MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA

On our return trip from our recent vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we took a detour into Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy is the home town of the late Andy Griffith and affectionately called Mayberry RFD.  

When we left Burlington, NC that morning it started raining....the first and only rain we saw the whole 12 days we were gone.  By the time we got to Mount Airy, the clouds were still there but the rain had stopped. The main street is one-way so we had to do some fancy driving to get to the far end of the street so we could drive all the way down the street in town.  

We drove around a bit and even down the main street and actually was heading out of town without getting out of our car when I saw the produce market.  I had been wanting to get some "local" sweet potatoes ever since we had left Myrtle Beach several days earlier.  So we stopped.  By the time we left, we had 40 lbs of sweet potatoes, several varieties of local apples for 70 cents/lb  (even honeycrisp), a bunch of bananas, smoked ham slices, and 3 pumpkins.  

After talking to a couple of people at the produce market, we realized we had to go back "into town" and enjoy their famous pork chop sandwich at the Snappy Lunch. (It was really good and very reasonably priced.) The walls were full of memorabilia.  Andy would often come there for lunch when he was in school before the school had a cafeteria. In an early episode of the Andy Griffith Show, Andy tells Barney they should go get lunch at the Snappy Lunch making it the only actual place in Mount Airy referred to in the show.  Next door is Floyd's Barber Shop and next to it was Opie's Candy Shop.

Here are some of the sites around the city.

The side of a building off Main Street.

Pretty flowers on one corner.

Andy Griffith's home that is now available as lodging.  They hang a sign outside asking to respect the guests privacy when it is occupied.

On the other side of Andy Griffith's Museum is the separate Playhouse.

Just a house I liked.

At the Snappy Lunch I saw a hanging kitchen towel for sale that I decided I wanted to make when I got home. I usually make them with a crochet top for hanging but liked the idea of the double towel.  It was very easy and fast to make. 

I had this set of two hot pads and 1 towel that I bought several years ago and just hadn't done anything with it.

I folded the towel in half with right sides together and pressed it with the iron.  

I wanted a "line" to follow to sew a gathering thread.

I drew a line in the middle of the hot pad with a marking pen.  I also marked the line dividing it into fourths.

I  divided the towel into fourths by folding it in half and then folding the sides to the middle.  (I marked the points with pins.) 
((The picture is distorted because I took the picture from the side instead of over the top.))

I pulled the gathering thread and with the right side of the towel facing the right side of the hot pad matched the (quarter)pins with the dots on the line on the hot pad.  Evenly spreading the gathers, I pinned the towel across the hot pad and sewed the towel onto the hot pad.

Top half of the towel turned down over stitching.

I sewed a large button on the front of the hot pad. (end without the loop).  

Bring the loop on the hot pad over to "button" the button which allows it to hang over the oven door handle.

We ended up spending about 2 hours in Mount Airy.  It was one of those "side-trips" that you take almost on a whim that turns out to be one of the memorable times of your trip.

UPDATE:  On Saturday, I made a new hanging kitchen towel to have up for Valentine's Day.  I actually bought the two hot pads to make two for Christmas, but didn't get around to them. 

I had a towel left over from last year when I made my plastic bag holder and so I decided to use it with one of the red hot pad. Tutorial HERE.

Before.....

and after.....

and hanging....