This week I worked ‘home office’ but from Roanoke, VA, where I was visiting and assisting my parents. Steve (DOS) and I stayed at my brother Andy and his parter Art’s house, which is just 5 houses up the street from my parents. My 84 year old parents recently moved in to this house, but still have lots of things to move over from the old house, so we wanted to help out.
While I worked home office during the day, DOS made several trips during the week with my Dad over to the old house to bring back, donate things, or discard them. Most of the furniture and large items were moved already, but there are still files, clothes, pictures, and lots of items still in the basement to go thru.
It was great to visit with my parents the whole week, and we had some nice meals together, as well as with Andy and Art. One morning we went to IHoP and had a nice and filling breakfast; my double blueberry pancakes were delicious!
On Tuesday night, DOS, Andy, and I went to Carrabba’s for Happy Hour and dinner, which ended up being 1/2 price appetizers which turned into a full meal for us.
The next night Andy and Art invited Roger and Shelly over for dinner. It was a Mexican-themed dinner, with cocktails and some good vinos.
My parent’s old house is located near the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, and it’s always a pleasant drive along it, going from their new to old house.
Thursday night we all went as a family to Red Lobster. I enjoyed the grilled Salmon, while DOS, Art, and Andy had the Cod, Mom had the shrimp on skewers, and Dad had a pasta type seafood dish.
Mom and Dad even had a chocolate brownie dessert with ice cream!
On Friday we went plant shopping, and surprised Mom and Dad with a few flowers for their front yard. Mom and Dad really enjoyed watching us plant some flowers in their front yard and planters, and took a couple photos of us with her iPad.
Friday night we took Andy and Art out to our favorite Roanoke restaurant, Frankie Rolland’s Steakhouse. So we could all enjoy our time without worrying about driving, we took Uber there and back. It’s a good thing we used Uber, as we had quite a nice leisurely night of dining and vino. We had an early dinner this time too, starting at 6:30pm so we could take our time and arrive before it got to busy.
We started with pre-dinner Cosmos in the lounge, a Frankie Rolland’s tradition for us.
Once seated, we had a Pierre Juliet Champagne toast while we looked at the menu and listened to the specials of the day.
For appetizers, Andy, Art, and DOS all have Oysters on the half shell, and Oysters Rockefeller respectively, while I had the traditional jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Paired with Grigich Hills Chardonnay, our appetizers were a hit. (I did let our servers know we were ‘Ubering’ for the night, so not to worry about all the vino we were having!)
We moved on to our salad course, and DOS and I split a Cesar salad with bacon added to it. 
The best was yet to come, however, with our main course!
I had the 28 ounce bone-in Cowboy Ribeye, while DOS, Andy, and Art all the had the evening’s special – a Lobster and Filet Mignon combo.
The owner of the restaurant, Jason, suggested a nice Cabernet we weren’t familiar with, Trefethen, and we were not disappointed – it was fantastic! So much so we doubled down on it – thanks to our Uber car service!
And finally we topped of the night with dessert, and a small glass of port, while DOS skipped the port and had a nice cheese platter he shared with us.
As always, Frankie Rolland’s is a wonderful night out for us, and we try to eat here each time we come to Roanoke. The food, drink, and service are outstanding, and the intimate dining experience is wonderful.
We ended up the week in Roanoke by flying home to Orlando on Saturday afternoon. We returned out rental car, and headed up to the Roanoke Regional Airport terminal.
We then flew on a Dash-8 prop-jet to Charlotte, with only a few bumps in the air this flight.
We had a short layover in Charlotte, but went by the Admiral’s C Club for a Coke Zero and some snacks. American had recently remodeled the club and updated the chairs which was nice. And soon we were on our way back to Orlando on an Airbus 321, in First Class seats 2D and F.
‘Twas a wonderful week in Roanoke. Welcome Home!
so happy to see you and your family.
your mom looks great!
We had a great visit. Mom is doing better each day, and is walking more and more, but still using her walker for safety.