night! Our friends brought their instruments, and we sang and played violin, guitar, whistle, and ukulele. It was a fun time!

Every person picked their favorite hymn, and we sang some good ones! The music sounded wonderful!

The next day our friends traveled with us to church, and Jonathan hosted all of us for a meal on Sunday evening at his house. He did a great job...here's the buffet line for barbacoa tacos and all the toppings:

Lots of conversation, games, and fun!

And this game of spoons was wild! LOL!

And a final photo for Jonathan's Guest Book:

Monday morning and travel day for our friends came way too soon! We gathered out in the driveway, and they sang a blessing song to us as they prepared to leave:

Yes, I will miss this sweet boy!

~Deb