A Trip to the Rhododendron Gardens

The day turned out to be so perfect, so...blue sky...that we decided it would be a perfect day to have a family outing. So we loaded up Shanna's family and took them to Roan Mountain for the day. Although we had taken them to the top of the mountain before, this was the first time they had been to the gardens, and it was also the first time for Keith, too.

The weather was absolutely perfect, and we had a great time tooling around the gardens, exploring the different paths, and taking pics of everything we saw, no matter how minute.

 

As a result, I have dozens and dozens of pics in my phone, most of them taken by a snap-happy Shanna, however, I won't post but a couple here....these being the ones that touched my heart the most.

This one event, I have to share....the biggest dog any of us have ever seen. He was so huge, we could have ridden him, much less little Keith, but the lady who owned him was kind enough to allow us to take a pic of Keith on his back. The dog was a gentle giant, and didn't seem to mind a bit. Lucky for us...he could have eaten us all and had room for dessert.

I had pulled a thigh muscle the week before, and was having a terrible time trying to pick up that leg, which in turn produced a highly attractive hobbling effect every time I walked. After a week of cold packs and muscle relaxers, a walk through the woods was looking awfully good, and my mother-in-law most generously donated the cane for the day.

 

It helped. A lot. And I really appreciated her forethought. As a matter of fact, it became part of my daily wardrobe after that, for about a week.

It was so good to see Keith enjoying the time he got to spend bonding with all of us. I know how much it meant to us to have that precious time, and it was a great day

to do it....one that will be remembered and cherished for a long, long time to come.

Twisting Falls...

Saturday morning dawned bright, if not clear, and Alan and I decided it was a good day to go exploring. So, we packed up the thermos and travel mugs (have coffee, will travel....it's a MUST for us) and headed out. Today's adventure was brought to you by...we haven't a clue, let's flip for it. But I suddenly remembered that I'd wanted to try to find Twisting Falls since I'd been up here, and had never succeeded. That decided it...Twisting Falls, it was.

Situated on the Elk River, almost at the TN/NC state line, the falls are reputed to be a

favored... but extremely dangerous...hangout with the younger crowd. Rumor has it that people are wont to go OVER the falls (a thought I could not conceive of ANYONE in their right mind attempting to do so), resulting in injury (huh...imagine that) and even a death or two. The story was that it was so isolated, and in such a hard to reach place, that it was very difficult for rescue workers to access it....even in a chopper.

Duly warned, we decided to go exploring anyway. We, after all, have the sense God gave us, and would never attempt such an asinine feat, so there should be no danger to us at all.

Our first mistake was assuming that the falls themselves were the only danger. Our first challenge, however, was finding the place, which took a lot of luck and searching on the internet before directions good enough to get us there could be found. Eventually, we did find them, and after printing them out, we were off, coffee in hand.

By the time we had actually gotten on the road, however, the sky had started clearing a bit, and we felt exhilarated by spending a sunny Saturday in such a wonderful pursuit...it has become heaven to us to explore all the natural beauty that surrounds us here.

It took us about 45 minutes of highway travel, and another 15 minutes of following pig-trails before we found the right 'old barn' the unmarked trailhead was across the road from, but we finally arrived, reasonably sure we'd located the place. You'd think that a place so well-known locally would have signs posted at the very least. Silly us for thinking like a tourist.

The trail started out innocently enough, winding through a very pretty patch of woods and down a long graveled path, eventually coming out onto a bluff overlooking a long valley. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have taken a picture, but there happened to be a very inconveniently placed power line blocking the view, so I set about trying to figure out what to do next, instead.

It seemed at first glance that we had gotten the wrong trail, after all. But on closer inspection, we found that the trail did indeed continue

on....straight down a steep gully. And when I say steep....I am not exaggerating. This thing was almost vertical. Still, like idiots, we decided to press onward, not content to let our quest for the treasure die there.

Alan went first, carefully threading his way down the gully, stopping halfway down to take my travel mug (yes, like true idiots, we still had them with us). Then it was my turn. Any of you who know me in person know that the word 'klutz' was invented for me, so this was going to prove to be a very interesting experiment in gravity, at the very least...but I did manage to struggle down, mostly sliding on my shoes, with only one minor butt-slide resulting in a red-dirt smear across my backside. All things considered, I was pleased. "Carry on," I said, smugly. And carry on, we did.

All the way down the half-mile or more gully, picking our way through tree roots, dense foliage, and rock slides, until we finally found ourselves at the bottom, having fetched up in a deeply forested patch at the river's edge. Stopping for a moment to catch our breaths and gulp some coffee to bolster ourselves, we trudged on down the path, across monumental boulders (some very slick) to finally....finally...come out within earshot of the falls.

A few more minutes had us near the base of the falls, but there was no way to get closer without climbing sheer walls or getting wet....something we had not come prepared to do...so we backed off, found a nice boulder that the top was easily accessible to, and copped a squat for the duration.

During the time we were down there, we witnessed several groups of young people...teenagers, mostly....skipping and prancing by in their swimming attire and apparently bursting at the seams with tons of energy. We'd see them go giggling past, disappear up the path, and come out by the pool at the base of the lower falls, where they'd dive in, cross to the far side, and climb up the bank to the upper pool. One daredevil sat down and slid over the edge, riding the lower falls all the way down like a big slide! It became immediately clear how the falls' dangerous reputation had been formed. Further up, it appeared that someone had at one time attached a rope to the top of the upper

falls, and it was now being put to good use, with the kids using it to swing far out over the upper pool, before letting go and dumping unceremoniously in the water below.

A small cloud came over us, dumping a few sprinkles while we finished our by now-cold coffee, and we decided it was time to start making our way back up the long, steep ravine we'd all but slid down...but as we got up, we noticed that Mother Nature had beaten us to the punch; the sky was black as pitch farther down the river...and heading our way with a vengeance.

We didn't make it to the bottom of the ravine, before the bottom fell out, and we soon found our gully turning into an outright river, funnelling mud and rocks to the bottom with a vengeance. The youngsters passed us, bolting up the hill like mountain goats, while we, already soaking wet in our heavy jeans and sneakers, struggled up the hill, getting wetter and muddier by the minute.

We lost count of how long we labored up that hill, but even though there were a few scary moments, we were lucky enough to make it to the top without any major mishaps. Both of us had to stanch the overwhelming desire to fall to our knees and kiss the ground in thanksgiving, though; it was still a hike to get back to the car.

We were very fortunate that I always carry a tarp in the truck, in case I need to tie down a load; it came in handy to cover the seats so we could plop our soaking wet carcasses down, and do our best to not freeze to death before we could get to a hot shower and dry clothes.

We laughed like goons all the way home.

A Wedding...

This evening, I saw my beautiful niece, Alaina wed her dashing, handsome groom-the father of her son, Brayden-Hassan. They've been together for several years, and finally last year, decided to tie the knot. We couldn't have been happier. They make such a lovely couple, and it seems...to me, at least....that they've weathered a lot of the hard stuff already. Maybe that means that it will be relatively smooth sailing for them from here on out. We'll pray for that for them, anyway.Shanna and I left with Keith and headed down Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with Jessica and Katrina.Since the wedding was Friday night, and it was to be held in north GA, we figured we might as well stay with them and get in some quality visitingtime in the process.

We arrived early enough to unload, grab a shower, get gussied up, drive another hour and still find the wedding site with 15 minutes to spare. We were very proud of ourselves.

The wedding was held at a beautiful resort, which caters to weddings, close to Dahlonega in the north GA mountains. Nestled back in

the trees, a beautiful gazebo sits in the center of a small clearing. This was where the ceremony was held, officiated by one of the pastors of our chur

ch, who also heads the children's church....and who coincidentally now happens to be Alaina's boss. Pretty cool.

The reception dinner was held immediately after, at a reception hall on the property, a little farther down the road. Beautiful meal, beautiful decorations, beautiful people!

Much music and dancing to be had by all.... including the wee ones. And when the time came for Alaina to throw the bouquet....the highlight of the evening to most present was when my mother joined the single ladies waiting for a chance to catch the bouquet!

She didn't quite make it, though....she was edged out by the taller girl standing next to her...a former roommate of Alaina's.

The party wound down around 11pm, and

Shanna and I left for the long drive back to Jes's, where we slept late the next morning, and basically became slugs until Sunday morning, when we left to come home.

The visit with the girls was awesome, and we had the best time watching scary movies after the kids went to bed!

A great weekend spent with my girls, and one that probably won't get to be repeated anytime soon.

Happy Birthday to me...

Today is my 47th birthday. Not such a big deal...but then, it kinda is. I am now the same age (minus two months) as my mother was when she left this earth. And it kinda changes your perspective to know that by the end of the year, I will have lived longer, seen more, experienced more...than she ever would.

In honor of this, I want to include a quote from my favorite series that discusses exactly this same thing....


The Fiery Cross
(c) 2001 by Diana Gabaldon
HC edition, pg. 558
Chapter 58 Happy Birthday to you



"Do ye ever think—" he began, and then broke off. "Think what?" I bent and
kissed his chest, arching my back to encourage him to rub it, which he did.
"Well . . . I'm no so sure I can explain, but it's struck me that now I have
lived longer than my father did—which is not something I expected to happen," he
added, with faint wryness. "It's only . . . well, it seems odd, is all. I only
wondered, did ye ever think of that, yourself—having lost your mother young, I
mean?"

"Yes." My face was buried in his chest, my voice muffled in the folds of his
shirt. "I used to—when I was younger. Like going on a journey without a map."
His hand on my back paused for a moment. "Aye, that's it." He sounded a little
surprised. "I kent more or less what it would be like to be a man of thirty, or
of forty—but now what?" His chest moved briefly, with a small noise that might
have been a mixture of amusement and puzzlement. "You invent yourself," I said
softly, to the shadows inside the hair that had fallen over my face. "You look
at other women—or men; you try on their lives for size. You take what you can
use, and you look inside yourself for what you can't find elsewhere. And always
. . . always . . . you wonder if you're doing it right."

His hand was warm and heavy on my back. He felt the tears that ran unexpectedly
from the corners of my eyes to dampen his shirt, and his other hand came up to
touch my head and smooth my hair. "Aye, that's it," he said again, very softly.
The camp was beginning to stir outside, with clangings and thumps, and the
hoarse sound of sleep-rough voices. Overhead, the grasshopper began to chirp,
the sound like someone scratching a nail on a copper pot.

"This is a morning my father never saw," Jamie said, still so softly that I
heard it as much through the walls of his chest, as with my ears. "The world and
each day in it is a gift, mo chridhe—no matter what tomorrow may be."

At last...

Today...at long last...I finally got to take my baby to Roan Mountain. The summit of Round Bald, to be exact. Holy ground for me...the place where I feel closest to God on this earth.

Ever since I set foot on this place last year, my one desire has been to bring Alan to share this incredible place, and it seems as though we've been thwarted at every turn, ever since he got home. This morning, we finally got the chance to go.

We left early in the morning, complete with full travel mugs and a thermos full of fresh brewed coffee. The air was chill and there was a stiff breeze, but there was not a cloud in the sky, and we bundled up well before heading out.

Although there were quite a few cars in the parking lot, the place was fairly deserted, and we saw no other hikers on our way to the summit. Once up there, though, we did notice a couple who were striking their tent not far from my Rock Circle, and although we had to share the space briefly, they soon left us to our peace. And peace it was....there is nothing like standing at the summit of the world to appreciate the gift our creator has given us.

After a long while, spent sharing with each other, and just being in awe of the place, we headed down through the woods, exploring as we went. There are several places where we ventured off the beaten path, and found wonderful places to just simply be. One of those places was a grove of old oaks, still stripped of greenery from the winter, one of which had a low branch that grew out horizontally from the ground within an easy climb. We promptly made use of this natural bench, and sat for another long while, enjoying the remnants of our coffee and absorbing the total quiet and the magnificent view, safe in our cocoon of solitude, knowing that we would not be disturbed. It was bliss.

All in all, we had an absolutely perfect morning, one which I'm sure will often be repeated in the coming years...which suits me to a T. I can't think of a more perfect place to spend time recapturing my sanity from the hectic weeks I spend at the office....and more importantly, reconnecting with my other half.

Old Friends, New Friends...Dear Friends

This past weekend was, of course, Easter weekend. It's always this time of year...Spring Break... that I get to head to Kinston, NC to visit my very dear friends, Bonnie and Scott. I've mentioned them quite a few times in this blog, already. But this visit was special for different reasons. First, this year, since Alan is home now, they decided to come see US instead of the other way around. Second, this was their first trip to the Ridge, so it gave us a great opportunity to show it off. And third, of course, was the fact that after so many years...they'd finally get the chance to meet my husband.

All went incredibly well...the weather was perfect, and stayed stunningly beautiful all weekend. They arrived on Friday afternoon, just in time to savor one of my Mother-In-Law's wonderfully tasty homemade soups. Saturday was spent cruising around town, shopping at the flea market and eating a positively gluttonous meal at my favorite local restaurant...a place called Fatz (for good reason, I might add...yumm!). Sunday morning, Alan and I went and ate breakfast with our neighbors at the church while Scott and Bonnie slept in, and then we all headed for the Blue Hole. Since Alan and I had just been there recently, I knew it would be in good shape for a visit...the same can still not be said for places like Roan Mtn. (still under snow) or Backbone Rock, which really needs to be driven to after the leaves come out so the cool, foresty drive there can be enjoyed to the fullest. Most of the trees up here are hardwoods, and still devoid of their leaves, although to be fair many of them are now finally starting to bud and bloom, thank goodness. (I'm so everlastingly sick of everything looking dead...bring on Spring, already!) Regardless...the Blue Hole is very close to home, and never fails to impress, regardless of the season, and this time was no exception. They loved it, and so did we...again. And the best part of it...? Since we weren't alone this time, we had someone to take pics...finally! So now, at long last, we have a few of us...together.

One Month In...

It has now been a little over a month since Alan came home. I would have posted sooner, but I have been lost in the miracle of simply existing in the same world as my other half. I can not describe the simple joy of getting out of the shower in the morning and hearing the coffee grinder, knowing who's operating it...or whose idea it was to get one in the first place. Or the love that grips my heart every time I open my lunch bag to reveal a lovingly crafted sandwich....or the random texts that I now have the honor and privilege of receiving...something the rest of the world takes for granted, I'm sure....but we never will.

All has not been letter-perfect....this is the real world we're talking about, after all. We knew there would be minor adjustments here and there...we expected them. And there have been. But they have been so minor, compared to the vastness of what we've conquored, they barely even register. Here one minute... gone the next. As they should be.

Last weekend, it finally appeared as though we'd get to start adventuring a bit. It's either been snowing, raining, or bitterly cold ever since he came home. A couple of weeks ago, an attempt to go to Roan Mtn. had to be aborted due to the two feet of snow still at the top, which obliterated all trails. We were not about to plow through that, so we took a pic in the parking lot and abandoned the attempt for a warmer, less snow-covered day. A break in the clouds (and the temps) last weekend sent us on a drive, where we ended up at the Blue Hole...one of my favorite spots up here that I've mentioned before. After climbing down to the bottom, we must have sat on the boulders and just soaked it all in for over an hour. We were alone, thank goodness...nothing to break the solitude. And he was amazed, just as I knew he would be when I first found this incredible spot where time just seems to stand still. The utter peace that surrounds you here is a balm to the weary soul, and its effect on him was fairly evident in the pic I snapped while watching him soak it up. Being able to experience it all over again through his eyes brought tears to mine, and it was such a rare and special time for both of us, I'll never forget it.

Pure magic...in its purest form.