Visiting The Greenbrier

This is been a very busy summer at work for Glenn. 

No long travels for us, just a few days here and there.

We traveled 5.5 hours to the Greenbrier in

White Sulphur Springs West Virginia

I had visited once before for our 25th anniversary.

Glenn visited many times in the 1980's on business.

We wanted Austin to have The Greenbrier experience.

We arrived on Monday afternoon.  The first view of the massive hotel

when you round the bend after entering the grounds is breathtaking.

Afternoon Tea, served daily from 4:15 - 5:00 pm

is actually hot or iced tea and a round buffet table of cookies and mini pastries

It is served in the Upper Lobby surrounded with

smaller rooms with hundreds of comfortable places to sit.

On Monday, Austin and I sat in the Victoria Writing Room.

After dinner Monday, Austin and Glenn bowled two games. 

Tuesday, they went on an all day white water rafting trip on the New River.

I don't know anything about rafting, but I heard them describe it as Class 4 and 5 Rapids.

I visited the world-famous Greenbrier Spa during the morning,

and enjoyed a food preparation demonstration in the afternoon.

On Wednesday morning, we toured the Bunker, which had been a secret partnership

with the U.S. government, described as "at one time one of the nation's more guarded secrets," 

The Bunker was a "Secret Capitol" to be used by Congress and the Senate in case

of a nuclear attack.  We were not allowed to take photos, but information is on

the Greenbrier website.  The 35-year secret was exposed in 1992 by a Washington Post reporter. 

After lunch, the guys went Sporting Clay shooting, then Austin visited the Spa.

The decorations and artwork are very impressive.  

The menus and food served in the Main Dinning Room and several restaurants are outstanding.  

The service and hospitality are superb.  

 We were making memories with Austin, and I believe we succeeded!

Busy Iced Tea Summer

It is a very busy summer for our family.  

The kids are enjoying cooling the pool, 

and the adults have are cooling off with lots of iced tea.
I am taking a short break from blogging to spend time
out and about with the family.
Below is a recipe I previously posted.
It is a refreshing summer tea beverage.
My entire family loves it.

Tea Punch 

1 quart water

7 regular-size tea bags (or loose-leaf)

1 ½ cup sugar

1 (6 oz) can frozen orange juice, thawed and undiluted

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade, thawed and undiluted

10 cups water

Bring 1 quart water to a boil.  Remove from heat; add tea bags.  Cover and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Combine tea and remaining ingredients; chill.  Serve punch over ice.

Yield: 1 gallon

Note:  I freeze some of the punch into ice cubes if serving in a pitcher or in a ring if serving in a punch bowl.

Celebrating Independence Day

 

 

Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July in the United States
commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the
Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Happy Fourth of July to all!

 

 



Biltmore Estate Visit

We had a "new to us" experience at the Biltmore House last week. 

We participated in a one-hour rooftop tour.  

The times available and numbers of participants are limited. 

 We experienced the Biltmore House and grounds from a different angle from

previous visits.  The tour included various locations on the roof in the front and back

of the house, and a visit to the attic. 

The rooftop tour was an interesting and unique experience.

The special display in the house was:

The costumes on display were lovely. I was so happy The Biltmore House relaxed 

the no photography rule to allow phone camera photos with no flash. 

In addition to the tours and outdoor activities, we enjoyed several

lovely meals in the Inn Dining Room with amazing views all around.
The Estate is a great place to visit and relax. 

The schedule of future events:

Outdoor Adventures

 Austin and Glenn took an off-road Segway adventure

Tuesday morning and went kayaking on the French Broad River

in the afternoon on the Biltmore Estate.   

No photos from the kayaking due to not wanting to ruin camera phones

from the water.  And, the guys came in soaked from water

 coming up through the bottom of the boats. 

 Wednesday morning included sporting clay shooting. 

After lessons, Austin beat Glenn by hitting 9 out of 10.  

Could that have been because of his new glasses?  

Thank goodness he got those before starting college in late August. 

There were several more outdoor adventures available, 

but impossible to do them all on a three-day stay. 

Afternoon Tea at the Biltmore Estate

We arrived and checked in at the Inn on Biltmore Estate.

Afternoon Tea service in the Library Lounge is 2:30 - 4:30.  

Our reservations were for 3:30.  

The Amuse Bouche was a small cup of cold honeydew melon soup.

The tea selection below.  Each of us had a different pot of tea. 

The sandwiches and savories were served plated. 

Austin and I enjoyed gluten free afternoon tea everything was the same

 except for the substitution of gluten free bread and instead of the tiny quiche,

we had the sliced egg sandwich.  These were very easy substitutions of Udi's gluten free
whole grain bread for all the open-faced sandwiches. Three were made of toasted
bread and two were not.

The pimento Cheese Truffle was naturally gluten free.

Note:  I keep Udi's gluten free breads in the freezer and

take out a slide or two when I need them. 

I toast the frozen bread. 

Below:

 Our desserts and scones were different from Glenn's.  

You can compare in the photos. 

The bottom tier held a variety of cheese with honey and blueberries.
Glenn was served butterfly-shaped crackers.
Also note:  Gluten free crackers can be easily found in grocery stores,
 and would have been a nice addition to our cheeses. 

 

Afternoon Tea is served in the Library Lounge of the Inn on Biltmore Estate.

(photo below was taken during my lunch on Tuesday as the space was being set for tea.)

 Our window table provided amazing views of the estate.

This was a perfect beginning for our three-night stay.