Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Florida Lovers…Well, I have been planning this particular Lily Book Tour for about 2 years.  Yes, 2 years.  Can you say…PROPER PRIOR PLANNING?  #PPP!!!

We have taken many other mini tours around our region but nothing this extensive.  We were gone a total of about 1 month with so many stops.  We left Savannah with our picnic lunch packed up from the Treylor Park.  Remember our crab sliders and fried avocado?  Well, he had enough for our lunch.  (#PPP;)

We finally made it!!!

First things first…I went into the welcome center and got the famous cups of orange juice!!!  Just the same as when I was a kid.  We never missed the Florida Welcome Station with the OJ!!!  Daisy Lynn even got a taste and loved it.

This was not the time to linger over a picnic so we gobbled down our sliders in the basset hauling vehicle and pulled out pronto…

CoCo Beach here we come…

Now this is the ultimate happy hour! Ahhhhhhhhhhh – The Mayor’s first time seeing the ocean…it was so cute.  She was so captivated by the sound, smells, and waves…

We had Ocean Front connecting rooms at the LaQunita!  Such a great place to stay and I cannot wait to review it on Trip Advisor.

CoCo Beach is not as dog friendly as other cities we visited.  You can see the pier in pic and they do not allow dogs.  I knew that going in.  I picked CoCo Beach for it’s name (lol) and just to see it for the night.  I can’t imagine we will ever go back but we really enjoyed the rooms, the views and the full moon.

It was really amazing that night.  There was a full moon and a thunderstorm off in the distance.  I zoomed in and you can see a blurry bit of both.  It was soooooo cool!

So off to bed we went…dreaming of Jeannie and tomorrow…

More full moon memories later…Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn (Chaps and Emma ATB proper prior planning tomorrow…)

 

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Howllow Fellow Basset hound and good day lovers…What a nice morning we are having!  We woke up to 60 degree weather so we flung all of the windows open.

Daisy Lynn arranged this vase of flowers for her Grandma!  Can you see Daisy Lynn on the vase?  We commissioned this from a friend and fellow artist.  I will do a more detailed blog on it later but for now…

Have a great day!

More loving the windows open in the July later…Cat, Daisy Lynn, (Chaps and Emma ATB with the windows always open…;)

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At the end of this blog are blogs 1, 2 and 3 of Dog Friendly Savannah…Please read them in order for all of the best information…

Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and wrapping up Savannah Lovers…Such a great city full of enchantment.  The people watching is amazing and the people love to be watched as they stroll and dress for the evening.  Everyone sits in the square and sips on a beverage.  It is just so chill.  So, after our afternoon bite to eat we went back over to the East Bay Inn and relaxed before dinner.

In every place we stayed the first thing I did was to find a chair and push it up to the bed so Daisy Lynn could jump up.  Interestingly, these Inns have really high beds but we did not encounter any bed she could not immediately get up on.  Here she is laying under the ceiling fan while Grandma tended to the belly area…

I swung open the doors to enjoy the afternoon dappling of the sunlight in the southern ladies room because I want to remember this.

This is another reason I love having a blog – it’s for the detail of the memories…

We all cherish The East Bay Inn and have deemed it the bassethoundtown Savannah satellite location…complete with a lady’s room fit for a southern belle and her hand maidens…

After we rested a spell we took off for The Olde Pink House walking through our Reynolds Square soaking in the people parade.  We saw parasols, fancy hats, gentlemen “walkers”, pink poodles… just your average summer evening in Savannah.  You know, people and dogs taking the air.

We were seated right away at our outside dining table.  As you can see, it was almost as if we were in the bar area.

I really needed to smile because I was in PINK heaven…

Grandma was looking fetching as we continued to discuss the menu.

The Mayor Daisy Lynn Rudert had another crowd gather around her while we were being seated and it was so cool.  A lady came up to us and asked us about the Mayor.  I told her we were on a book tour and she whipped out her phone and bought a copy on the spot!!!  WOW!!!

After a few minutes this dapper dog joined us…

Daisy was pretty unimpressed…

She actually walked over by her Grandma and got on her towel that we carried with us everywhere…

Of course it is pink to match her surroundings…as one does…

As we finished up our spectacular meal we ventured through our Reynolds Square one last time (on this trip).  Arm and arm with the Mayor leading the way.  A couple on a bench, people watching announced to us…”You win the prize”!  We laughed and I said, “I know exactly what you mean and we certainly deserve it…glad to make your evening…”!

We were so proud!  LOL – Of course we win the prize for best people and hound on parade…Of course we do!

Savannah we love you..

More loving our Savannah later…Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn, (Chaps and Emma ATB laying on pink towels covering Olde Pink Clouds…)

PS – Sunshine state here we come…

Savannah – The Lily Book Tour – Summer 2017

Savannah Blog 1

Savannah Blog 2

Savannah Blog 3

 

 

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Savannah lovers.  If you have been you know…There is just something other worldly about this City of Squares. 

When we last left off on Savannah blog number 2 Grandma, Daisy Lynn and I were getting ready to explore a little place I saw down an alley way when I was parking the basset hauling vehicle the night before.  It was misting rain and there were twinkling lights and I said, “note to self”…check this place out! I snapped a quick picture as I drove by…

And check it out we did!  This place is a gemstone.  It was right across the street from the East Bay Inn and we loved it!  Now we had our neighborhood pub and our neighborhood square!!!

We love this neighborhood!!! Howl lucky are we?

This lucky…Crab Cake Sliders and fried avocado wedges with a mini cast iron skillet of hot beer cheese…Did I mention the Chardonnay?  OMDOG we have reached the southern star!!!

Yes, dear residents – this is livin’!

TREYLOR PARK – HOME IS WHERE YOU PARK IT!

Just a tiny sliver of paradise…

It was really too much food for a snack and we did have reservations at the Old Pink House for dinner so we decided to save one of the sliders and a few of the fried avocado wedges for our picnic lunch tomorrow.  You see – we check out for Florida in the morning!

But tonight there is more fun to have in our new Savannah neighborhood…

More loving our neighborhood in the Historic District later…Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn (Chaps and Emma ATB eating rainbow sliders…)

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and the Lily Book Tour in Savannah, GA lovers.  Savannah is so cool and we will return to this amazing city.  The folks who live in Savannah are so proud of their city and it shows.  The first thing I did after a fantastic nights sleep was to open those huge old doors to what we called the Southern Ladies room.

It was shockingly cool on this Savannah morning – I actually had to look twice at the temperature.  51 degrees??? In Savannah???  In June???  It was really cool in the room but I loved it.  Daisy Lynn was enthralled by this place…

She thought her gully blanket felt so good!!!

I was so worried about the weather on this trip.  None of us do well in the extreme heat and I thought we would miss a lot by not being able to get around but forget that!

We got around!!!

First off a little bit of sniffing in the Southern Ladies room…

OK, it will do…

We decided to take off after breakfast and explore our area square.  As you may know Savannah is made up of squares – each one as wonderful as the next.  Reynolds Square was about 2 minutes from our Inn.  AMAZING… We adopted Reynolds Square as our own.

You can see the famous Old Pink House right behind me.  This is where our pack had reservations for dinner this night.  They have an outside area which is dog friendly.  We decided to stroll over and confirm our reservations.  Just 3 girls on a stroll in the square!

I had packed a stunning pink snood for Daisy Lynn to model in front of the Old Pink House so I can put it in the boutique later.  I think I got some good pictures of it.  I will save those for the listing…

The Old Pink House used to be a red brick house way back when.  Then stucco came into vogue and the owners at that time had the whole exterior finished in white stucco.  After a few steamy Savannah summers the red brick bled into the white stucco and VOILA – The Olde Pink House was born.  As I was taking this picture a family walked by and I heard a little boy say, “yep, it’s old and it’s pink…”  Gotta love those summer family vacations…”

After we finished the model photo shoot we wanted to see if Daisy Lynn was allowed on the ever so familiar trolley tours… They welcomed her with open arms and it was in my open arms she parked her caboose!

I think more people were taking pictures of her than the historic sites we were passing.  Too funny! That lace ear was flying and the good people on vacation were waving!

Here Jim Williams’ mansion.  Remember I was telling you that we were listening to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as we arrived in Savannah?  Well, here we are passing Monterey Square.

After we got off the Trolley we decided to find a light bite to eat and a glass of wine.  I thought I had spotted the perfect place the night before in the alley across from our Inn.  We decided to saunter over and take a look see…

More looking and seeing later in our next blog 3 of 3 Savannah, GA…Love, Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn, (Chaps and Emma ATB laying on Old Pink Clouds…)

 

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Lazy Weekend Lovers…We will continue on our #lilybooktour shortly but I thought the residents might like to see a few pictures of our Mayor as she lounges in the sunlight of a Sunday morning…

Just a young girl hound on the cusp of her 5th year.  I just cannot believe that Grandma and I have had our Mayor in our lives for 5 years.  It all moves too fast.  We would also like to thank Audra and Bindi Mead for this cute little flag that was sent for my birthday…I LOVE IT!!!

More loving a lazy Daisy Sunday later…Cat, Daisy Lynn, (Chaps and Emma ATB on the lazy rainbow clouds of the bridge…)

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and welcome to OUR Savannah Lovers…Yes, OUR Savannah!!!  Savannah we love you and we will be back to enjoy your charms and other worldly fascinations…We arrived in Savannah during a driving rain storm, mist rising, and we had just finished up listening to the audio book – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  Can you say “PERFECT”?  Howl wonderful to arrive at the East Bay Inn…

This is not my picture but it shows you what it looks like.  Do you see that larger awning with the white fence next to it?  Well, hold on to your hounds…That is Daisy Lynn’s ladies room of the South!!!

I cannot even begin to tell you howl cool my room was.  Grandma had a stunning room but my room…it’s the stuff of dreams…

Please, let me show you around our Savannah Dream Room…

See those doors behind me to the left?  Those open up to the ladies room!!!

That is a gas light!  It was so cool and to match the coolness factor a cool breeze was coming in after that rain storm.  Just magic…

This is the view of the other end of the room and another set of french doors that lead out to the ladies room…

Grandma was looking over the room service menu.  Savannah is known for it’s great food and our Inn has a spectacular restaurant…Let the crab cake journey begin!!!

Well, it’s beddy by time in the deep south aka low country…

We have a big day tomorrow so we better get to bed.

Grandma is washing out Daisy Lynn’s dinner dish…

See you tomorrow for Savannah, GA Blog #2!!!

More loving this town of ours later…Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn, (Chaps and Emma ATB – dreaming of midnight in the garden of only good…)

 

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BLOG 1 OF 3 – Biltmore Home

BLOG 2 OF 3 – Biltmore Home

Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Biltmore Home Lovers…Wow – the Vanderbilts has some serious beauty surrounding them.  I am so glad it is a public park now.  It is not free of course but you can buy yearly passes.  I know we would if we lived within a few hours of the place.  Just so massive and would offer year round entertainment.

Grandma, Daisy Lynn and I decided to have a leisurely morning at the DoubleTree and order room service for a late breakfast that would also serve as lunch.  We had all day to explore and we are not a pack that likes to race out the door…

In fact, we enjoy the extra pillows and dreams of bacon…

Since we had dinner reservations at Cedric’s Tavern I decided to where my Cedric and basset hound shirt!!!  NICE…

On this trip as a whole we were blessed by the weather gods.  It was so pleasant surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Just a dream for us since we had Daisy Lynn and everything revolves around Daisy Lynn!!!

The Valet parking rocks.  Make sure you read all of my blog postings to get all of the details.  They are all in order at the top of this post.

The basset hauling vehicle was about 20 steps away from this front of the house shot.  Can’t believe I did not get a better picture of it…

I was so impressed with this photo shoot I forgot – but check it OUT!!!

Come on…This is a bloggers dream…See the details of that railing I put her behind?  Yep, I am good like that!!! LOL – too funny.  Daisy Lynn can’t take a bad picture.

I took all of these pictures while Grandma was in the home doing her tour.  We have both been in the home and it was not a huge part of our visit.  There was an exhibit of period clothing and it was interesting and so nicely done.  It was fun.

Traveling with a dog makes the Biltmore a place that is extremely well suited to visit.  While I went into the home for a look see Grandma and Daisy Lynn rested over in our favorite area called the Library Terrace.

They had water and shelter and beauty.  Grandma and Daisy Lynn were part of the unofficial Library Terrace Tour. I just wish I knew the number of hands that petted her over the month we were traveling on the #Lilybooktour.  All of us were so polite and took all the extra time that was needed to allow folks to visit with her.  We knew that going in.  It was like she was a magnet and she was drawing people towards her.  She has such a strong energy field.  So, basically – if we thought it will take an hour we planned on 2 hours. I always tell people who want a basset hound to plan on taking life in the slow lane.

We got caught in this Shopping area for about an hour.  The line wrapped a few feet past this picture. It’s all good…We actually met some Droolers!!!

The Courtyard Market is really nice and right next to the house and the bathrooms.

TRAVELERS NOTE:  When you walk into the area look for the table that is to the extreme left.  It is undercover and right next to an exit door for a gift shop. When the door opens the AC leaks out.  NICE!!!

The day moved so fast.  We really wanted a group picture of our pack from the lawn with the home in the background.  We were working on it when the Estate Photographer was leaving work. He was so enamored with Daisy Lynn from earlier in the day that he walked over to help us.  OMDOG!!!  Really?  What a nice guy…

Can you even believe it???  So cute…If you see the white van to the left that is our basset hauling vehicle to the right of it.  If you don’t valet you get shuttled to the parking lot which is about 10 minutes away.  You can’t walk there.

I actually ran back up to the BHV and grabbed one of #bassethoundtown snoods that I will sell as the exclusive Biltmore Garden Snood.  I will have that in our boutique soon.  It is one of kind and made from Japanese Silk with a cherry blossom print.

Here is the picture the estate photographer  took of me earlier that day in the home…LOL – I had to buy it…Grandma did not op for the session.  What???

Me and my Cedric shirt.  Very fitting indeed…

 Now, More about Cedric…

“Like the fictional Lord Grantham on the PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey^®, George Vanderbilt often had a beloved canine companion at his side. The first was Cedric, a St. Bernard who took up residence on the estate not long after the house opened in 1895.At that time, the St. Bernard was a relatively new breed in the U.S., having been first bred in Switzerland in the 1850s. Cedric came to Biltmore from Bar Harbor, Maine, the location of George Vanderbilt’s summer home Pointe d’Acadie.

Correspondence from guests staying at Biltmore indicates that Cedric had free reign over the first floor. He could often be found sunning on the Loggia or lounging in the Billiard Room or Library; he’s also seen in a number of pictures taken outdoors during Biltmore’s early days.

In addition to a nanny, close family friends Dr. Battle and nursery superintendent Chauncey Beadle, Cedric was the only attendant at a private family ceremony during which George and Edith oversaw the planting a tree to commemorate the birth of their daughter Cornelia in 1900.

By 1901, there was a whole family of St. Bernards living at Biltmore, including a mother, father and three puppies all “big and splendid,”

according to Joseph Hodges Choate, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain  and a guest on the estate in 1901.

George Vanderbilt gifted St. Bernards (believed to have been sired by Cedric) to friends and family.  In 1902, George’s friend the Right Rev. William Croswell Doane—First Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Albany, New York—lost his faithful St. Bernard named Cluny, so George gave him a puppy named Balder. A few years later, George and Edith also gave a St. Bernard puppy to their nephew John Nicholas Brown, who named the dog Cedric.

Sadly, Cedric passed away in late 1902, prompting an anonymous Biltmore guest to pen the following ode:

 

Cedric Sonetto in Rondo

​Nov 4, 1902

The Moses of your canine race
On Pisgah’s sapphire heights you strayed
Among her pink beds low you laid
Upon the high and lovely place;
You down to die where there is space,
Amid cathedral pine arrayed
With plumed crest and views that braid
Their columned stems with waving grace.
For your great body to lie down
Most fully housed, walk spreading skies
On beds of spicy needles, brown,
Fragrant; couched in majesty,
Rapt in deep solitude, a woven gown
Of shrouded mystery.

Today, you can see a cast-bronze statue of Cornelia Vanderbilt and Cedric by the late Asheville artist Vadim Bora outside Cedric’s eponymous tavern in Antler Hill Village.

Inside, be sure to check out the many photographs of Cedric as well the display of his impressive leather collar embellished with an engraved silver plate.”

Cedric’s Tavern is Dog Friendly at their outside dining area.  It is just magical in the evening with all of their twinkling lights and delicious burgers.  Daisy Lynn was exhausted and only woke up for a few bites of left over burger.  We also shared a Biltmore cheese plate with Biltmore jams.  It was sooooo good.  All farm to table.

We left our Biltmore Park knowing that we would be back again some glorious day.  But for now…

Good night and sleep tight you beautiful park you…

We need our rest because tomorrow the basset hound hauling vehicle is pulling out to Savannah, GA – y’all!!!

More loving adventure later…and I mean lots of adventures…Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn (Chaps and Emma ATB with Cedric…;)

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and this 2 out of 3 blog posting about our adventure at this historic home.  We did not venture into Asheville the city, which by all accounts is stupendous.  We wanted to focus on the Vanderbilt estate and all it has to offer and there is still more to be done the next time we visit.  When you travel with a dog you must allow extra time and when you travel with a celebrity basset hound;) you must allow extra, extra, extra time!!!  Wow – at one point we had more folks waiting in line to pet Daisy Lynn than to enter the home!!!  I am not kidding…But, I am getting ahead of myself.  That is for Blog number 3.

The Biltmore Estate is comprised of different areas and the area that has the dining places for dinner are not within walking distance.  It is called Antler Village.  There is a cafe for lunch and snacks next to the home…

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to drive over there so make sure to allow enough time for your dinner reservation.  Ours was at BISTRO and oh howl nice it was.  Of course I made sure there was outside dining and it was dog friendly and yes to both.  It was drizzling when we arrived but that did not matter to us at all…

(That is a basset hound umbrella;)  Love it!!! I also had a towel for Daisy Lynn to sit on…(of course we did…;)

TRAVELERS NOTE:  If you make dining reservations at Bistro make sure when you enter the parking lot you look for a small sign that says “Bistro Parking”.  It is to the extreme right of the lot area as you face the estate hotel. It will shave off a few minutes and the walk in is easier.

The clouds parted and the drizzle stopped.  It was actually a bit chilly.

It was perfect.  Daisy Lynn was so tired and we had her towel with her.  The people at Bistro were so nice and accommodating.  Bringing Daisy Lynn water and a few treats. Grandma saved a few morsels from her bread plate with estate made butter for her.  OMDOG – I could not give up any of mine.  #butterdreams

We had so much fun.  The setting was perfect and actually the outside seating was nicer than the inside in my opinion.  So much people watching and if the weather permits you can see a sunset.  We did not but I saw where one was trying to break through. Right across from us was a huge gift shop.  Their items on the estate are really unique…

BISTRO is delectable and worth the price.  When I run across the receipt I will post it here.  The Biltmore Chardonnay was BUTTERY.  What a treat…

After dinner we strolled down to the place where we were going to have dinner the next night so we could confirm our reservations.

This restaurant is named after the Vanderbilt family St. Bernard.  CEDRIC!

So cute.  I think Daisy Lynn thought it was Romeo.  Bless her heart…

Tomorrow we have a full day on the Vanderbilt estate and we can’t wait!!!

Daisy Lynn says, “Bacon Dreams”…

More loving tomorrow later…Cat, Daisy Lynn, Grandma, (Chaps and Emma ATB and at the restaurant named after them…BEST BASSETS CAFE;)

 

 

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and The Biltmore Home in Asheville, NC lovers…

First off, this is Blog 1 of 3.  Please make sure to read all my blogs if you are considering or planning a dog friendly trip to The Biltmore in Asheville, NC.  I would estimate that I spent about 20 hours over 2 years researching our 2 night stay in Asheville, NC. I looked at every dog friendly hotel in the Biltmore area and finally picked…

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Asheville – Biltmore
115 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803
T:  1 828-274-1800

This place even has a TGIF restaurant attached.  They don’t even advertise that on their website.  They said it has something to do with being 2 separate businesses.  It really is quite handy but we did not use it.  We had reservations and plans for lunch and dinner at the Biltmore…(remember the 2 years of planning?  It paid off…)

When we arrived at the DoubleTree we were very impressed with the facility.  It was 2 minutes down the road from the Biltmore driveway.

Look what Daisy Lynn got when she entered the room!!! Wow – this place is AMAZING THEY WELCOMED US WITH OPEN PAWS!!!

The DoubleTree met every require I had.  We even had my requested connecting room on the first floor near the door close to the potty area!!!  OMDOG!!!

If you enter that door our rooms were about 3 down on the right side and over looked the main parking lot.  That is where I parked the BHV (Basset Hauling Vehicle).

This potty area is right across from the BHV.  That is a potty bag station with trash can.

Grandma, Daisy Lynn and I planned our arrival from Knoxville to Asheville to be at about 3:00pm.  I had purchased 2 passes called, “After 4 come back for more”…If you enter the park after 4:00pm you can basically come in for free because the estate closes at 5:00pm.  It does not matter because you can go in the next day if you wish.

TRAVELERS TIP – Call this number at the Biltmore 800-411-3812. The gal who answered told me all about After 4 come back for more which was not on the website.  I also found out on my own that AAA advertises a lower ticket price but that is flat out wrong.  Don’t take my word for it – check it out yourself. She made all of our dinner reservations and answered any question I had.  She was amazing.  People still talk on the phone – image that!!!

TRAVELERS TIP – Spring for the Valet Parking your second day.  WOW!!!  You get to park right next to the Biltmore home.  If they are really crazy busy that day they will drive your car off to another lot but you have in and out privileges all day.  It costs 24 dollars not including a tip.  I tipped really good to keep it up front.  We were back and forth a lot!  Water, hats, dropping off purchases and more.

This pic was from day 2 and I will talk more about this in blog 2. I just wanted to show you where our basset hound hauling vehicle was.  Just 3 girls with a dream!!!

So we arrived to pick up our tickets at will call just prior to 5:00.  Make sure you pick up your tickets prior to 5:00pm.  You arrive at the gate and they direct you up to the the ticket office on the left.  I ran in and got out tickets and a few maps.

TRAVELERS TIP – Make sure to get to the Biltmore at about 4:00pm the first day.  Don’t cut it too close to 5:00pm.

Our dinner reservation was not until 7:00pm so it was finally time to soak it all in.  This is just what we love.  The place all to ourselves.  Everyone has basically moved out.  We pulled in the first night and parked in a small lot right here, feet from this picture.  From here you have the most serine walk up to the mansion and it is just breathtaking…Everyone is leaving and you are coming in.

 

I just love this time of day at Biltmore.  Grandma and I have a favorite place we head to.  It is the patio area that is covered in wisteria when it is blooming.  It was not in bloom but who cares…

Grandma’s phone started playing Clair du Lune  just on it’s own as we got to this point. That has never happened.  It was one of Grandpa’s favorite songs.  We knew right away he was with us.  It was so powerful.

I know he was so excited for us.  So touching…

We just love coming at the end of the day and lingering around this area.  It is so dog friendly and Chaps and Emma have been here as well.  Since our dinner reservations were not until 7:00pm we had a few hours to just take it all in…

After 4 and REALLY – so much more…

It was time to head back to the Basset Hauling Vehicle and head over to the Biltmore Village…

A selfie for luck and we are on our way to dinner!!!

More loving this wonderful place later (and in 2 more blog posts…) Cat, Grandma, Daisy Lynn (Chaps and Emma ATB listening to Clair De Lune with Grandpa)

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