5/3/08 (Saturday): Hi everyone! This is just a short blog to explain the delay in posting. I must be a jinx--the WiFi at our campground has been down all week and won't be back up until Monday!

We're having a great time, even without computer access. The area is unbelievably beautiful. The apple trees across the street from us are in full bloom. They're over 100 years old and are varieties that no one plants any more. We have cows and horses in the back pasture, and almost no traffic, and yet we're only 5 miles from Boone, which has everything you could want in the way of shopping, a hospital, doctors, several libraries and a college. There are lots of seasonal residents starting to come in, and they all seem like great folks. We're enjoying getting to know our co-workers and neighbors, too. This week I'm taking care of the neighbor's cats and chickens. She's a psychologist who does music therapy. Her cat, Sebastian, is a delightful big orange long-hair. I really enjoy going into the house, too--it's old and very charming.

Wiley has been busy checking out local trout streams. Right now, I'm at Panera's using their free WiFi and he's at a babbling brook right behind the shopping center. We're going out for Chinese food tonight.

My cousin, Donna, and her husband, Dave, are planning to visit us on their way back to Florida from Colorado. Right now they're stuck in a blizzard in South Dakota.

We're looking forward to touring Grandfather Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway, several neat small towns with interesting shops, and doing LOTS of hiking. The rhododendron looks like it's about to pop out, and it's on all the local trails.

I've got to cut this short because I'm about to run the battery down. I promise a nice blog with pictures on Monday.