Down by the old mill stream...

If you said, "Tell Taylor wrote it; one of the most popular songs in the early 20th century," you get a gazillion bonus points.  I had to look it up.

Today found us on the Blue Ridge Parkway...

Two places we wanted to see today: the Blue Ridge Music Center and the historic Mabry Grist Mill.  Of course, the "Parkway" is the big star here: 469 miles of curvy road that winds through the Blue Ridge Mountains, passing through Virginia and North Carolina.  It connects the Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Coming up on our first stop...

I didn't know what to expect... it is an impressive Visitors Center...

There is a very nice collection of displays, mostly about the roots of Blue Grass (some would say "hillbilly") music...

I was especially impressed with the second paragraph in the image above: "The guitar is a paradox, one of the easiest instruments to learn, but one of the most difficult to play well..."

There were many interactive displays, where pressing a button gave you an audio clip of a particular instrument or an interview with musicians who popularized this music.  All very nicely done.

Also, there are daily concerts, from noon to 4:00 pm featuring local musicians.  These two gentlemen have been playing together for over 30 years...

They were very comfortable playing to the small audience.  For the weekly bigger concerts, there is an expansive outdoor amphitheater...

Pretty grounds around the Center, as well...

A light rain as we left the Music Center, heading for the Mabry Grist Mill (one of the most photographed features on the Blue Ridge Parkway)...

It came down harder...

Getting close...

Before going to see the mill, we had lunch at the restaurant there (it was already 2:30, and my belly was telling me it was time).  Big portions, reasonable prices.  Then, on to the mill...

This is a restored and full functional grist mill - you can even buy flour or corn meal that is made here.  I was happy that the rain had stopped, but the hazy overcast was making for some very nice lighting...

We walked around the grounds behind the mill, where there is a blacksmith shop, an "upscale" cabin (that's how it was described to us by one of the park interpreters there, a wood shop (with a lathe and saw also run by the waterwheel in the mill).  Again, all nicely done.

Troughs were built to direct water to the wheel...

About an hour drive back to the RV park - pretty views, some blue sky, and a "sporting" curvy road...

Joan and Izzy sat together outside after we got home, then I took Iz on a nice long walk around the campground.  A couple walking three dogs were impressed with "a cat on a leash"... yappy little dogs that made Izzy puff herself up and arch her back... the dogs backed off.  While I visited with the couple, Izzy sat, showing the dogs she was not intimidated.  Funny girl.

On the road again tomorrow.