Summer Vacation, Part 2: North Carolina | Personal {North Carolina travel photography}

Here's Part Two of our summer vacation! On Wednesday (August 1st) we set out for the Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina - our destination was a campground called Moonshine Creek in the little town (area, more like it!) of Balsam.

The creek runs right through the campground, with the sites on either side! It rained almost every afternoon, but when it didn't, we'd have to remind ourselves it wasn't- the creek sure sounded like it!

















Sarah and I sat on this porch every afternoon to check our email...but doing anything else on the internet (checking blogs, listening to music, Pinterest, or YouTube) was absolutely impossible! Slow wi-fi. :)


Nearby in NC there is a place called Lake Junaluska - it's an assembly grounds and both of my parents spent their summers there growing up. In fact, their grandparents built homes on the lake! 

The Bunch cottage, with the M in the chimney for Mobley- my great-grandparents' last name!


Daddy's grandparents also built this other house next door- it's called the Ralls house now but to them it was just the big yellow house. :)

We couldn't go inside, so I shot this picture through the blinds!

The family of a dear friend of my grandmother's built this cottage. It's all open-air (with screens)!











This old pump organ (you have to pump the pedals with your feet for sound to come out!) is in the kitchen/dining room area. I got to play it a little bit!


Sarah and I had fun swinging outside. :)











It was a dream come true for Mama to take our canoe out on the lake! We had great weather (for the most part) and it was lots of fun.





We met lots of dogs- people love to walk around the lake- and this sweet Golden's name is Bogey. :)


Outside the chapel


My mom's parents were married in this chapel and Papa had this placed in memory of Nana.





I got to play the organ there, too. :) Beautiful place!


My mom's grandmother built this cottage in 1913, and it was originally called The Chatterbox. :)


My parents met in this living room!!

We liked to joke that the ducks and geese rule that lake!





They cracked me up. :)








The top of these steps (97 of them! We counted, twice!) is right near the Ralls house. Daddy and his siblings and cousins used to go up and down them all the time as a shortcut to the lake.


We fed the ducks the last day we were there. :)

Check back soon for Part 3, which includes the Balsam Mountain Inn, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the rest of our trip!

Because of Jesus,
Rebekah