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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:creativeCommons="http://backend.userland.com/creativeCommonsRssModule" xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:57:37 +0000</lastBuildDate><title>Florida Halfbacks Blog</title><description>FloridaHalfbacks.com is the leading online welcome center and relocation guide for the mountain and lake areas of the Blue Ridge, Appalachian, and Smoky Mountain regions. Explore the finest cabin rentals, log cabin builders, mountain real estate, lake homes, golf, real estate agents, mountain developments, lake communities, charming bed and breakfast inns, shopping, white water rafting, and everything you need to make your mountain vacation and relocation planning the experience of a lifetime.</description><link>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>78</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><creativeCommons:license>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/</creativeCommons:license><image><link>http://www.floridahalfbacks.com</link><url>http://leisurelinx.com/imagestemplate/florida-halfbacks3.gif</url><title>Florida Halfbacks</title></image><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/FloridahalfbackscomBlog" type="application/rss+xml" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>FloridahalfbackscomBlog</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com" /><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-8806968009893257498</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-11-09T15:19:37.760-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">boone</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">choose and cut</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">christmas trees</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">banner elk</category><title>Farm Fresh Christmas Trees - An Old Fashioned Family Tradition</title><description>&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Svh2G7FJsdI/AAAAAAAAASE/ie4hgulFV1Q/s1600-h/photosb.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 233px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402197614341501394" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Svh2G7FJsdI/AAAAAAAAASE/ie4hgulFV1Q/s320/photosb.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;From the Boone and Blowing Rock Area of the North Carolina Mountains, Watauga County, also known as the Choose and Cut Capital, is home to some of the most entertaining and scenic Choose and Cut farms across the region. Choose and Cut involves customers visiting a tree farm and roaming across tree-covered hillsides hunting the perfect tree to take home with them. Choose and Cut is the essential holiday family tradition, where young and old alike can enjoy a day on a real farm. Many farms offer hayrides, farm animals, cookies and cocoa and even Christmas Shops to purchase other holiday gifts. Wreaths and roping are also available to purchase.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many families visit the same Choose and Cut farm year after year, establishing not only long-lasting friendships but also cherished family traditions that take us back to a simpler, slower pace of life. Countless couples have chosen Choose and Cut as the occasion to ring in an engagement as well as the Christmas Season. Come bring your family to the Boone and Blowing Rock areas in Watauga County. Shop at unique mountain craft stores and visit classic destinations like &lt;a href="http://www.danlbooneinn.com/"&gt;Dan’l Boone Inn &lt;/a&gt;and &lt;a href="http://mastgeneralstore.com/old_boone_mercantile.cfm"&gt;Mast General Store&lt;/a&gt;. Come explore Watauga County and Choose and Cut farms…you’ll be glad you did!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.watauganurserymen.org/choose_cut.htm"&gt;Click on a location on the map &lt;/a&gt;for information on the choose and cut growers.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/xRWNivGf68o" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/xRWNivGf68o/farm-fresh-christmas-trees-old.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Svh2G7FJsdI/AAAAAAAAASE/ie4hgulFV1Q/s72-c/photosb.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/11/farm-fresh-christmas-trees-old.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-6228378969205067682</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-11-04T16:08:23.412-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">boone</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Blue Ridge Mountains</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">sweepstakes</category><title>The "Explore Boone Area - Winter Ski Vacation" Sweepstakes</title><description>Watauga County and the Boone area offers a picturesque place to escape and relax, as well as an array of exciting outdoor adventure and attractions for the whole family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is something for everyone in the North Carolina High Country.  Try our thrill-packed 20-lane snow tubing park, ski and snowboard on the slopes at any one of our three sky-high ski mountains, or hike unforgettable scenic trails and then cozy up by the fire after your day of winter fun.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SvHtFOi_0YI/AAAAAAAAAR8/AsLBykP5YOM/s1600-h/b1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SvHtFOi_0YI/AAAAAAAAAR8/AsLBykP5YOM/s320/b1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400358102253949314" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, you can win a trip for a Winter Ski Vacation in the North Carolina High Country. The winner will receive:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  * Three nights accommodations in a three bedroom/three bathroom “Echota on the Ridge” condo from Foscoe Rentals&lt;br /&gt;  * One pair of Atomic Skis&lt;br /&gt;  * One UVEX Ski Helmet&lt;br /&gt;  * One pair of UVEX Ski Goggles&lt;br /&gt;  * Two days of lift tickets at Appalachian Ski Mountain for two adults and two children&lt;br /&gt;  * Gift certificate for four to Hawksnest for snow tubing sessions&lt;br /&gt;  * Welcome Gift Basket&lt;br /&gt;  * $50 gift certificate to Mast General Store&lt;br /&gt;  * $250 voucher for food&lt;br /&gt;  * $500 travel voucher&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enter today at &lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/sweeps/view/the-explore-boone-area-winter-ski-vacation-sweepstakes"&gt;VisitNC.com&lt;/a&gt;! The sweepstakes ends November 30, 2009.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/wocKD1_W4mo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/wocKD1_W4mo/explore-boone-area-winter-ski-vacation.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SvHtFOi_0YI/AAAAAAAAAR8/AsLBykP5YOM/s72-c/b1.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/11/explore-boone-area-winter-ski-vacation.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-2753546316563933390</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:58:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-11-02T16:02:58.371-05:00</atom:updated><title>Late Season Fall Color Hot Spots</title><description>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Su9Iphcv4dI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ciqP7tIYMkg/s1600-h/Untitled.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 156px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Su9Iphcv4dI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ciqP7tIYMkg/s320/Untitled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399614356431299026" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;(CNN)&lt;/b&gt; -- U.S. trees are exploding in brilliantly colorful fall foliage this year in many regions, thanks to stellar growing conditions and excellent temperatures, say experts. &lt;p&gt;In fact, it's still not too late to enjoy the peak of the season in parts of the Southwest and South, according to plant physiologists.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;"We have a good mixture of colors this year," said Howard Neufeld, who keeps close tabs on North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains region. Barring any storms that might shake leaves off the trees, Neufeld said, "I think you can get another two weeks for fall color from 2,000 feet down to 1,000 feet."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/11/02/late.leaf.peeping/"&gt;Read more&lt;/a&gt; from CNN Travel&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/wS-105HtxwM" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/wS-105HtxwM/late-season-fall-color-hot-spots.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Su9Iphcv4dI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ciqP7tIYMkg/s72-c/Untitled.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/11/late-season-fall-color-hot-spots.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-9031725855379580457</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-27T21:19:29.703-04:00</atom:updated><title>Duggar Family Helps Kickoff Pigeon Forge Winterfest</title><description>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SueaJG_JLiI/AAAAAAAAARs/FewVfyyTK0E/s1600-h/fd2bc493-4f20-46b0-91d6-65a21f31243d.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 177px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SueaJG_JLiI/AAAAAAAAARs/FewVfyyTK0E/s320/fd2bc493-4f20-46b0-91d6-65a21f31243d.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397452159711784482" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (October 27, 2009) – The kickoff event for the 20th anniversary of Pigeon Forge Winterfest on Nov. 5 (Thursday) will feature multiple special guests.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In addition to the expansive Duggar family from TLC’s “18 Kids and Counting” TV show, the kickoff event in Patriot Park will feature Santa Claus—complete with reindeer and a photographer—plus choral, band and dance groups, the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus and bluegrass music from Jimbo Whaley and Greenbrier.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“This is the start of a great time of year for Pigeon Forge that is acknowledged far and wide. In fact, the 2009-2010 Pigeon Forge Winterfest is a Top 100 Event in North America, according to travel professionals assembled by the American Bus Association,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Activity begins at 4 p.m. with entertainment from several community groups.  Comments from civic leaders and introduction of the Duggar family will precede the ceremonial flipping of the switch to turn on the city’s five million Winterfest lights at about 6 p.m.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Duggars—Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 18 children, plus one on the way—will be in Pigeon Forge for the second time this year.  They visited in May for production of two episodes of “18 Kids and Counting.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bob Fowler, the Pigeon Forge Special Events Volunteer of the Year, also will participate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The evening’s featured entertainment, the Pigeon Forge Community Community Chorus followed by and Jimbo Whaley and Greenbrier, will cap off the stage presentation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Santa Claus and his reindeer will add to the festivities.  A professional photographer will take pictures of guests with Santa and deliver complimentary photos on site.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also complimentary that evening are rides on the Fun Time Trolley system’s Trolley Tour of Lights, which showcase Winterfest light displays throughout the community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The afternoon groups performing are the Elizabeth Williams Dance Troupe, the Pigeon Forge Middle and High School Dance Teams, the Pigeon Forge High School Choir, the Pigeon Forge Middle School Honor Band and the Pigeon Forge High School Marching Band.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Five food vendors will be on hand with a variety of offerings.  They will raise money for the American Legion, Pigeon Forge High School, Relay for Life and the Salvation Army.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Information about all aspects of Pigeon Forge Winterfest, including Wilderness Wildlife Week in January and Saddle Up! in February—is online at &lt;a href="http://mypigeonforge.com/"&gt;MyPigeonForge.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/iuuxNbAV0eg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/iuuxNbAV0eg/duggar-family-helps-kickoff-pigeon.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SueaJG_JLiI/AAAAAAAAARs/FewVfyyTK0E/s72-c/fd2bc493-4f20-46b0-91d6-65a21f31243d.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/duggar-family-helps-kickoff-pigeon.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-3101128063432238824</guid><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-24T22:56:01.714-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">brasstown</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Great Smoky Mountains</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">waterfalls</category><title>7 Places to Visit in the Smoky Mountains</title><description>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SuO9nuqzmJI/AAAAAAAAARk/w60Jr73swIc/s1600-h/Bald_River_Falls.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SuO9nuqzmJI/AAAAAAAAARk/w60Jr73swIc/s320/Bald_River_Falls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396365268760107154" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Within a short radius of Brasstown along the state lines of North Carolina and Georgia - lies a treasure of daily jaunts for mountain enthusiasts. From shopping to wineries to waterfalls to dining, we have gathered a few of our favorites. &lt;a href="http://mountainmooseblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/seven-great-blue-ridge-mountain-spots.html"&gt;Read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/EUk6S5I7rpg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/EUk6S5I7rpg/7-places-to-visit-in-smoky-mountains.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SuO9nuqzmJI/AAAAAAAAARk/w60Jr73swIc/s72-c/Bald_River_Falls.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/7-places-to-visit-in-smoky-mountains.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-2453807041506314742</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:40:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-19T21:08:17.683-04:00</atom:updated><title>Signature Color in the Great Smoky Mountains!</title><description>Fall color in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is at its peak from mid-October through early November. Get best viewing tips from this video:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a style="margin: 0pt auto; padding: 0px 6px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="aptureLink_7Yx5UsbOwT" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajOYbjp01sY"&gt;&lt;img title="Great Smoky Mountains Fall Color: September 22" src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ajOYbjp01sY/hqdefault.jpg" style="border: 0px none ;" height="285px" width="456px" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/PVE7_1UhOKY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/PVE7_1UhOKY/signature-color-in-great-smoky.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/signature-color-in-great-smoky.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-5237036180263913187</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-13T20:16:19.015-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Great Smoky Mountains</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">clingmans dome</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">andrews bald</category><title>Hike the Smokies!</title><description>Participate in a picturesque hike to Andrews Bald on Saturday, October 17th.  Naturalist Liz Domingue will escort you on this 4-mile round-trip adventure.  The trail is steep and rocky, going downhill to the Bald and uphill coming back.    Experience the aroma of Christmas as you brush past stands of spruces and firs.  On arrival at the Bald you should experience a bird's eye view of Fontana Lake and a breathtaking panorama of the surrounding mountains in all their Fall splendor. &lt;br /&gt;Pack a light lunch, wat&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/StUYGyjZSNI/AAAAAAAAAOk/PHNTy9WQNVw/s1600-h/gsmr.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/StUYGyjZSNI/AAAAAAAAAOk/PHNTy9WQNVw/s320/gsmr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392242633774549202" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;er, rain gear, and above all, good hiking boots.  A hiking stick wouldn't be a bad idea either.  This hike is limited to 15 people, so please sign up early to assure your spot.  The charge is $15 per person.  There is no rain date for this hike, it will take place rain or shine.  Meet at 8:45 am in the Clingman's Dome Parking Lot.   For reservations call 865-436-7318, extension 254.  Come and enjoy the Smokies in the Fall!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/IDPgiVzLxlo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/IDPgiVzLxlo/hike-smokies.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/StUYGyjZSNI/AAAAAAAAAOk/PHNTy9WQNVw/s72-c/gsmr.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/hike-smokies.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-3944077580503524625</guid><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-08T21:39:30.301-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pumpkin patch</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Fall color</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">corn maze</category><title>Pumpkin Patches and Corn Maze in West Virginia!</title><description>Spend an evening on the farm where visitors can take a hayride through the patch to pick a fresh pumpkin and try their skills at the 10-acre corn maze. (A 2-acre corn maze is available for children.) Also on tap are antique tractor train rides, campfires, pre-picked produce, pony rides and a petting zoo.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Admission is&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Ss6O83QmKQI/AAAAAAAAAOc/_looBldicdE/s1600-h/oct09_byrnside_branch.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 145px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Ss6O83QmKQI/AAAAAAAAAOc/_looBldicdE/s320/oct09_byrnside_branch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390402980285917442" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; $6 for the corn maze, $3 for the hayride and $2 for the antique tractor ride. Group rates are available. Hours are 4-10 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and 1-10 p.m. Sundays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more information, call 304-772-3131 or  visit &lt;a href="http://enews.wildandwonderful.com/ezine/index.php?article_id=211&amp;amp;email=mab222@comcast.net&amp;amp;rs=NjMxMTI3OTY2NwS2&amp;amp;m=2380729&amp;amp;segment_id=82&amp;amp;redirect=enews.wildandwonderful.com/ezine/index.php"&gt;Wild and Wonderful West Virginia&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a class="cBodyLink" href="http://enews.wildandwonderful.com/redirect.php?email=mab222@comcast.net&amp;amp;rs=NjMxMTI3OTY2NwS2&amp;amp;m=2380729&amp;amp;segment_id=82&amp;amp;redirect=enews.wildandwonderful.com/ezine/index.php&amp;amp;location=ezine_article_body&amp;amp;url=www.byrnsidebranchfarm.com/" target="_blank" name="article_body_link"&gt;www.ByrnsideBranchFarm.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/monhju4MN4Y" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/monhju4MN4Y/pumpkin-patches-and-corn-maze-in-west.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Ss6O83QmKQI/AAAAAAAAAOc/_looBldicdE/s72-c/oct09_byrnside_branch.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/pumpkin-patches-and-corn-maze-in-west.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-7902082033101988096</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:50:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-08T19:57:32.493-04:00</atom:updated><title>The Wilmington "Southern Style" Sweepstakes</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Wilmington, North Carolina is a true coastal Southern city in the classic style: a charming tree-lined downtown, a long and colorful history, and world-renowned hospitality. Here, you can walk in the footsteps of pirates, soldiers, and movie stars… stroll the downtown riverwalk’s array of chic shops, eclectic galleries, and vibrant restaurants… or cast a relaxed gaze across the Cape Fear River ont&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Ss57xi2iQpI/AAAAAAAAAOM/J_Hf2iw_pgY/s1600-h/09_wilmington_header.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Ss57xi2iQpI/AAAAAAAAAOM/J_Hf2iw_pgY/s320/09_wilmington_header.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390381895108412050" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;o one of America’s most decorated battleships.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now, you can win a trip for four to experience the history, hospitality and style of Wilmington. The winner will receive:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;7 nights of deluxe accommodations at the Fairfield Inn Wilmington, just minutes from the Historic Downtown District and Wrightsville Beach.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Admission for four to the BATTLESHIP NORTH CAROLINA&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$200 shopping voucher&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100 dinner voucher&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$200 gas card&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;$500 travel voucher&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/sweeps/view/the-wilmington-southern-style-sweepstakes?utm_source=vnc&amp;amp;utm_medium=email&amp;amp;utm_content=wilmington%2Bsweeps&amp;amp;utm_campaign=sweeps%2Bsupport"&gt;Enter today at VisitNC.com&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="file:///C:/Users/MARYAN%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sweepstakes Ends &lt;strong&gt;October 31, 2009&lt;/strong&gt;.             Taxes and gratuities not included.&lt;br /&gt;           See complete listing of &lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/sweeps/view/the-wilmington-southern-style-sweepstakes/rules"&gt;Official Rules&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/9FvuJGdW1y4" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/9FvuJGdW1y4/wilmington-southern-style-sweepstakes.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Ss57xi2iQpI/AAAAAAAAAOM/J_Hf2iw_pgY/s72-c/09_wilmington_header.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/wilmington-southern-style-sweepstakes.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-1018773158063330514</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:04:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-10-01T08:17:20.532-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pigeon forge</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">craftsmen</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">harvest</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">dollywood</category><title>October Draws Craft Lovers to Pigeon Forge, Great Smoky Mountains</title><description>&lt;span style=";font-family:&amp;quot;;font-size:85%;"  &gt;&lt;br /&gt;Two major crafts events highlight start of autumn leaf season&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:&amp;quot;;font-size:85%;"  &gt;&lt;br /&gt;PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (October 2009)—Scores of talented artists and craftsmen seem to take a cue from Mother Nature when the leaves start changing colors in the Great Smoky Mountains and appear in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., for two major autumn festivals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bask&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsSbojj8MXI/AAAAAAAAAOE/O43MBGo5IA8/s1600-h/Basketmaking.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 231px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsSbojj8MXI/AAAAAAAAAOE/O43MBGo5IA8/s320/Basketmaking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387602175285014898" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:&amp;quot;;font-size:85%;"  &gt;et makers, carvers, painters and others are on hand for the Pigeon Forge Rotary Club Craft Festival and Dollywood’s National Gospel &amp;amp; Harvest Celebration.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:&amp;quot;;font-size:85%;"  &gt;&lt;br /&gt;+ The Pigeon Forge Rotary Club Crafts Festival (Oct. 1-30) is one of the region’s biggest crafts events, attracting almost 50 craftsmen, artists and exhibitors from more than a dozen states.  It takes place under a giant red and white tent at Patriot Park. Rotarians volunteer their time to run the festival, and proceeds benefit numerous charities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;+ Dollywood’s National Gospel &amp;amp; Harvest Festival (Oct. 2-31) complements the theme park’s regular operation with an array of traditional and contemporary craftsmen and adds scores of free gospel music concerts to the entertainment lineup. Among the featured crafts are spinning, weaving, sorghum making, fiddle making, rug hooking and woodworking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Both events take place against the backdrop of Pigeon Forge’s Harvestfest season, which continues through Oct. 31.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During Harvestfest, businesses throughout the city erect fanciful fall displays of hay bales, scarecrows, cornstalks, pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers, mums and other symbols of the season.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Pigeon Forge Travel Planner and information about all aspects of the city are available online at &lt;a href="http://mypigeonforge.com/"&gt;MyPigeonForge.com&lt;/a&gt; or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100. The travel planner includes the Pigeon Forge Value Card, which offers more than $300 worth of discounts.  &lt;!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--&gt;  &lt;!--[endif]--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/GFG1j6uQ0rE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/GFG1j6uQ0rE/two-major-crafts-events-highlight-start.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsSbojj8MXI/AAAAAAAAAOE/O43MBGo5IA8/s72-c/Basketmaking.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/10/two-major-crafts-events-highlight-start.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-911825454304543752</guid><pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:11:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-29T14:59:00.090-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">scenic travel</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Fall color</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Autumn travel</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fall festivals</category><title>10 Fall Festivals in the Mountains of Western North Carolina!</title><description>&lt;a href="http://www.oldfortchamber.com/oktoberfest.htm"&gt;Oktoberfest &lt;/a&gt;October 2 - 4  Annual festival featuring a variety of musicians, food and craft vendors, raffles, and children's activities. Free.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://gsmr.com/Documents/PumpkinPatch2009.pdf"&gt;PeanutsTM The Great Pumpkin Patch Express&lt;/a&gt;: October 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25: Meet Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy, and select your own pumpkin. Enjoy hayrides, live musical entertainment, story telling, hay bale maze, bouncy horse, apple cider, peanuts gift shop, face painting, petting zoo and trick or treating!&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.madisoncounty-nc.com/info/events.html"&gt;Madison County Heritage Festival&lt;/a&gt; - October 3: &lt;/span&gt;Annual celebration of Madison County's music, crafts and culture. Demonstrations of spinning wool, blacksmithing and apple butter making. Food v&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsJYaLM8qvI/AAAAAAAAANQ/yn0z47NZLbA/s1600-h/pumpkin.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 188px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsJYaLM8qvI/AAAAAAAAANQ/yn0z47NZLbA/s320/pumpkin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386965310995475186" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;endors, 4-H exhibit and the famous Bailey Mountain Cloggers performance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cherokeemill.com/"&gt;Fall Harvest Festival, Cherokee Mill &lt;/a&gt;October 10: Features a variety of activities, including demonstrationsfrom blacksmiths, corn-husk doll makers, local artisans and Cherokee crafters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.raffaldini.com/calevent.aspx?id=48"&gt;Harvest Festival at Raffaldini Vineyards&lt;/a&gt; Tour all  five of the Vineyards of Swan Creek and enjoy two days of wonderful, award-winning wines, great music and entertainment, complimentary seasonal refreshments and great gift ideas while overlooking the beautiful and scenic Swan Creek AVA&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.stecoahvalleycenter.com/festivals.html"&gt;Harvest Festival and Antique Tractor Show&lt;/a&gt; October 16 - 19 Old-fashioned bonfire, food, crafts and entertainment. The County Fair will offer competition and exhibits of jams, jellies, pies, cakes, quilts, needlework and much more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.olddepot.org/fallindex.html"&gt;17th Annual Fall by the Tracks &lt;/a&gt;October 17: Includes 65 artisians, the opening of the caboose  museum, crafters demonstration, face and pumpkin painting, cake-walks, local honey, food, Fresh made, while you watch, apple cider from our own antique apple press and more!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.theleaf.com/"&gt;Lake Eden Arts Festival&lt;/a&gt; October 15 - 18 A weekend celebration of world folk arts: music concerts, dancing, handcrafts, healing arts, poetry, kidventures and workshops. Beautiful mountain camp setting with lakes and camping.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.renewingfranklin.org/events.html"&gt;Annual Pumpkin Fest&lt;/a&gt; October 23 - 24: Festival along Main Street. Crafters, Famous Pumpkin Roll, Live Music all day, Pie Eating Contest, Games, Costume Contest and Parade, Food.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.brevardnc.org/halloweenfest.php"&gt;Halloween Fest in Transylvania&lt;/a&gt; October 31: Tiny Tot Pumpkin Bowl, Cookie Decorating, Face &amp;amp; Hair Painting, Ghoulish Golf, &amp;amp; Spooky Hay Maze!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/FUTL8kPTFw4" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/FUTL8kPTFw4/10-fall-festivals-in-mountains-of.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsJYaLM8qvI/AAAAAAAAANQ/yn0z47NZLbA/s72-c/pumpkin.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/10-fall-festivals-in-mountains-of.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-5413285445126130133</guid><pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:04:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-28T17:15:34.038-04:00</atom:updated><title>Is the sun setting on the Sunshine State?</title><description>Linda Stern, a writer for &lt;a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/216129"&gt;Newsweek,&lt;/a&gt; asks the question: Is the sun setting on the Sunshine State? Between April 2008 and April 2009, the state actually lost population for the first time in more than 100 years (excluding periods during the world wars, when troops stationed there skewed the population figures), &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://news.ufl.edu/2009/08/18/fla-population-2/" target="_blank"&gt;reports the University of Florida&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While many retirees may want to flock to Florida, they can't afford to partly because they can't sell their homes up North. "People have a lot more options than just going to Florida. Many new retirement communities have been built in Maryland, Delaware, the Carolinas, and Georgia," reports E. Thomas Wetzel, president of the &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.retirementliving.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Retirement Living Information Center&lt;/a&gt;. "There's even a group of &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.floridahalfbacks.com/" target="_blank"&gt;retirees called halfbacks&lt;/a&gt;, who went to Florida, didn't like it, came halfway back and settled in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky, where they get four seasons."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsEnUIoSNaI/AAAAAAAAAM0/dEvxUIMbli0/s1600-h/mm_travel_photo1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 110px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsEnUIoSNaI/AAAAAAAAAM0/dEvxUIMbli0/s320/mm_travel_photo1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386629856179140002" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then there's also the no-retirement model. Most working baby boomers have deferred, perhaps indefinitely, their retirement plans in the wake of the stock market and 401(k) losses over the past two years. But don't rule out Florida altogether. Despite its dwindling population, it still draws more sheer numbers of retirees than any other single state. And for those who can afford the new higher insurance and property-tax rates, there are real-estate bargains to be had.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read the &lt;a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/216129"&gt;full article&lt;/a&gt; by Linda Stern&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/xdKxcmgdrQU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/xdKxcmgdrQU/is-sun-setting-on-sunshine-state.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SsEnUIoSNaI/AAAAAAAAAM0/dEvxUIMbli0/s72-c/mm_travel_photo1.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/is-sun-setting-on-sunshine-state.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-5223973758215211255</guid><pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:21:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-27T18:30:52.780-04:00</atom:updated><title>Lexington, VA Named One of America's Coolest Small Towns</title><description>Locals often describe this 19th-century hamlet between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains as "right out of a Norman Rockwell painting." Lexington is the kind of place where people are invested in making sure history is paid real respect. Take &lt;b&gt;Hull's Drive-In Theatre&lt;/b&gt;: When the 1950s institution was in danger of closing in 1999, a group of 50—dubbed the Hull's Angels—banded together to save it; they succeeded after raising an initial $10,000 selling popcorn (2367 N. Lee Hwy., double feature $6, open season­ally).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sr_nGEi3pMI/AAAAAAAAAMA/sEVWAppe5zY/s1600-h/PH2009090401882.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sr_nGEi3pMI/AAAAAAAAAMA/sEVWAppe5zY/s320/PH2009090401882.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386277770843628738" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meanwhile, family-owned B&amp;amp;Bs like the &lt;b&gt;1868 Magnolia House Inn&lt;/b&gt; dot Main Street (501 S. Main St., &lt;a href="http://www.magnoliahouseinn.com/" target="_blank"&gt;magnoliahouseinn.com&lt;/a&gt;, from $139). &lt;a href="http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/09/04/AR2009090402162.html"&gt;Read the full article &lt;/a&gt;by &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Mario Lopez-Cordero&lt;/span&gt; in Budget Travel Magazine&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/7r1j7jW0l-U" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/7r1j7jW0l-U/lexington-va-named-one-of-americas.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sr_nGEi3pMI/AAAAAAAAAMA/sEVWAppe5zY/s72-c/PH2009090401882.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/lexington-va-named-one-of-americas.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-4352290586577678109</guid><pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:23:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-27T09:37:02.254-04:00</atom:updated><title>Great Photography Options for Tweeters</title><description>If you have a Twitter page, try &lt;a href="http://www.portwiture.com/"&gt;Portwiture.com&lt;/a&gt; It mashes together your tweet keywords and flickr photos based on those keywords and creates a mosaic of photos. This is what was generated for Florida Halfbacks:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sr9pS33N8LI/AAAAAAAAAL4/a7qDoJ55FZA/s1600-h/Screen+grab+092709.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 187px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sr9pS33N8LI/AAAAAAAAAL4/a7qDoJ55FZA/s320/Screen+grab+092709.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386139452312514738" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/xXAA-pdNRfc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/xXAA-pdNRfc/if-you-have-twitter-page-try-portwiture.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sr9pS33N8LI/AAAAAAAAAL4/a7qDoJ55FZA/s72-c/Screen+grab+092709.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/if-you-have-twitter-page-try-portwiture.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-8810253277327783084</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:52:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-16T06:31:08.904-04:00</atom:updated><title>Fall Foliage in the Blue Ridge Mountains!</title><description>Every year people flock to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to experience the  magnificent fall foliage and it warm hues of red, yellow, orange, and brown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A long tim&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SrBII-NUSQI/AAAAAAAAALM/VNieGbrjt8A/s1600-h/sumac.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 183px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SrBII-NUSQI/AAAAAAAAALM/VNieGbrjt8A/s320/sumac.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381880873682749698" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;e favorite route for viewing the spectacular fall colors is along the &lt;a href="http://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm"&gt;Blue Ridge Parkway&lt;/a&gt;. The Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park near Waynesboro, VA (Milepost 0) with Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, NC (Milepost 469).  There are entrances and exits at all major federal and state highways and part of a Parkway experience is getting into the towns and communities of the region.  Asheville and Boone, NC and Roanoke, VA are the largest cities along the way.  In Virginia, Interstates 64, 81, and 77 all have directions for accessing the Parkway.  The same is true for Interstates 40 and 26 in North Carolina.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Did you know though, that those beautiful colors are present all year? They're just blocked by chlorophyll, which is what gives leaves their green color. When fall evenings get longer, chlorophyll production slows allowing the other colors to become visible and can be enjoyed by hikers, photographer and locals too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To learn more about why leaves turn color, what triggers the leaves to eventually fall, and more really interesting info, visit the &lt;a href="http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/misc/leaves/leaves.htm"&gt;Forest Service.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/71R3_Ndk0wU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/71R3_Ndk0wU/every-year-people-flock-to-blue-ridge.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SrBII-NUSQI/AAAAAAAAALM/VNieGbrjt8A/s72-c/sumac.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/every-year-people-flock-to-blue-ridge.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-5048514034494263964</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-14T07:44:23.955-04:00</atom:updated><title>U.S. Mint will roll out Smoky Mountain National Park quarter in 2014</title><description>Attention coin collectors and Smoky Mountain lovers: America's most visited national park will adorn a new U.S. quarter representing Tennessee.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next year, the U.S. Mint will begin issuing quarters that honor national sites. The Smoky Mountain coin, to be released in 2014, will be one of 56 new quarters to be rolled out starting in 2010.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More information can be found in this article by &lt;a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-09-09-national-park-quarters_N.htm"&gt;USA TODAY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/BWXvFgcylz0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/BWXvFgcylz0/us-mint-will-roll-out-smoky-mountain.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/us-mint-will-roll-out-smoky-mountain.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-7279845613467253486</guid><pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-11T23:16:25.089-04:00</atom:updated><title>See What's on Tap at Bramwell Oktoberfest</title><description>Snuggled in the Allegheny Mountains, the historic town of Bramwell hosts the traditional German celebration Oktoberfest. The 14th annual Bramwell Oktoberfest will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 2 to 8 p.m. Juried beer competitions, beer tastings, food stations, live music and an artisan market will keep the town known as the "Home of the Millionaires" hopping. Guided outdoor tours of Bramwell's Millionaire Row Historic District will be available as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Microbrew&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SqsSX6I60PI/AAAAAAAAAKk/mmgGCRLVBkI/s1600-h/sept09_bramwell1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 162px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SqsSX6I60PI/AAAAAAAAAKk/mmgGCRLVBkI/s320/sept09_bramwell1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380414381777146098" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;eries and home brewers will face off in competition and offer samples. Hear live music to suit many tastes including traditional folk, blues, and bluegrass.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the gate for anyone 12 and older. You can purchase tickets in advance from the &lt;a href="http://www.visitmercercounty.com/"&gt;Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau&lt;/a&gt; as well as finding information on area accommodations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bramwell is located near Bluefield on the West Virginia-Virginia border near Interstate 77 South.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more information, visit the &lt;a href="http://www.bramwelloktoberfest.com/"&gt;Bramwell Octoberfest website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/e2Tf82ATBN8" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/e2Tf82ATBN8/see-whats-on-tap-at-bramwell.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SqsSX6I60PI/AAAAAAAAAKk/mmgGCRLVBkI/s72-c/sept09_bramwell1.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/see-whats-on-tap-at-bramwell.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-4962742495801692875</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:32:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-02T21:37:46.717-04:00</atom:updated><title>After Century of Growth, Tide Turns in Florida</title><description>&lt;nyt_byline version="1.0" type=" "&gt; &lt;div class="byline"&gt;By &lt;a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/damien_cave/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More Articles by Damien Cave"&gt;DAMIEN CAVE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;/nyt_byline&gt; &lt;div class="timestamp"&gt;Published: August 29, 2009 &lt;/div&gt;     &lt;!--NYT_INLINE_IMAGE_POSITION1 --&gt;             &lt;p&gt;HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The smiling couple barreling ahead on the cover of &lt;a href="http://www.magazines.things-and-other-stuff.com/liberty-magazine.html" title="Liberty magazine"&gt;Liberty magazine&lt;/a&gt; in 1926 knew exactly where to go. “Florida or Bust,” said the white paint on the car doors. “Four &lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sp8dz4kycMI/AAAAAAAAAKM/Qf2KKGT55s4/s1600-h/Untitled.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 117px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sp8dz4kycMI/AAAAAAAAAKM/Qf2KKGT55s4/s200/Untitled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377049257300881602" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;wheels, no brakes.”&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;a name="secondParagraph"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;p&gt;So it has been for a century, as Florida welcomed thousands of newcomers every week, year after year, becoming the nation’s fourth-most-populous state with about 16 million people in 2000. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Imagine the shock, then, to discover that traffic is now heading the other way. That’s right, the Sunshine State is shrinking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;Already, the state’s hold on retirees is weakening, with thousands of disenchanted &lt;a href="http://www.floridahalfbacks.com/"&gt;“halfbacks”&lt;/a&gt; moving to Georgia and the Carolinas in recent years. &lt;a href="http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/facultystaff/stans" title="Stanley K. Smith"&gt;Stanley K. Smith&lt;/a&gt; at the University of Florida nonetheless predicts modest population increases when the economy picks up — growth of 150,000 to 200,000 people annually.&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/wEBuI4IZbfw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/wEBuI4IZbfw/after-century-of-growth-tide-turns-in.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Sp8dz4kycMI/AAAAAAAAAKM/Qf2KKGT55s4/s72-c/Untitled.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/09/after-century-of-growth-tide-turns-in.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-5281611669759782030</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-08-20T08:50:22.210-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">special rates</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">golf packages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">north carolina</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">special offers</category><title>Special Offers in North Carolina</title><description>&lt;div&gt;August is a great time to explore the mountains of Western North Carolina.&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/So1GT2sxtQI/AAAAAAAAAII/vpjBMCr4jRo/s1600-h/Untitled.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 98px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372027237437650178" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/So1GT2sxtQI/AAAAAAAAAII/vpjBMCr4jRo/s200/Untitled.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Cool mountain waterfalls, whitewater escapades, charming bed and breakfast inns, all set amid the natural wonders of the mountains. And with incredible fall rates, golf packages, and other late summer sales, check out the &lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/offers"&gt;VisitNC&lt;/a&gt; list of special offers&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/hb-Sb4tZgow" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/hb-Sb4tZgow/special-offers-in-north-carolina.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/So1GT2sxtQI/AAAAAAAAAII/vpjBMCr4jRo/s72-c/Untitled.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/08/special-offers-in-north-carolina.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-8701500599401961860</guid><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-08-06T07:14:34.245-04:00</atom:updated><title>Best Places To Live The Simple Life</title><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Greenville, South Carolina was named one of the best places to live the simple life by AARP Magazine due to its rich culture, great food, and low stress. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Snq6w2bsNvI/AAAAAAAAAIA/L4gJRUjYEBw/s1600-h/sc.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 130px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366807254373512946" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Snq6w2bsNvI/AAAAAAAAAIA/L4gJRUjYEBw/s200/sc.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Dubbed as family-friendly fun, from "penny candy" to goat-cheese pizza, Greenville's median housing price is just $151,080. When the most relaxing way to spend an afternoon is hiking the pristine mountain woodlands of &lt;a href="http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/962.aspx"&gt;Jones Gap State Park&lt;/a&gt;, just 25 miles outside Greenville and simple fun for less than $10 means grabbing a cup of coffee or an ice-cream cone at &lt;a href="http://www.stbespresso.com/spillthebeans.html"&gt;Spill the Beans&lt;/a&gt;, how could you go wrong?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/the_simple_life.html"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Read the full article &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;by Sarah Mahoney&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/TBJ6n3F96vQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/TBJ6n3F96vQ/best-places-to-live-simple-life.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Snq6w2bsNvI/AAAAAAAAAIA/L4gJRUjYEBw/s72-c/sc.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/08/best-places-to-live-simple-life.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-6957481536082349862</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:13:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-08-05T17:24:40.016-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">mountain cabins</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Blue Ridge Mountains</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">smoky mountains</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">lake lure</category><title>Lake Lure &amp; The Blue Ridge Foothills Sweepstakes</title><description>From majestic peaks to hip and historic small towns, Lake Lure and the Blue Ridge Foothills &lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Snn3qsVB5HI/AAAAAAAAAHw/ZUcq8HUvdqA/s1600-h/09_lake_lure_header.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 262px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 129px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366592743814587506" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Snn3qsVB5HI/AAAAAAAAAHw/ZUcq8HUvdqA/s320/09_lake_lure_header.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;offer everything you need for a getaway that will help you renew your senses. With great food, fun things to do, and amazing things to see, the lake may lure you – but the spectacular scenery and abundant activities will make you want to stay awhile.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Now, you can win a family trip for four to the area that Frommer’s Budget Travel called ‘a lake not to miss’. The winner will receive: &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Two rooms for four nights and breakfast for four at the historic Lake Lure Inn and Spa&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Admission for four to Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park and a picnic lunch provided by the park’s Old Rock Café&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;A one-hour Lake Lure Boat Cruise for four. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;A 90-minute eco-kayak tour for four and a ½ day pontoon boat rental from the Lake Lure Adventure Company. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;A half-day guided fishing trip for two from Granddaddy Fly Fishing. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;A two-hour guided scenic horseback tour for four from Cedar Creek Riding Stables. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100 gift certificate for MSquared Restaurant &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100 gift certificate for the Anna Rose Restaurant &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100 shopping voucher &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$500 travel voucher&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/sweeps/view/the-lake-lure-the-blue-ridge-foothills-sweepstakes"&gt;Enter today! &lt;/a&gt;The sweepstakes ends August 31, 2009.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Courtesy of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;www.visitnc.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/liD0mUcl8Yg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/liD0mUcl8Yg/lake-lure-blue-ridge-foothills.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/Snn3qsVB5HI/AAAAAAAAAHw/ZUcq8HUvdqA/s72-c/09_lake_lure_header.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/08/lake-lure-blue-ridge-foothills.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-90796863180536530</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-29T23:53:28.505-04:00</atom:updated><title>Cool Off in the Mountains This Summer</title><description>&lt;div&gt;If the summer heat has you frazzled, consider a trip to the mountains and lake regions of the Southeast U.S. The lake breezes and higher mountain elevations ensure a cool down to soothe your stress.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If quiet ambiance is your dream vacation, consider a cabin rental through a vacation rental agency. Quaint small towns are filled with shops, diners, and local artisans and crafters. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SnEZJzJ5IKI/AAAAAAAAAHg/b2hOnbNwSYY/s1600-h/MTN0008.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 130px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364096287316189346" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SnEZJzJ5IKI/AAAAAAAAAHg/b2hOnbNwSYY/s200/MTN0008.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But if adventure is your escape, consider whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, or a more rigorous mountain trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN offer a plethora of adventures such as horseback riding, Dollywood, Ober Gatlinburg, shopping, dining, the Gatlinburg Aquarium and so much more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Visit &lt;a href="http://www.floridahalfbacks.com/"&gt;http://www.floridahalfbacks.com/&lt;/a&gt; to connect with lodging and adventure options throughout the mountains and lakes of the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/SLkmHBBPzAo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/SLkmHBBPzAo/cool-off-in-mountains-this-summer.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SnEZJzJ5IKI/AAAAAAAAAHg/b2hOnbNwSYY/s72-c/MTN0008.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/07/cool-off-in-mountains-this-summer.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-6308280152246006523</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-19T18:43:47.981-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">mountain communities</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">private communities</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">gated communities</category><title>North Carolina Mountain Living: The Sky's the Limit in Buyer's Market</title><description>&lt;div&gt;If you’ve dreamed of owning a vacation or second home in the North Carolina mountains, the best buying opportunity in a generation may well be at hand. Prices have dropped, interest rates are low and good deals can be found just about anywhere you look. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SmOg1AGjuLI/AAAAAAAAAGg/Lf0ZDDTRlIE/s1600-h/20090714_217.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 112px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 157px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360304813922039986" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SmOg1AGjuLI/AAAAAAAAAGg/Lf0ZDDTRlIE/s320/20090714_217.JPG" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Better hurry, though. After a sluggish fall and nearly dormant winter, the Western North Carolina real estate market is once again showing signs of life. While the boom days of 2003 to 2006 are gone, the mountains are clearly beginning the long slow climb back to health.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;To view entire article by Jim Hughes, click here: &lt;a href="http://www.metronc.com/article/?id=1923"&gt;http://www.metronc.com/article/?id=1923&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/KlLsHVK3JAU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/KlLsHVK3JAU/north-carolina-mountain-living-skys.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SmOg1AGjuLI/AAAAAAAAAGg/Lf0ZDDTRlIE/s72-c/20090714_217.JPG" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/07/north-carolina-mountain-living-skys.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-2128792108016825443</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:21:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-14T16:31:03.798-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">west virginia vacation</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">smoky mountains</category><title>Plenty of Summer Fun in West Virginia!</title><description>&lt;div&gt;The mountains and valleys here are comfortable, shady and full of outdoor fun.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Visit &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.wvstateparks.com/"&gt;West Virginia State Parks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, each offering a different mountain experience with plenty of outdoor recreation and lodging options. From resort rooms to camping, it will be easy to find the best fit for your interests and your budget.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take a guided horseback ride at &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.pipestemresort.com/"&gt;Pipestem Resort State Park&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, enjoy a scenic hike at &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.babcocksp.com/"&gt;Babcock State Park&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, and both Pipestem and &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.twinfallsresort.com/"&gt;Twin Falls Resort State Park &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;offer great golf on scenic courses.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Outside the parks, Southern West Virginia is also home to 10 other golf courses, including a couple of beauties at &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gladesprings.com/"&gt;Glade Springs Resort and Conference Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SlzqxzrH6EI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Kgq7Sq-vLEQ/s1600-h/wv.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 219px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 146px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358415798069618754" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SlzqxzrH6EI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Kgq7Sq-vLEQ/s320/wv.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Hike, bike or ride a horse along the 76-mile &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.greenbrierrailtrailstatepark.com/"&gt;Greenbrier River Trail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Include a fishing pole in your backpack; there are some wonderful spots to wet a line! This area abounds with rivers and lakes that are ideal for folks who fish and boat. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~4/xnXimSN25Hg" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FloridahalfbackscomBlog/~3/xnXimSN25Hg/plenty-of-summer-fun-in-west-virginia.html</link><author>marybaker22@gmail.com (LeisureLinx.com)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SlzqxzrH6EI/AAAAAAAAAGA/Kgq7Sq-vLEQ/s72-c/wv.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://floridahalfbacks.blogspot.com/2009/07/plenty-of-summer-fun-in-west-virginia.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292118244609443034.post-2589546428875241886</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:42:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-08T16:49:50.991-04:00</atom:updated><title>The Spirit of the Cherokee Sweepstakes</title><description>Cherokee, North Carolina is so close, but yet 11,000 years away. Nestled quietly at the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the southern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, this ancient home of the Cherokee people combines a beautiful natural setting with thousands of years of Indian tradition, history, art and ceremony.&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SlUGA_fJSOI/AAAAAAAAAF4/6jLLXqS8o80/s1600-h/09_cherokee_header.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 166px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356193945938905314" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CgqKyJo8O8E/SlUGA_fJSOI/AAAAAAAAAF4/6jLLXqS8o80/s320/09_cherokee_header.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, you can win a family trip for four to this culturally rich homeland in the NC Mountains. The winner will receive:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Four nights for a family of four at the Comfort Suites Cherokee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Passes for four to various attractions including the “Unto These Hills” outdoor drama, the Oconaluftee Indian Village, The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and a guided tour at the Qualla Arts &amp;amp; Crafts Mutual &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Passes for a ½ day guided fishing tour, a whitewater rafting/tubing trip, and a horseback ride&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Four $50 dinner vouchers at four local restaurants &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Four vouchers for a traditional Indian meal/lunch that explores the Cherokee language with a Warrior of AniKituhwa &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$20 gift certificate for ice cream at a local shop&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$20 gift certificate at Tribal Grounds Coffee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Various gifts, including an autographed Chief’s book, a copy of Cherokee Heritage Trails, and gifts from the Qualla Arts &amp;amp; Crafts Mutual &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100 voucher for the Oconaluftee Indian Village Gift Shop &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$100 voucher for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian Gift Shop&lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;$500 travel voucher &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;Enter today! The sweepstakes ends July 31, 2009.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visitnc.com/sweeps/enter/the-spirit-of-the-cherokee-sweepstakes"&gt;Enter To Win!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Taxes and gratuities not included. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;See complete listing of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.blogger.com/sweeps/view/the-spirit-of-the-cherokee-sweepstakes/rules"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Official Rules&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --&gt;
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