This week was Michael’s conference, and this year it was in Atlanta. Michael convinced his work to let us drive (everyone else flew), so we drove down via Charlotte, where we got to meet Eric and Kat.

This was the sunrise Tuesday morning, from our hotel room on the 40th floor of the Marriott.

For those of you not from WV, this coming Saturday is Bridge Day. We went last year–and hope to go this year, but were in the area on Saturday so took a brief tour of the area without all the crowds and insanity.

The New River Gorge area is gorgeous, but with the leaves changing, it’s extra pretty.

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Today, Ricky Martin had some visitors.

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I actually yelled and made my aunt turn around the car when I saw this.

Yup, that’s right, I got to see Lily and Baby Jack this weekend.

I also got to see Jack for whom Baby Jack was named.

Last month I had fresh peaches to use up, and one of the things I made were peach scones. I froze them before baking, so I could bake them when I wanted them. Sunday we baked two.

As usual, I only kinda followed the recipe I had, but I made some major variations here, making a two layer scone with the peaches in the middle.

Peach Scones
3 cups flour, all-purpose
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk, dried
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk, 2% lowfat
8 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 large peach, sliced
Sugar
Fresh grated nutmeg
Lemon juice

Slice the peaches. Sprinkle with sugar and fresh nutmeg. Mix in a teaspoon or so of lemon juice.

Whisk together flour, sugar, buttermilk powder, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and milk.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture.

Fold in the milk mixture until just combined. Divide the dough in half. On a very well floured surface, press or roll out half the dough into a disk.

Place the peaches on the disk, leaving an edge free.

Press/roll out the other half of the dough into a similar sized disk, and place atop the peaches.

Neaten things up.

Cut into eight scones.

Before baking, preheat the oven to 450 F.

Bake for 7 minutes then turn off the oven without opening the door. Leave in the oven for 8 to 10 min longer.

YUM!

We went to Ohiopyle again, this time with my brother et al.

Brian decided we needed to go bike riding, so we left at 8AM Saturday morning.

It was really lovely, and my legs may one day forgive me.

Since I hadn’t been on a bike in … a really really long time … I didn’t take ay pictures while biking, but did get some pictures walking around town.

Last Sunday we went on another hike at Coopers Rock–this time up to Raven Rock.

I came home feeling melancholy, so I didn’t get around to processing the images until today. They’re surprisingly nice (surprisingly, because I was feeling overcast and grey, so that’s how the hike was, in my mind.)

Got a late start on the walk.

Our evening walks are ending just in time for us to catch lovely views of the sunset.