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This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking off with a bunch of crazy ladies to Black Mountain, NC for a retreat. We had a great time of fellowship and fun while we got to know each other a little better.

Here are a few other things I learned…

– A good friend who is very much the animal lover, has quite an aversion to ferrets.

– Speed scrabble is addictive.

– Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them… you can bounce a ripe one like a basketball.

– Crows like cinnamon rolls so keep your trunk shut. (And some people, I won’t name names, love homemade cinnamon rolls so much that even if a couple of crows attack them, pecking the livin’ daylights out of ’em, they’ll just cut around the mess and save the good part…kinda like the 10 second rule I suppose.)

– If you stick the red end of match (unlit of course) in a constipated dogs rear end it will make him poop! At least that’s what the vet in residence said when asking for a match to light her mom’s 81 birthday candles. (I wonder if that works on people too?)

The weekend proved to be very informative.

We hung out in our pj’s, ate tasty treats and played Speed Scrabble, Set and Balderdash long into the night.

We really know how to rock it.

Saturday we all went on a scavenger hunt in downtown Black Mountain. Nothing challenging. Really just an excuse to shop and toodle. And toodle we did!

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Black Mountain is a little moutain town just east of Asheville, NC and convenient to I-40, full of quaint shops, restaurants and sweet people.

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Our first stop was at Town Hardware and General Store, a favorite of mine. They had quite the menagerie of interesting finds. While they did have a full fledge hardware department they had everything elsel too. From gum…

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to walking sticks…

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to something everyone needs, a cookie shovel.

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I fell in love with these old antique toys.

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Anyone out there looking for a gnome to help celebrate your favorite college team? Well here you go…

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If gnomes are not your thing what about an Elvis cookie jar?

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That store was hopping. And you can see why.

Look jay walkers! Some people…

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I ran into my sister, Carole (on the right) and her friend Melissa. Say cheese ladies!

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We checked out several other stores in town – a couple of fudge shops, a toy store, other cozy places. Seven Sisters was another favorite fun filled shop with goodies that any sister would certainly love to receive. Beautiful pottery…

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hand blown glass ornaments…

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And look at these mugs…

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Adorable.

And I just loved this pottery nativity set.

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A beaming shepherd… he’s so cute.

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Another thing I enjoyed about Black Mountain were all the little dogs out and about. They were everywhere.

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I only snagged two shots of a couple of cuties but many were out shopping that day.

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One was even cruising around in a dog stroller. Black Mountain is definitely a canine friendly town.

So if you’re looking for a day trip destination, a rest stop to stretch your legs a bit, or are on the hunt for that elusive gnome to add to your collection, Black Mountain, NC would love for you to drop by for a visit.

Before you go, what are your favorite small towns to visit?

Please do share – we all need to get out and about every now and then.