The Last Leg of Our Trip

This week-long trip has turned into weeks of blog posts. I guess that isn't too bad. I could have been gone a month. (grin)

We wend our way northward toward Tennessee where the wildflowers are blooming and the American flag flies proudly.

 

 

We have a short visit with family.

 

and come morning we start the last lap of our trip... toward home.

 

But, first, we make a brief stop in Abingdon, Virginia. I'd never been there so I enjoyed seeing some of the sights.

 

This is the Martha Washington Hotel and Spa. It opened in 1905 and has 51 guest rooms and 11 suites. I must go back sometime for a stay at this old but elegant hotel.

 

The house was originally built in 1832 as a home for General Francis Preston and his wife, Sarah. In 1858 it was sold and became an upscale college for women. That was closed in 1932. At one time the building housed actors, such as Patricia Neal, Ernest Borgnine and Ned Beatty, that were appearing at the Barter Theatre.

 

Oh, speaking of the Barter Theatre, it sits catty-cornered across the street from the hotel. It is the longest running professional resident theater in the U. S.

 

The way it got it's name, you asked!

The theatre opened in 1933 during the Depression and people couldn't really afford to buy tickets to attend so the owner let them pay with food, hence the name 'Barter'.

 

Here are some other random photos that I took while in Abingdon.

A park near the hotel

 

Beautiful flowers

 

My daughter

 

Thus ends our trip through Virginia,  North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

I know you all are gonna miss having your own personal tour but I have a surprise for you.....

Shirley and I leave tomorrow headed to Dover, Delaware on a bus trip to the casino. Not that we are gamblers, you know, but it will be a new and exciting adventure for us. So, stay tuned. My next blog post is bound to be about that trip.