By Charlotte Byus
This two weeks we are in southwest Virginia, the area is bordered by Kentucky and Tennessee. Once again we are in unbelievable beautiful mountains, not hills! All roads go up – way up and way down. We spent the day walking the downtown area of Abington. Most of the downtown area was built in the late 1700 to early 1800. Beautiful buildings and homes turned into shops and eating establishments. The downtown area is for walking if you don’t mind a few ups and downs.

In the 1760 Daniel Boone did his first expedition from Kentucky to Virginia. In a few years the town of Abington was incorporated. If you get a chance to travel this way, a must stay is the Martha Washington Inn. The home was started in 1832, during the war the home was a hospital. In 1935 it opened as a hotel.

There are two playhouses just across the street from each other and next to the Inn. The original playhouse is named Barter Playhouse and the other is Barter Stage II. Both had plays today and were sold out. The Barter Playhouse was built around 1832 and by the 1930’s it had become the Opera House. A group of out-of-work actors exchanged produce, livestock and other good for entrance to plays. This barter system gave the playhouse its name.

After touring Abington, we took off for a winery nearby . We have learned not to trust that Woman in the GPS. We have both called her everything BUT a nice person – most of the time, we have tried to laugh and enjoy the scenery. Never once has she sent us down a state highway or an interstate to our destination. A prime example was today.

We typed in the winery address and took off. An hour later, we were on a road so small that our truck barely fit the entire road. Then, the road exploded onto a bridge of the most beautiful river or lake, clear water to die for and then we were back on the twisty road again with trees hanging over the road hitting the antenna.

Finally we found a winery. Yea! It was on a small creek with a small waterfall and areas for picnics. Walked into the winery and it was like old home week. The owner’s sister was serving us. She asked where we were from? She had lived most of her life as a young girl in Bellaire, our bedroom city inside of Houston. So did RR. They went to the same Jr and Sr High school, just one year apart. What fun they had reminiscing about yester-year.

When we walked in we committed on the drive to get to the winery. She laughed and said, you must have followed GPS, of course, we did. She smiled and said, “Well, when you are ready to leave, turn left instead of right, drive two miles and you will be on the state Highway.”
[7-25-2016]