If you haven’t visited an independent bookstore lately, do yourself a favor and look one up this week.

Foggy Pine Books

I had the pleasure of visiting Foggy Pine Books in Boone, North Carolina last week. It is the quintessential small town/college town independent bookstore. Located at 471 W. King Street in downtown Boone just a block or so from the campus of Appalachian State University, it has an excellent selection of books ranging from the classics to the current bestsellers. There are several cozy areas in the shop that invite customers to curl up in a comfortable chair with a good book.

My vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, was not among the handful of Arcadia Publishing books on the shelf; however, Christina promised to read my book and consider ordering it. Next time you’re in Boone, drop by Foggy Pine Books and ask for it by name.

Mary Ruthless purchased the bookstore in 2016 when the owner of the former Black Bear Books retired. It seems that Mary couldn’t stand the thought of Boone not having a bookstore. I’m so glad she rescued the shop. Foggy Pine Books is in a different location from where it started and is conveniently located on the main street with free parking at the side of the building.

In addition to buying a book, I purchased a couple of bookmarks at Foggy Pine Books. One bookmark is imprinted with the words, “She believed she could so she did.” I will explain the significance of those words to me in one of my blog posts in November.

Dan’l Boone Inn

A trip to Boone wouldn’t be complete without eating at Dan’l Boone Inn. Established in 1959, the restaurant is in what used to be the area’s hospital at the corner of King and Hardin Streets. The menu for lunch and dinner are the same, as is the price.

Fried chicken, country-style steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, slaw, corn, biscuits, and baked apples are served family style after you’ve eaten your tossed salad. What appears to be way more food than you can possibly eat soon disappears and you’re given extra napkins to wrap up the country ham biscuits to take with you.

The dessert choices were all tempting, but I opted for the chocolate cake. It was as delicious as the rest of the food. The country ham biscuits were my dinner that night. Two country ham biscuits were all I needed that night after such a big lunch.

Tribute to Doc Watson

 

I just had to take a picture of this statue of local legendary musician Doc Watson. He was from Deep Gap, which is a community a few miles east of Boone. He took blindness in stride and had a family and a successful career as a musician and singer. The statue is on King Street in downtown Boone.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Autumn temperatures arrived a few weeks late this year, so there wasn’t much fall color in the trees in Boone or on the Blue Ridge Parkway; however, after a side trip to Ashe County Cheese in West Jefferson, the two-day vacation in the mountains was made complete by a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I love driving in the mountains, so a road trip on the Parkway is always relaxing. The day was crystal clear after rain the day before, so the views were spectacular.

The sign gives an explanation of the legend of Tom Dula and is located at one of the overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This murder and love triangle in Wilkes County, North Carolina in the 1860s was made famous in the 1960s by a folk song recording by the Kingston Trio.

Until my next blog post

Don’t forget to visit an independent bookstore such as Foggy Pine Books in Boone, North Carolina as soon as you can.

I hope you have a good book to read. I’m finishing My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie today.

If you’re a writer, I hope you have productive writing time.

Thank you for reading my blog. You could have spent the last few minutes doing something else, but you chose to read my blog. I appreciate it! I welcome your comments.

Let’s continue the conversation.

What’s your favorite independent bookstore? What is it about the atmosphere and feel of an independent bookstore that the big box stores can’t offer? Please share the names and locations of independent bookstores you have enjoyed visiting so the rest of us can patronize them.

Janet