We went with friends Tuesday to Polly's Pancake Parlor for lunch.  Fans of Polly's know the building we'd known and loved for years on Sugar Hill was taken down about a year ago and a new, larger building built to replace it.  It is nearly identical to the original, but much more spacious and substantial.  We liked that there was the same ambiance - the same old photos and artifacts decorating the walls, and it felt very familiar, like being with an old friend.  The building is much more weather tight, and there is better parking and access.  We had a great lunch and never felt rushed or crowded like we sometimes did at the old place.  The food was very good - this was the first time I'd ever had anything except pancake there, but my home-made vegetable soup and turkey sandwich were super good.  Fred had pancakes, and said they were even better than he remembered.  

There seemed to be a steady stream of people coming in, and the service was very fast - plus all the staff we spoke with (and between the four of us, we talked to lots of them!) were exceptionally upbeat.  A lady taking care of the flowers outside said everyone working there was "like family."  They surely all seemed to be happy.  Not that the staff in years past was any different, but along with the newness of the place and considering how busy they are, I was impressed.  If you go, call ahead to let them know when you will arrive.  We did, and had no wait at all.  I don't think the wait would have been too long had we not called ahead since we were there on a Tuesday. It's probably a whole different scene on weekends.

It was fun and even though the day was cloudy, there was some very nice foliage along the way.  Not like today here in our area, but certainly nice.  Our foliage is entering the realm of  spectacular this week.  I took this just a few minutes ago as the sun was going down.  This is looking towards Davidson Drive above Route 15.  You can see just a tiny bit of blue water that's Joe's Pond between the trees.  Once the leaves are off, we will be able to see more of the pond again, but for now it's out of sight for us.

We're thinking of friends who live on the east coast of Florida tonight.  The forecast is for hurricane Matthew to hit there tonight or tomorrow a.m., and it will travel up the coast of Georgia and South Carolina before moving out to sea, hopefully.  This could be a really damaging and dangerous storm, according to predictions.