Candy shoppe

Magnet #702 - Opie's Candy Store

Yep. That Opie.

I picked this up during our day in Mt. Airy, aka, Andy Griffith's Mayberry. If you haven't been to visit, and you're in the neighborhood, definitely drop by.

The Andy Griffith Show was on for eight seasons back in the 1960s - it's still on networks like TVLand, and I can't help it, when I run across it, I find myself sucked in to the episode. Just reminds me of home, I guess. But the town of Mt. Airy's managed to make a cottage industry out of the show - preserving the look and feel of the small town, complete with Andy Griffith's childhood home, and a small museum. Plus, you can take tour in a squad car (I got to ride up front!) around town!

Anyway, Opie's Candy Store was right on Main Street, and was such a cute candy store, with barrels of candy and various goodies. And if there's anything I like as much as dessert, it's a good candy store.

Little pieces of heaven, really.

I heard a rumor

Magnet #37 - Gossip, by Norman Rockwell

On a random roadtrip, we stumbled upon Stockbridge, MA, home of the Norman Rockwell Museum. Of course, we stopped, because that's what we do.

They had several of his famous works, such as the Four Freedoms, or Stockbridge at Christmas. But the one that spoke to me and gave me a laugh was this one. Gossip. It's basically the illustration of how a story gets related from one person to another, from the old lady at the top left of the painting, boomeranging back to the same lady at the bottom right of the painting.

So awesome, and so true to life. Especially small-town life. Case in point, my friends and I spent the day in Mayberry, NC, and by the time we got to the tour guide's place, they already knew we were from New York, and coming on the tour. I was freaked out that they somehow knew, but they put my mind at ease, by confessing that it was actually the caller ID on my cell. Whew.

Mayberry Days...well, just the one, anyway

Magnet #29 - Mayberry, NC

The infamous Andy Griffith Show theme song should be whistling through your head right now.

My earliest memories of this show, is sitting in my piano teacher's den watching tv with her husband, as I waited for my own lesson. Then, the next was of watching with my dad as they were cooking dinner.

Now, the funnest memory of Andy Griffith, was an unexpected day trip to Mt. Airy, NC, a few months ago. We ate at Snappy Lunch, saw Floyd's barber shop and the courthouse, bought tons of souvenirs, had orangeades at the BlueBird Cafe, and visited the local museums. We even took an official tour of Mayberry - in a vintage Squad Car.

Fabulous. Will we go back? Not unless we decide to stay in Andy Griffith's old childhood home...now owned by the Hampton Inn folks, and to let, for less than $200. Who's with me?