By now, I am sure you are ready for me to move on from my summer vacation photos but considering the hurricanes that have blown through that part of the world, I had to post this last group of photos. While we were on Sanibel Island, we found a walking trail by accident. We had left our hotel room, on foot, and walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. As we approached the front of the building, we realized that it was not open. Since we were set on having dinner, we turned around and began walking back to go somewhere else and that is when we saw a small sign for the Pond Apple Trail. And yes, we also saw signs for alligators-this little guy did not pose much of a threat but everybody knows that small alligators are the result of big alligators…
We didn’t walk the trail that evening but we did go back one afternoon while we were out riding bicycles. A portion of the trail winds around several square ponds that are part of a stormwater remediation program for the island. This handsome fellow was watching over the water for possible snacks.
If you are curious about the remediation method used here, small rafts of plants are assembled and allowed to float in the ponds. The root systems of the plants help clean the water of pollutants that are washed into the ponds during storm runoff.
The trail gets its name from the native pond apple trees which are relatives of custard apples and soursops.
Although they were perfectly edible, we decided not to eat them. We enjoyed the trail and look forward to a trip back to the island so we can explore it again.
On the day we were leaving, I scheduled the flight home late in the afternoon so that we could spend the day exploring some of Fort Meyers. Mother nature had other ideas and we were stuck walking in drizzly conditions. We found a great place to explore despite the rain! Six Mile Cypress Slough is one of the most unique trails I have ever walked and I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area. The entire trail is a raised wooden boardwalk that wides its way through a cypress swamp. Currently, the trail is closed and I am assuming it is because of storm damage.
The stumps in the water are called knees and cypress trees develop these roots as they grow in the water. The water was so clear, golden in color but clear with amazing visibility!
The ferns grow everywhere! These were colonizing the base of a tree trunk.
Have you seen those air plants for sale everywhere? They grow wild all over Sanibel Island and here in the slough as well. The lichens were pretty amazing as well, I have never seen them in this color before.
More air plants, they can get pretty large.
Ferns, love ferns… The way the little fronds unfurl…
Of course, it would not be a proper southern swamp without some hanging moss.
The boardwalk, it was only a mile from start to finish but we took our time and probably spent an hour wandering the walkway.
At every turn, there was something to see. Plants above water, plants below water.
And it wouldn’t be a proper hike without a reflection shot.
Moss and ferns, two of my favorite things.
This guy was just hanging out, he let me take his photo. Hopefully, the damage to the trail was not too extensive and it will reopen soon.
The dolls heads are everywhere, so is graffiti.
We wandered slowly along the trail, continually finding little treasures
and graffiti, lots and lots of graffiti
some of the work was clever and imaginitive
other things were humorous
quite a bit of it was creepy
This collection of shoes was amazing-look at the moss on the boots. Love the Shoeless Joe Jackson reference, had to explain that one.
And of course, a common sense public announcement. This will be a place I must return to on occasion, especially after a big rain event. It will be very interesting to see what washes up and how it is used in the artwork on the trail.
The park is also a nature center and we happened to catch this little guy out shopping for lunch.
He was a little reminder to look at everything because you just do not know what you will find out there.
Like this tree which was easily 20 feet from the trail in some very tall and thick brush.
Of course, we had to leave our mark as well.
we did so in honor of our cats! Chicken Wing and The Captain are now part of the trail.
One of my favorite things about traveling to new places is the chance to try new restaurants. Trust me folks, Asheville did not disappoint! Every meal we had was well worth the visit. After our big hike up to Black Balsam Knob, we followed another recommendation from the wonderful folks at 
Having hiked at least 6 miles (did 9 miles of walking for the day), we quickly drained the water bottles placed on the table.
This old building was perfect for camera play-I loved the light fixtures hanging above the tables.
Sorry, couldn’t resist…
My choice for lunch was a spinach and tofu salad. Trust me when I say that this is not what I expected. It was also as delicious as it was different, those crunchy bits on the top…Seriously though, this dish was only offered as a special and for those of you who visit the restaurant, I hope they offer it again! It had a little bit of a bite to it but the crumbled tofu and cooked spinach were well flavored and served cold-perfect and refreshing for the hot day and the hike we had just completed.
The rest of our meal included pork dumplings and fried tofu. Be sure to check the special board to see what fillings are available for the dumplings because they change them frequently. We devoured them! The filling was a typical Asian style pork recipe with ginger and garlic and all of the other ingredients you would expect to find but it was the sauce that made them. It was a creamy peanut sauce with what I think was a touch of red curry and if we had been there alone, we might have fought over who was going to have it all.
Between us, we also shared a grilled vegetable salad that included squash, peppers and avocados. This was the first time I ate a grilled avocado and honestly, I don’t think it made any difference to the flavor; ripe avocados are the food of the gods and nothing can improve that! Again, be sure to check the special board, that is where the good stuff is. At least it was on our visit because most of what we ate, was ordered off the board and not the menu.
And if you need any proof, we joined the clean plate club and walked away feeling full but not stuffed! It was the perfect way to refresh ourselves after our hiking adventure.
The verdict, if you are in Asheville, take the trip over for lunch, it isn’t in the downtown area but it is worth the time you will need to get there. My plan is to go back sometime and try the dinner menu.
Remember that mention of Local Provisions? We were staying nearby and walked over for cocktails before heading out to dinner. When I read the description for the Midnight Voyage, I had to have one. It was the first time I have ever tasted Honeysuckle Vodka and I probably could have consumed a quart of this mixture! The cocktail is a blend of honeysuckle vodka, Creme de Violette, St. Germain and lime juice. It was a little sweet, very citrusy and just a bit floral; it was also like a glass of grown-up limeade that did not remind me of really bad margaritas, which is something lime juice generally does for me. They knocked it out of the park with the addition of a stem of begonia flowers. How is it that this gardener did not know that begonias are edible??? They have a tart flavor that will get you at the back of your jaw but in this drink, they were the perfect addition!
Recently, I flew to Atlanta to visit one of our daughters. Once she had picked me up from the airport and we were on our way for some much needed coffee (it was only 7:30am at this point), she surprised me with the news that we were headed to Asheville. Hiking was on our list of things to do and we set off on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped on several occasions just to admire the view.
As we drove on, we gained altitude and the views just got better and better.
We were lucky, the weather was perfect; sunny, clear and not too hot.
At one stop, the old Buck Spring Lodge site is near the Pisgah Inn on the Mt. Pisgah Summit and there are a few trails around the parking area. Take the stone stairs and follow the trail toward the inn, the views are worth the walk.
We were headed for Black Balsam Knob and we drove on. These were spotted on the Flat Laurel Creek Trail. If anyone can identify these, please do-I have no idea what they are.
Even though were around 6000ft, honeybees were present. While I am sure that the altitude was not an issue for them, I could only wonder if they were there because a beekeeper has hives out there somewhere or if there were feral bee colonies.
These were spotted along the Art Loeb trail as we hiked up to the top. They had finished blooming for the year and were loaded with seeds for next years blooms.
There was no shortage of Mountain Ash berries.
And with goldenrod in bloom, the bees had plenty of flowers for foraging.
Again, I am looking for an assist on the ID, if you know what this is, I would love to know as well!
When we finally did reach our goal, not the entire trail but a nice high elevation, we were standing on this rocky spot. The pattern in the surface of the stone is intriguing.
We stopped for a bit and enjoyed the view. If you want to take a hike near Asheville, we highly recommend making the trip to 
My hiking partner, Alix. It was a wonderful surprise and it was a perfect afternoon!
will garden for cake 