I made a much needed break from home for the weekend, and took wife and kids to Banner Elk, North Carolina. It’s cold, and the leaves are off, of course. But it still has its own sort of beauty this time of the year. Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, almost to Blowing Rock, we took Boone Fork Trail beside a partially frozen creek. Lovely. Not a very long hike, but that was fine for today. It was enough for Kim to break in her new boots, at the very least. And then, we followed it up with a visit to Blowing Rock Brewing Company, where we had a fairly peaceful…