Catching up!

Out of the blue! A great old saying. Sometimes the best things in life come just that way, out of the blue! I received an email several days ago from a friend to whom I haven't spoken in months asking if I was still alive and functioning as I had not updated my blog for some time. He reminded me that every time he checked back I was still shown building my fire pit. (The fire pit has long since been finished and used several times with great results.) He understood perfectly my reasons for not writing. Just being busy with "stuff" in general. Ailing parents, new grandson, work, trying to work on projects around the mountain home that we so much enjoy. He did inspire me to get back to writing so thanks T.J.

Since my last posting in October of 2009 a lot has happened. I'll try not to bog down with too much details but just the highlights to bring us up to present.

First of all I had what I consider to be the best Christmas of my life. It was my first "White Christmas". It was my grandson's first Christmas period. It was our first Christmas morning at Bear Bottom. Our son Jonathan, our lovely daughter-in-law, Bailey, grandson Emrick and granddog Bristol spent Christmas with us this year. What a Christmas!!! It started to snow the Friday before Christmas and Jonathan, Bailey and Emrick along with Bristol, the dog, arrived at Bear Bottom that Sunday. They had to hike in to the house as the four-wheeler would only make it half-way due to the deep snow. We had over 16 inches and more in drifts along the driveway. By the time we arrived a couple of days before Christmas our kind and generous neighbors had plowed out the driveway so that the four-wheeler was able to make the trip up and back. That four-wheeler would prove to be our best friend over the next few months as snow continued to come down and stayed on the ground through mid-March 2010. We arrived in time to enjoy all the snow and even ventured into town to the grocery store and a meal out with our little family before Sparta closed down for the holiday.

Bailey cooked Shrimp and Grits (Susan's favorite dish) for Christmas Eve dinner. Brownie points were definitely earned. It was fantastic. I put in these pictures just to prove to the doubting Thomas' that she really does cook even though she claims she can't. Don't let her fool you. She's a good cook. Sweet and beautiful to boot. Jonathan did good.

Christmas morning Santa had arrived amid all the snow and ice and we were all excited to see what Santa had brought. My favorite images are the beautiful white snow and little Emrick lying on the black bear rug Santa brought for him. We weathered the Christmas Day ice storm cooking our standing rib roast and hoping that the power would stay on. It did and dinner was wonderful. Emrick enjoyed chewing the paper as much as opening and enjoying his gifts. What a wonderful day. Susan and I stayed through New Years although the kids left us the Sunday after Christmas.

What a great Christmas.

We came up several times in January and February and I made the trip alone a couple of times while Susan spent some time with her mom who fell and broke her hip in early February. She is healing nicely and getting around without a cane these days.

I came up alone in mid-March (12-14) and the snow was mostly gone. At least the driveway was clear. This was the first time I had driven up the driveway since before Christmas. Max and I finally got out to survey all the tree damage from the snow and ice. Lot's of limbs down but no real damage.

I brought my parents up in late March (25-28) while Susan attended a meeting and visited her mom. Dad helped me work on the pantry cabinet that I have been planning since moving in.

Susan and I spent Easter weekend, April 2-4, cutting and hauling limbs to our burn pile.

In late April (19-25) Susan had a meeting in Kentucky so we broke up the trip and overnighted at Bear Bottom. After her meeting we drove back to Bear Bottom and spent the balance of the week and weekend planting the rest of the daffodil bulbs. Put out shrubs we had purchased and planted several trees I had dug up and brought from home. Also transplated some forsythia, "Yellow Bell", that our neighbors had shared with us. We also worked on the pantry/bookcase cabinet.

Our 26th anniversary was April 28th but since we had been at Bear Bottom the previous week we didn't come up until the 29 and stayed until Sunday, May 2nd.

Our good friends Franklin and Aliene joined us the weekend of May 21-23. We acheived one of our long-time goals; hiking to the Caudill cabin at the base of Wildcat Rocks below Doughton Park. We drove 40 minutes to Longbottom Road off of Hwy 18 and hiked the nearly 10 miles round trip from the trail head to the cabin and back. We ate a tasty lunch in the cabin that Aliene had prepared. Chicken salad on pitas and banana nut muffins with chocolate chips. The Sparkman's are much more active than us hiking and mountain biking. While we hike SOME this was our longest hike of record. We made huffing and puffing and were extremely proud of ourselves. We lived to tell the tale. It was a great weekend.

We were back Memorial Day weekend doing some chores around the house including a coat of roof sealer.

Father's Day was very special this year. Jonathan, Bailey and Emrick were here. They actually came up with Bristol a couple of days earlier. Laura Lee and David, our wonderful neighbors, joined us for steaks on Saturday night. Father's Day the girls took us to the Bluff's Lodge Restaurant for breakfast. It was very special having both my son and my grandson with me. Words can never express it and I only hope my son realizes how very special that weekend was for me. I am so proud of him and his family.

Hope this gets me caught up without boring you, dear reader, to tears. I'll cover our great July 4th weekend next.

LIVE IT OR WRITE ABOUT IT!

I realize that I haven't written since late August. Not that there hasn't been plenty to write about. Quite the contrary. There has been too much to write about. Too busy living life to write about it. I guess we make time for what is most important but of late between work and family there has been little time for much else. Since I write this for my own enjoyment I guess I shouldn't put such expectations on myself to write on a schedule. Not expecting things from, or behavior of, people is something I'm working on. A lesson I recently learned from a new friend.

I started this blog to help me keep track of our experiences and to share with our grandson, Emrick. Over the past couple of months we have made it to Bear Bottom several times and had the pleasure of spending time with good friends and family.

Over Labor Day weekend Susan's brothers and their families camped at Doughton Park campground on the BRP and we shared many good times both at the campground and at our place. Lots of great food and laughter. We hiked and sat around the campfire including a few hours spent around our latest addtion at Bear Bottom, a new fire pit.

Susan and I found some stones to get started and my brothers-in-law hauled in a few more to complete the circle. It was a real family affair and we all enjoyed the marshmellows roasted by Madison and Austin.

We've used the pit several times and are looking forward to many more.

We scheduled a week's vacation at Bear Bottom in mid-September but due to work issues and an ailing mother we had to break up the week. Susan had business that took her to Kentucky and I headed back home to handle some problems at work and to check on my mother who was hospitalized for a few days. (She is better now and improving daily.) At the end of that week we had the pleasure of being joined by our friends Franklin & Aliene and Bob & Debbie. Luckily our weekend coincided with Sparta's Mountain Heritage Festival on Saturday, September 19. The weather was gloomy but the festival was great. We were even able to fit in a hike to the waterfall on Waterfall Road. I can't believe we've had our place for nearly a year located less than three miles from the waterfall and haven't made the trek before now. The hike was pleasant and even though the weather was gloomy it was great sharing it with our friends.

The waterfall was certainly worth the hike. Can't wait to see it in the fall with the leaves changing.

Franklin took this photo. Left to right, that's me, Susan, Debbie, Bob, Aliene and Franklin.

Although it rained most of the weekend, we had a great time visiting and eating and sharing some great wines.

We missed a couple of weekends due to other commitments but made it back in time to see the fall leaves beginning to change. This is one of the reasons we bought our place in the valley. The surrounding views of the mountains and the peacful quiet. We had a wonderful time this past weekend when Jonathan, Bailey and Emrick came to stay with us. They brought their friends Derek and Rebecca who were delightful company.

We played games and hiked and enjoyed sitting by the fire. The boys were a great help with some projects around the place. They helped me finish the woodshed and even planted our new spruce tree.

Emrick is growing and changing so fast. He is becoming quite the little man. Susan and I thouroughly enjoyed being grandparents this weekend, showing Emrick around on his first visit and can't wait until he can get out on his own with his Poppy and Grammy Sue and hike alongside us. Of course the kids are always welcome.

We'll be back this weekend to enjoy more of that great Allegheny County spirit. Maybe we'll see you there. The weatherman says it's going to be cold so the fire pit will probably be lit. Stop by and see us. Bring your marshmellows.

Family Time

We're all doing it every day and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Some people try to slow it down with medication or alteration but it just keeps on going. Some people think the alternative might be an improvement, but for me that would be the last resort, and I certainly want to hold on as long as possible. Provided, of course, that I still have my health and mental faculties.

Getting older. We're all doing it.

Being with aging parents and a brand new grandson over the past few weeks got me to thinking about families and how very important they all are. Our families define us whether we want them to or not. Voluntarily or involuntarily. We are bits and pieces of our families. Both genetically and hereditarily and even behaviorally. (Forgive me Mr. Webster.)

We celebrated my mother-in-laws 85th birthday the first weekend in August. We spent the weekend at my brother-in-laws home in Florence, SC. Emrick came and brought his mom and dad. What a thrill to see the generations combining and intertwining. The young and the old and the in-between. We had a blast taking "mom" out to one of those Japanese steak houses and being together as a family. All of her kids and most of the grand kids were there. She really enjoyed herself. Sunday was a more toned down, at home day. My sister-in-law baked some ziti and we had a wonderful day before everyone had to depart and head bake to our respective homes.


This past weekend we spent at Bear Bottom with my mom and dad who are 80 and 79 respectively. Just simple, country folk. Not worldly but good, god-fearing people. I guess they are part of the reason I love the mountains so much. We have camped here together as a family, my mom, dad, older brother and me, since I was about 3 and much of that time was spent in the mountains. My dad never cared for the beach so we always headed to the mountains of North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkway was generally our destination. We spent many happy weekends at Julian Price Park near Boone and Doughton Park near Sparta camping together as a family. We never had much money, but I don't consider myself having grown up poor either. I was lucky enough to have a mother at home growing up. Only my dad worked outside the home. Nowadays that is more of a luxury. It takes both parents working just to make ends meet and enjoy some of the niceties of modern life. Nice home, cars, good food and an occasional vacation.




As a sidebar, Susan finally got her wish. David, our neighbor and groundskeeper, gave Susan some pointers on using his mower (left) and then allowed her to cut our grass at Bear Bottom last weekend. She was in "hog heaven" and had a ball.

Thanks David!




As I get older I recognize how great we really had it. My dad was a cabinet maker, good with wood and his hands, and actually built several truck campers that we camped in. I remember him spending many long hours in our basement, building and working on our camper so that we could spend time together as a family. Not expensive but adequate and comfortable and our gateway to adventure. Gas was cheap back then and camping fees were minimal so a weekend in the mountains was almost as cheap as just staying home. Certainly a lot more fun for a growing boy with no grass to mow. No garden to weed or pick. No chores. Just being a kid and having fun with my family. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of family times on our weekend camping trips.

Now our son has a family and I see his life was influenced by his childhood with us. It started with just a wife. Bailey is beautiful. Internally as well as externally. She is a delight to us all and a perfect partner for our Jonathan. And now they have completed the circle to include the latest addition to our family, our grandson, Emrick. What a joy. I just received this photo of him as he celebrated his first month among us. He is quite a little man and we hope to see him in person soon. They are starting traditions of their own and making their own memories but it is pleasing for a parent to see some of your influence on your children. Jonathan takes after me in that he loves to cook. I have done the majority of the cooking in our home for as long as we've been a family. Susan never cared for it and I did, so there you are. She works hard caring for our home and keeping us clothed in clean garments and she even cuts the grass, so the least I can do is feed her well. Besides, I like to cook. We think it a perfect partnership. Jonathan and Bailey like to camp and they love the outdoors. Hiking, biking, walking their dog. More influences carried over to the next generation of family. I can only hope and anticipate that Emrick will grow up and enjoy many of the same activities that his parents enjoy and that his Poppy will be there to help him explore the joys of hiking in the woods and starting a "one match" campfire and roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. More family traditions. Life is good. I hope I am blessed with many years to enjoy his coming up as our parents have been.

I occasionally hear people talk about their families like it was a bad night-time soap opera. Always drama and bad-mouthing a family member. Or putting some family member down. Or complaining about someone like they were strangers and not family. I wish they could experience what we have. It would put a whole different perspective on family. But I do understand the attitude. As the saying goes you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. No choice there. You're stuck with your family. I hope you got stuck with a good one.

I don't mean to imply that we don't fight or argue or don't have rough patches occasionally, after all we ARE family. We almost never agree on everything. That would be boring and stagnant. We have differing views on almost everything. Differing tastes. Differing likes and dislikes and yet we are very much the same to some degree. That's the family part. No matter how much we are different we are a little bit the same.

Deep down, always and forevermore, we are family. For that, I am truly thankful. God bless my family.

Better late than never!

Here we are heading into another weekend and I am just writing about LAST weekend.

Oh well, better late than never!

Sort of my mantra. Better late than never. For me I guess it means that even though I may not say it today, or do it today, or think it today, I will eventually and even later is better than not saying or doing or thinking at all. So many times we let things get past us and we don't do or say something about it because we think too much time has passed. Little things, like someone drops off a gift or remembrance, doesn't have to be big, maybe just a home-grown tomato from the garden, and we don't see the gift-giver for several days, or weeks, and we keep forgetting to call or drop them a note until maybe days, or weeks, or even months have passed and we feel it has been too long to say ANYTHING so we say NOTHING. There is NO statute of limitations for saying thank you or how much you appreciated the gesture, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to others. It meant something to you so you MUST say something. That keeps us human and in touch with each other. It also lets the giver know you received the token and that it was appreciated. No matter how far down the road. It's never too late. It's better than never.

Last weekend was the first weekend we had been at Bear Bottom by ourselves for the weekend since early June. Actually we haven't even been up hear at all since the end of June if you don't count a brief stopover of just a couple hours to check on the place on Sunday, July 5th. We missed it. A lot! We got in Friday night in time to enjoy the last rays of sun coming over the mountain. I think that's our favorite time of the day. Late in the evening just before sundown. Better late than never!

Saturday morning was wonderful. Made breakfast of sausage, biscuits and jelly and coffe. What we had in the house. Finally decided to head into town for some light groceries and to check out the Mountain Heritage Fair we had heard was going on at Crouse Park. We had never been to Crouse Park although we understand someone is down there playing music just about every weekend. Oh well, better late than never!

On our way into town we stopped at a little antique shop we have not been able to catch open since we've been coming up here before Thanksgiving of last year. The nice lady said she has a regular job during the week and only opens for a few hours on the weekends. That explains why we never see her open. Timing. Better late than never. We found an old chest of drawers for a reasonable price and told her we would be back to purchase it after running some errands in town. It will be perfect in our guest bedroom so finally our friends won't have to live out of a suitcase all weekend when they visit. Oh well, better late than never!

On to downtown Sparta. We visited a great gallery on Main Street with all local artist and the Books N Friends Used Book Store store next door. Then we had lunch next door at the Sparta Restaurant. Double cheeseburger special for me and the Knockwurst special for Susan. Tasty lunch even though it was nearly 2pm. Oh well, better late than never!

After lunch and a rest we drove over to Crouse Park and found a place to park the car near the vendors. No plans to buy anything but you never know what you'll find when you have craftspeople peddling their wares. We enjoyed walking among the booths and talking to the vendors about their crafts and how things were made and where they were from. Potter from Salisbury, woodworker from Mt. Airy (we bought one of his shelves), rock-hounds from Virginia who had beautiful polished stones from all over the world (Susan loves jewelry so of course I bought her one), wine vineyard (Chateau Laurinda Vineyard located northwest of town where we have not visited but plan to take some friends on their next visit), and a local lady who makes laser cut signs from sheet steel (I got her card and really want a sign for our yard swing welcoming our guests) among others. Everyone was so friendly and interesting. We'll definitely be back to Crouse Park for more music and if we weren't in a rush to get back to the antique store to purchase our earlier find before she closed at 5 we would have stayed a while longer. If we had only gotten there a little earlier. Oh well, better late than never!

We shopped for our meager groceries and still made it to the antique shop before she closed. Paid for and loaded our chest in the car and headed home. We had invited our mountain neighbors, David and Laura Lee to join us for dinner at 6:30. We sometimes go out and sometimes eat in but always enjoy their company. They've had a place here for many years and always have great stories to tell and knowlege of the community that us "newcomers" are hungry for. I did some pre-work on dinner (cooked the potatoes and made the salad) before they arrived so we could visit. We sat on the front porch sipping our drinks of iced tea or wine and sharing pictures of Emrick, our new grandson, and just enjoying the conversation of good friends and the evening air. When I looked at the time we had spent nearly an hour visiting and I still needed to grill the steaks and corn. I'm sure they must be starving. Oh well, better late than never.

We finally sat down to a great meal around 8 and kept waiting for the dinner show. We usually see deer or turkey or something wild in the field in front of our porch but nothing ever materialized. I guess they had the night off. It was a pleasant evening nonetheless and after dessert of peach cobbler topped with peach ice cream (both store bought I must confess) our guests decided to call it a night. Before leaving I "settled up" with David.

I don't think I've mentioned in these posts that David is not only our neighbor but we lovingly refer to him as our "yard man" as well. That's how he introduced himself to us the first time we met him on his mower when we first looked at the property. He has this cool heavy-duty mower which he uses to cut acres and acres of grass for himself, for us and for others. Sometimes as just the neighborly thing to do expecting no compensation in return. We asked him when we moved in about him continuing to cut our grass for us (for remuneration of course) when summer came and he agreed. I think he may have even offered first. It's a very loose arrangement wherein we only pay for the fuel he uses and I sometimes feel guilty about the small amount we are supposed to pay him. The deal is based on handshakes and good neighbor rules. Be kind and it comes back to you. I helped him re-build a porch, he bought us a chicken at the VFW BBQ, and so on. Back and forth. Good neighbors. Well we haven't paid a dime all summer and I was getting antsy about it wanting to be a good neighbor. I know he wasn't concerned. He told us early on how much he loves to mow. He gets to commune with nature, see animals and birds and just be out and about. We finally made our first payment so we are now almost back to even. I couldn't have gone out to dinner on what I paid him. Then he dropped the bombshell on me. Deisel has gone up so be prepared for the increase next time. The increase is about a penny a gallon. He estimates it may take just a few gallons to cut our grass every couple of weeks so my increase amounts to about six cents a month. I hope I can stand it. Maybe at this rate I'll get him paid for the last half of the summer by Christmas. At least I finally got him paid for the first half.

Oh well, better late than never!

Family Time

Is there anything better than the smell of a newborn baby? Maybe to the untrained nose, but to a brand new grandpa it is the sweetest smell of all. Our little Emrick turned 1 week old this past Sunday and my wife's family came up from Florence to celebrate. Susan's brother's and their wives and children all came and brought her mom and dad as well. They are in their mid-eighties and don't drive much anymore except around town to the grocery and the doctor.

Everyone converged on the kids (they're in their 20's/30's and just had a baby but I still refer to them as the kids, or the children) house mid-afternoon Saturday. We had a wonderful time passing Emrick around and talking about him and trying to make him smile and laugh. It was especially touching to see the great-grandparents holding him and talking to him in that special language we all use with babies. Got some great photos. The younger ones were fascinated when it came time for changing diapers. My grandson did not disappoint. He produced a nice healthy dirty diaper complete with scent and substance. How proud can a grandpa be? I will not embarras my grandson further by posting pictures of that particular event although I think I got a really good shot.

We finally decided (it takes a lot to get 12 people to decide where to eat) to head into downtown Greenville for dinner. If you've never been to Main Street in Greenville, SC you must go. Something for everyone. I think you could eat lunch and dinner down there for MONTHS and never eat at the same restaurant twice. We chose Pomegranates On Main. (http://www.pomegranateonmain.com/) One of our favorite restaurants. A friend of mine owns it and they always do a wonderful job taking care of their patrons. Besides, the food is fabulous. They serve traditional Persian food from his homeland. In modern terms, Iranian. Lot's of kabobs. Marinated beef tenderloin, lamb and seafood with lots of mint and feta cheese (and hummus if you like that sort of thing) give the menu great variety. I had the roasted Salmon. Great choice. My niece and nephew had the lamb marinated with mint. Also wonderful. Most all of the dishes are served with a complimenting rice (mine had dill and lima beans) and a roasted tomato. Ground sumac berries (not to be confused with poison sumac found in North America, this sumac bush grows wild in the Mediteranian and is NOT poisonous) are on the tables and is used for flavoring the rice, or anything else you wish to add it to. It has a very lemony, tart taste and compliments the more bland rice. My friend has been in the US for over 30 years and loves this country as if he were born here. I think he probably appreciates the freedoms we take for granted a lot more than natural born citizens because of where he came from. He certainly has a great restaurant and they know how to take care of a hungry crowd. Many of us also enjoyed their signature Pomegranate Martinis and finished the meal off with homemade Pomegranate Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and homemade lemon poundcake. The owner's wife makes the cakes and they are FANTASTIC!

After dinner we took the younger kids (and some of us older ones too) by a little candy store a few doors down where we purchased memories. Remember Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Janes, Kits, Candy Cigarettes, edible candy necklaces? They had lots of memories for sale. By the pound or by the box. Complete with all the calories. Then a walk down to Reedy Creek Park to see the bridge and the falls and take in the wonderful weather. What a perfect night to enjoy your family - all together. I'm pretty sure God was smiling down on us. Home to rest little Emrick. It's been a busy day.

Sunday morning after a continental breakfast at the hotel we were back to say hello and goodbye to Emrick and his mom and dad. The Florence contingent left around 11:30 but Susan and I stayed on for a while longer and treated the little family to a Mexican lunch at one of favorite local spots. After a couple of small chores (I repaired a problem door latch and helped wash Bristol, the "granddog", as his mommy is otherwise engaged with the new human baby) we were able to pry ourselves away from that cute little face with promises that pictures would be posted on blogs and Facebook pages DAILY!

OK, I'll settle for a new picture once a week, but no less. Don't make Poppy drive over there just to get a picture because you know I will.

While we were visiting with the family and our new grandson some friends were staying at our place in Sparta. They called on Sunday evening just to let us know how much they were enjoying the peace and quiet and watching the wildlife. They love to bike and had spent the day riding part of the New River Trail near Galax. They said they had just left The Bluffs Restaurant having enjoyed the heavenly fried chicken and were taking in a leisurely drive down the BRP before heading back down to Bear Bottom. Needless to say we were jealous, but that's ok; we'll be there this weekend. Can't wait. BB here we come. Get the fried chicken ready!

New Beginnnings

A lot has happened since my last post. My wife and I went camping over July 4th at Julian Price Park on the BRP near Boone with my mom and dad, my wife's two brothers, one sister-in-law, two nephews and one niece. We had a wonderful time. Great weather and great family time. We hiked, ate, relaxed and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a great way to spend such a wonderful holiday celebrating the freedoms that we all sometimes take for granted.

This past weekend we spent at Greenville Memorial Hospital. Our wonderful son and beautiful daughter-in-law had a precious baby boy on Sunday night. On Friday at the weekly doctor visit the doctor and mom decided to induce labor on Saturday as the doctor was on call and the baby was due on Tuesday anyway. It would actually be very convenient for everyone, being a weekend. Bailey's folks are in Mississippi and Louisiana so some driving was ahead for them. We're only 2.5 hours away so we got in Friday night and enjoyed one last dinner as just a foursome. Scheduled to be in the hospital at 6am Saturday the inducement was started around 7am. We spent the day in the labor and delivery room waiting and hoping and hovering. He wasn't quite ready to leave his cozy warm digs so the inducement was stopped around 8pm Saturday so mom (and dad) could get cleaned up, fed (mom had not eaten since Friday night) and rested.

It all started over early Sunday morning and after much anticipation and excited hovering we were able to welcome Emrick Scott Edmonds into our world at 6:28pm. He weighed 8lbs 1oz and measured 20.5 inches long. What a magnificant little man. Both grandmothers were privileged to join mom and dad in the room to witness and help with the delivery. The nurse, Louise, told the grandmothers if they were in the room they had to work. Everyone had a job. It wasn't long after the arrival that we got to join them in the room and hold our precious little bundle. I will never forget that first time how soft he was and how sweet he smelled. Alas, I had to share as other grandparents and friends were in the room.

Over the next couple days the time gets very muddled and mingled. We finally got to bring Emrick home on Tuesday afternoon. The grandmas and I rode together carrying various flowers and items from the four day stay while Jonathan, Bailey and little Emrick, the new family, rode in their car. I sort of held back and let them get home first so they could experience that feeling of going into their house as now three, no longer just two. What a feeling.

Tough leaving but Kathy, the grandmother from Mississippi is staying on a few days to help out. We live closer so I'm sure we'll have plenty of "hands on spoiling" in our future. Can't wait to start. He'll be coming to the mountains to hike and hang out with his Poppy before you know it.

"Doing" Things

What a WONDERFUL weekend in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Allegheny County. After being back at work now for a couple of days my body is finally getting back to a relaxed state. We spent the weekend at Bear Bottom.

Some friends of ours joined us and we "did" things. Not that we don't "do" things normally, just this weekend we did DIFFERENT things. And lots of them. My friends picked me up on Thursday afternoon and we drove up early as my wife (God bless her) had to work on Friday. We stopped in Statesville at The Village Pizza where they have a wonderful buffet. One of those all-you-can-eat jobs complete with salad bar and any kind of pizza imagineable. We were there early so we got to put in our order for the types of Pizza we wanted. After filling our tummies to way past the "full" mark we were back on the road for the last hour of the journey to our mountain retreat. We arrived at Bear Bottom around 6:30, unpacked the car and decided to take a walk around the property. The weather was wonderful. Clear skies and just late enough that evening was beginning to set you up for a peaceful night. I love this time of day. The temperature is beginning to drop a bit and the sky is beginning to change to those beautiful pastel pinks and purples that the mountains are so adept at showing. The birds are busy grabbing the last of the flying insects and worms. The deer are showing themselves for their early evening feed. And we were walking around in the middle of all this activity enjoying every detail. As night fell we watched the stars while sitting on the front porch rockers. What a way to start the weekend.

After breakfast Friday morning we headed into Sparta to do some "in-town" exploring including the Chamber of Commerce, the second hand bookstore, the Gallery and the Sparta Restaurant for lunch. I had the bratwurst with German potato salad and German sauerkraut. Very tasty. After a few more shops we were off to do some light grocery shopping and back to Bear Bottom to prepare dinner. Susan, my wife, arrived around 5:30 and we celebrated our being together with a bottle of champagne that my friends had brought. Dinner on the porch, consisting of marinated and grilled flank steak and corn on the cob, also grilled. Then back into town to take in the Allegheny Community Theatre's production of Allegheny Lives, 1859-2009 at the Sparta School. It was great. Lots of history. We found it fun and educational learning a little about our adopted "second home". Although with no air conditioning, the building was a bit warm with only ceiling fans to circulate the air from the really high ceilings and at times it was a bit hard to hear all the dialogue we still enjoyed ourselves. Hats off to Brad Jenkins and all the people involved. We especially enjoyed the last "act" where locals were put together on stage to literally tell their own version of more recent history through personal recollections and stories.

Saturday morning had us up and moving because today we really had things to "do". After breakfast we headed down Hwy. 18 over into Ashe County for a five mile canoe trip on the New River. Then into West Jefferson to the Ashe County Cheese Factory for some cheese curds. My friends had had them before and wanted us to try them as well as buy some for themselves to take home. Must be an acquired taste. My wife thought they were pretty good so I did purchase some along with some cheddar and blue cheese. Then we went in search for more food. Although it was nearly 2 p.m. lunch was the order of the day considering we hadn't really had anything other than a handful of trail mix while paddling. Some discussion about what to eat and an attempt at another restaurant that had been suggested to us we decided to drive to Shatley springs as they were fairly close by. None of us had ever eaten there although we had heard wonderful things about them. All true. If you haven't been, go hungry. Take your time and don't worry too much about overeating. It's sort of like death and taxes. Its inevitable. Make sure to save room for the blackberry cobbler with ice cream. After a late lunch (or was it an early dinner?) at Shatley Springs we then made our way back The Thistle Meadow Winery on Hwy 18 near Laurel Springs. They closed at 5 and we were cutting it pretty close but really wanted our friends to see it. The people there are always so friendly and gracious. They squeezed us in for a "mini-tasting" and we ended up buying a couple of bottles. We'll definitely be back so we can spend more time and check out the gift shop. Then back to the front porch rockers at Bear Bottom for some wonderful conversation and relaxation and to sample that cheese we had purchased. A full day of activity really tires you out so we were early to bed. We have more things to "do" tomorrow.

Sunday morning found us at the Bluffs Lodge Restaurant shortly after they opened enjoying their mile-high biscuits and gravy among other delights. After a fortifying breakfast we were off on our planned hike along the Bluff Ridge Trail. We hiked to the end at Basin Cove overlook on the BRP from the Doughton Park picnic ground and returned via the same route. Total of about 7 miles round trip. Our friend Aliene had prepared a tasty lunch of turkey and cheddar cheese spread on tortilla wraps along with homemade peanut butter cookies which we ate at the Alligator Back overlook along the trail. We were all so proud of ourselves for having accomplished this feat. We now have confidence that we can make the Caudill Cabin at the base of Wildcat Rocks. That adventure is planned for September. Stay tuned. After the long hike a cooling senic drive down the BRP toward Millers Camping and back to Bear Bottom via Cleary, Air Bellows and Pine Swamp Roads was in order. The windows were down as we drove the shaded mostly dirt and gravel backroads dappled with sunlight while following alongside a cool mountain stream making for a perfect ending to a perfect afternoon. To top the day off we relaxed once again on the porch, rocking our cares away while relaxing our sore legs and feet in a cool bucket of Blue Ridge well water.

Even though it was a full weekend we really hated to see it end. We have a lot of commitments ove the next few weeks so it may be awhile before we can get back. I might even be writing about my new grandson by the time we return. Emrick is scheduled (by the doctors at least) to arrive around July 14. We'll see how well the physicians have done with their estimation. Just be forewarned - pictures will be forthcoming. When we do return we still plan to "do" things but just maybe not so many things in such a short amount of time. I'm exhausted all over again just writing about all the things we "did".