Thank you for being my friends, they traveled down the road and are now going back again....

Well, my company has left the cove at Killian Knob on this beautiful mountain morning. Kim Richardson and her husband are two of the most gracious, delightful, down to earth people you will ever meet - or I should say, that I have had the good fortune to finally meet. In a way, it was like looking at the mirror image of GMR and I as a couple: Kim and I are jittery and talky while Kim's husband and GMR are more the strong silent type--and both GMR and Kim's hb love to show their love and affection and thanks by cooking and presenting something tasty. Kim's hb made the most buttery delicious pralines, and these no-bake chocolate-oatmeal cookies - oh geez, I have had a sugar/butter rush since they arrived! GMR made pasta jambalaya and then shrimp creole - he also made a banana's foster bread pudding (little did we know that Kim's hb favorite dessert is bread pudding!).....

Also, Kimmi's beloved made GMR and I "Tom-a-hawks" (which we re-named in honor of Kim's hubbie but not "Tom") - out of hard-to-find smooth flat creek stones and he whittled branches - later I'll snap a photo, but I was so touched and delighted. I wondered why he was down at the creek so long looking for "a rock" - laughing! not that I don't do that all the time- especially with my brother Tommy...haw!

Kimmi and I talked about our books and life and all manner of things. We sat on the porch over-looking the cove in the day and at night the still-visible lights of Maggie Valley (which will soon be hidden by the growth). We drank tea and we ate food and we ate pralines and no-bake cookies and we yapped and we rocked. We've had the warmest days yet while they were here and the porch was an oasis of calm and quiet (well, except this happened to be the weekend of "Thunder in the Smokies" and a bunch of motocycle people are roaring around everywhere!).

GMR and Kimmi's beloved were like old buddies. Made me smile to see them chatting quietly away.

I also met another really cool woman who came up here from Asheville to meet Kim in person. More on that later.

A truly wonderful visit.

Fat Labrador Jake was sad to see them go - he stayed by Kimmi's beloved's feet for much of the visit. He knows another Good Man when he sees him!

And of course I called Kimmi's hb by his name, but I am not here, because I simply cannot remember if Kimmi showed her beloved's name on her blog, and I don't want to disrespect privacy.

Ah my friends -- I feel fortunate to have met three beautiful blogger friends who are now "in the flesh" friends.

Kimmi snapped a few photos - more later.