{Birthday Mountain Trip}

Well y'all, my birthday celebration came to an end. I tried real hard to get Marty to agree to carry it over into March but he said he had to draw the line somewhere!  Wanted to share with my blogging friends my birthday trip to the mountains.

WARNING...Lots of pictures but not nearly all of them! These pictures are not in any particular order but these are some of my most favs out of the MANY I took! 

The mountains, like the ocean is always breathtaking to me. Most days had clear skies except for one day and as far as you could see, the beauty of mountains surrounded us.

Someone asked me, "Don't you have a fireplace at home?". Well, yep I do. But there is something different about being away in a cabin and sitting by a fireplace with your feet propped up! At home...I am afraid too many other things beckon my attention but NOT THIS WEEK!

Oh how I love me an "OUTSIDE FIRE" as I like to call it. We enjoyed sitting around the camp fire several nights. 

 

We took many scenic tours and stopped along the way. Many of the places we visited before on other trips but the beauty of the mountains never grow old.

We made a day trip to Helen Ga. Not too many tourists this time of the year. Most of the folks we talked with in various little towns said their mountain towns usually boom the best beginning mid March through Valentine's but mainly depends on the season and location. Seems the months of October and December are the most popular among most of the little towns we visited.

We had lunch at Hofer's and it was so good. Very cozy and quaint place to eat and loved the history. The owner is actually German and our waitress told us a lot about the history of the Cafe'. She said that most everything they prepare come from the owner's mother's recipes.  The inside of Hofer's was built to replicate an authentic German Café. The furniture was all imported from Germany and they have a neat mural painted showing the history of baking in Germany.We really enjoyed having lunch there.

Coffee on the balcony just seems to taste better.

Especially when it snows!

Now us Floridians do not get snow so you know I was happy to see a little!

At least I wasn't so giddy about it that I forgot to put my gloves on....

One of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting The Sweet Shoppe. I had read about this quaint little place and of course being a Food Network fan I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit The Sweet Shoppe in downtown Blueridge.

And as luck would have it, one of the owners- winners came in and OH YES! I DID get my picture made with her. We actually talked a bit and she was as sweet as her sweets!

CHEESE CAKE....GOOD GRIEF HOW GOOD!

Some of my tea party friends will love this picture. I had myself a little tea party for one. Well, I had coffee but still....

 

So many beautiful scenic areas along our way. The Chattahoochee National Forest is beautiful. We rode through one side of the forest a few days prior to these pictures taken.

A few days later we went on the other side of the forest.

We went on a 2 mile hike in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It was a beautiful day. Marty found this stick lying on the ground so it became my walking stick. GLAD I HAD IT! I am not a hiker! #hetalkedmeintoit#promisedmewewouldshop
LOL! 

Such beautiful scenery.

And what do you know but we had snow yet another day! 

We visited all the nearby towns and counties. As a friend of mine said once, "Sometimes it's not about where you go as much as it is just the change of scenery". So true.

And you can't go to Blueridge and not go to Mercier Orchards.

On our way headed home we broke up the drive and stayed in McDonough, Ga.  Such a great town and so much shopping to do there......I didn't shop any!

We had never eaten at Hog-n-Bones before so had lunch there. If you have one nearby, do give them a try. They are closed on Sundays (good for them) but the food, atmosphere, employees and price was excellent. 

So what did I do with all those Apples? Well, my family each got a bag full but I made an Apple Cider Pound Cake.

My granny's old pound cake pan makes the best pound cakes ever!

I brought home apple cider too as Marty and I both enjoy hot apple cider. I found a recipe using the cider and tweaked it a tad and well, it turned out wonderful. I might need to share the recipe next week with you all if you like apples and pound cake.

 The mountains are always a great place to visit. Though I am most definitely a flat land girl I sure enjoyed the beauty of God's creations in those breathtaking mountain views. It is always good to get away....but I was ready to see my family. Hugs from my grands never felt so good! There is NO PLACE LIKE HOME! 

 I hope that you all have a great week and remember; take some time out the busyness of life to enjoy life...it sure can refresh the soul. 

 Hugs and blessings, Cindy