A Winchester Weekend

Another weekend flew by and we had more special guests come to stay--Debbie, Jeff, and their golden, Cassie! It was a pretty fabulous time! Here are some highlights...

Friday night they got in at about 4:30pm so we decided to make it a relaxed night in. We had some drinks and appetizers on the screened porch then cooked out pork loin on the grill. Their favorite app I make is called "Bruschetta Bake" (I stole it from my cousin, Logan's, blog!) and I have been meaning to share the recipe with you.

Bruschetta Bake

Bruschetta Bake Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350
Layer the following ingredients in small pyrex (you can also pile them on top of each other on tin foil for a less structured look):
-8oz cream cheese (I use 1/3 the fat! No one can tell.)
-Pesto
-About 5 Diced (ripe!) Roma tomatoes
-Black pepper
-Mozzerella cheese
-Fresh Parmesan cheese

Bake for 30 minutes or until dish is bubbling. Serve with crostini or pita chips. EASY and YUMMY!

Saturday morning we woke up and ate a quick breakfast then Debbie and I adventured around town. The guys were busy hanging our chandelier. Our first stop was the Co-Op market. This little market is in walking distance from our house and nestled in the cute downtown area we will continually refer to as "Grandin Village." We live in a neighborhood area called Raleigh Court off of Grandin Rd--so it's not too far at all. Grandin Village is home to a fun coffee shop, furniture shop, various quaint restaurants, a vintage movie theater, and boutiques.

These remind me of my Italy days.

Co-Op (Market!)

BEA-U-TIFUL cherry tomatoes!

Fall is on its way!

Debbie and I ran into a fun custom jewelry stand on the way out of the market and she bought me the most beautiful necklace. The artist called the piece the "Sundance" necklace and it was too appropriate to pass up! You'll see me wearing it in some of the pics coming up. After the Co-Op and walking through Grandin Village, we drove out to see the school I work at then to a home furnishings shop that my mom and I have fallen in love with called "Present Thyme." I am dying to have a painting from there by an artist named Osterhaus. His work is uhhh-mazing!

We picked up the guys (who did an awesome job hanging the chandelier!) then ventured out to Virginia Tech to see the campus and have some lunch. VA Tech was Chris' second choice back in the day and I can definitely see why! The campus is beautiful and very similar to Clemson. The trip to Blacksburg was about 40  mins from our house and we got to see a whole lot of farmland.

April 16th Memorial

Paying respects.

Tree from 1896!

Lane Stadium

After touring around campus for a bit, we decided to grab a bite from Cabo Fish Taco downtown. This food was awesome! Thank you for the rec, Ashton! (We want an official tour when you and Mike visit us, ok??)

Cabo Fish Taco

CFT has famous margaritas! I tried the Pomarita and it was delicious.

Tavarua (Tav-A-Roo) Tuna Tacos

Blackened lemon-rubbed tuna in a kiwi-pineapple fajita sauce served in two flour tortillas, stuffed with lettuce, tomato, avocado, Mixed cheeses & topped with our honey wasabi sauce with Jalapeno Cheddar Mashers on the side

We took the interstate back towards Roanoke and, yes, we went to Mill Mountain for our (mandatory) Star pic.

 Virginia Lovers

The fam!

We drove back down from Mill Mountain and went to Black Dog Salvage. I have been seeing this place for weeks now and it had me very curious. Since Debbie and Jeff are in the process of building their home on Lake Keowee, I thought I'd be a fun stop. What more could you want?! It's a huge warehouse type place with antiques, salvage materials, and the like. Katie Harrison--you'd LOVE it. I took some pics for you!

Old bathtubs

Black Dog of "Black Dog Salvage"

Look what we found!

Claw feet--KATIE, this is for you!!!

We didn't make any purchases but I am feeling a future project coming on. We found some pretty cool old arched windows that I'd love to make into a headboard. There is also a section upstairs of old prints from books--talk about an easy wall art project. Stay tuned for that!

Saturday night we went downtown for dinner to one of our favorite local bars, Corned Beef & Co. We ate up on the rooftop and indulged in pizza, beer, and burgers.

My handsome hubs and father-in-law!

Me with my beautiful mother-in-law! :) Oh, and that's the pretty "Sundance" necklace she got me.

It was a wonderful weekend to say the least. After breakfast, Debbie, Jeff and Cassie headed back to Greenville. We are already looking forward to them coming back up! Oh, and the weekend wouldn't be complete without some pup pics.

Cassie (left) and Sundance (right)

Sundance, Cassie, & little Stella

After ALL that, Chris and I finished our last painting project in the house--dining room trim AND took the dogs to one (of the many) local parks for a walk! I have to say that this move has been amazing for me and Chris so far. The next few weekends will be just the two of us and we're already planning our adventures. It's pretty fabulous to be stuck in a new city with your best friend. ;)

Love,

The Local Tourist

P.S. Before/Afters REALLY are coming next.