Aren't You Here for the Color?

 Presumably, the fact that you know someone who lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina and given that it is October, you must be here for the color. Friends, I am here to deliver with this post! Along with that, you will attend, albeit virtual, a Pumpkin Chunkin! And an award dinner and more, lots more. Too much more.....

Before we move on to more fun and excitement, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Mannix Vanilla Company that our friends own. In my last post, I wrote about their visit and what I neglected to mention is the fantastic gifts they left us with!! 

You too can have handmade vanilla products if you visit their website. Shipping nationwide is not a problem for these entrepreneurs! I've used it for both some tapioca pudding, and molasses crinkles. It is just wonderful so please check them out if you love supporting small batch creators. 

Finally, after months, electricians came and went with excellent results. In our bedroom there were two excellent fans, but Mr. Peck was not a huge fan of the lights that came with it so they came down. 

I'd purchased black fans months ago and one thing we have learned is that having patience is necessary in a rural area with not nearly enough tradesmen. 

So no more light nor dangling pulls in our future.

Another project was putting a fan on the front porch. They did a super job cutting a hole in the porch ceiling,

and it turns out the fan I selected months ago works nicely.

Wouldn't you know it, just in time for the it to be getting cold and yes, it has gotten much colder, but so far it only lasts for  a few hours in the morning. The warm sun is keeping my tomatoes producing and the strawberry plant is back in action as well.

Let's keep our eye on the broccoli's progress.

Hopefully using the same location as the cucumbers before will be a boon to our fall crop!

Another week, another soccer game that did not end in victory, however the weather was good and the boys played their hearts out! Or heads for that matter. (Grayson in blue shoes)

Laura asked me if I would help with the annual "Paint the Town Fall" event and I was happy to do so.  It turned out to be quite fun as I got to interact with the folks and in some instances take them to their location where they are allowed to paint in a designated section of one of the store-front windows. Got it? It will surprise no one that I took a bunch of photos of the entries, many of which were good. Age categories were used for the judging which I was asked to do as well. Since I am not nearly as organized as my lifelong sweetheart, he came along armed with a clipboard.

But of course, Anna Claire won in her age group. 

The town provided the paints.

Surprisingly there were lots of adults who tried it, wanting to do something out of the ordinary.

Above was really a team effort with two young ladies I encouraged to give it a try. Upon their return to our table they claimed it had been so fun.

Maria, a new intern with the town, came at noon so by 2:00 I was relieved of my duties which meant I have no idea who did this fantastic display.

The one on the left won first place for adults. Lots of small town fun happening around our area including the Punkin Chunkin on Saturday. But before we went to that, we met up with our dear friends Keith and Patty (l), along with his brother Dale and his wife Patty, at the Crown. They are in our area for a vacation.

What a fun time we had. Patty had earlier made a reservation at the Mason Bar to see, what she learned earlier in the day, a very popular band. Fortunately we were a little late and ended up further back which was fine by us because while the band is good.

they are also loud! 

I promised color didn't I? And I gave you electricians. Insert here....a walk along the river.

It's coming!! 

Before we leave downtown, finally the pavers are going in as I type!!

Woo hoo!!

Let's go to "Punkin Chunkin" shall we? 

Never heard of such a thing before? Neither had we so it was really a must for us to check it out. I've mentioned before, well really countless times, how casual life is here and this event was no exception.  Maybe I saw one policeman, but then again maybe not? No bag checks, just pay your $5 and you can freely roam. There are vendors and this adorable bounce house is but one amongst many.

So here's a funny little story, or at least to me it was. At the Mason Bar there was a woman who was dancing the night away by herself. Not a care in the world who was watching, she was having a great time all by herself. Next afternoon, she was doing it again!

So what the heck is a punkin chunkin? Pumpkins are loaded into contraptions and sent high and far in a team competition.

Spectators line the field. 

And pretty much stare into the sky.

There was this cute train for young and old.

All good fun!

Later on Saturday I attended a dinner to recognize area volunteers with the mayor as the emcee. My seat was not ideal for photo taking, but he's the fellow up front.

As you might have imagined the room was full of people of a certain age who have been helping people in any number of ways. Because of Laura, I was recognized as someone who helps out with town events. I felt a little awkward not knowing many folks, but I did have the good fortune to sit with the publisher of our newspaper along with his wife. They began dating nearly as young as me and my honey. 

Sunday, after the church potluck dinner and Bruce's twenty minute nap, we took a drive in the country to look at leaves. Well, actually we drove to David and D'Anna's house because we had been alerted to the fact that with the rain and wind overnight, leaves were falling like mad and if we wanted to see color, we had best get in the car! 

Oh yes please!

Everything was wet which makes the color even more exciting. The temperature was dropping, so instead of our usual porch seats, we chatted indoors, but not before I had to take this shot.

All of a sudden it is getting quite chilly. Yesterday morning we had a plumber over to fix a slow drain so while waiting for that to happen, I took a neighborhood walk and I was thinking that I was glad not to be playing pickleball. Well, today we did play with Keith and Patty and after a few games we thought we might have had enough; fortunately the sun peeped out for a while which helped to keep us playing. And winning.

That said, we've just turned the heat on because the house downstairs is 62 degrees! 

Heat please! 

David and Michelle arrive tomorrow afternoon for their first visit to Murphy and the house on Campbell Street.  We are most excited to show off the little town that we have fallen in love with. I will let you know next week what they thought. Until next Tuesday, 

I remain, your friend,

Gail

An Abundant Life

This time, last week I was on a birding excursion, or walk as Alina called it. While we did walk, and we did see a few birds, we mostly listened to her and wondered if she were making things up. Skepticism has no place in birding, because others are sure of what they saw, so maybe it was just me who was breaking the unwritten rule of not being a skeptic. 

That would be our neighbor Becky in the bright pink shirt who was much better than I was using her binoculars. With my glasses I really struggle.  Not far from this location we did see a sweet little Downy Woodpecker; much easier for me to identify through my camera lens.

Not long thereafter a super exciting spotting occurred:

It was a across the river and while I wish it were me that spotted them, it was not. Further down the river they blended in so well, I imagine we might have missed them had we not been following them so closely.

Along the same stretch we did spot a  male Kingfisher. And how do I know it is a male you ask? Alina told me so! 

At the confluence of the two rivers, I left the group to head home. With the quiet and the tree canopy much lower I did finally spot a few birds. Do you see the little Tufted Titmouse?

Now you get the notion that it is darn hard to find tiny birds when they are forty feet in the air and flitting from branch to branch. I have to warn you that this post is going to be loaded with photos so I hesitate to add this, but what the heck, here goes. Where's the bird?

Indeed.

Another day Bruce was mowing at the cemetery and since he left his phone at home I walked over to give it to him. Not that he was going to be chatting or anything, but we have been waiting on a call from yet another electrician. 

Naturally I could not resist putting my camera to use and so when I spotted this bit of color well, I did what I do.

Not really paying much attention to the marker so much as the photo composition at the time, it pleased me to no end to see that it was the gravesite of the Fain family. What's up with that you ask? Well, just the week before we bought a print from a local artist named Annie Fain who is part of a family of creative people. These folks were her great-great grandparents! 

It may have been that same day that we did a little thrifting and when we walked into one of them, I spotted a framed art piece and thought the frame just might be the ticket. And so, for $8.00 and a little work from Mr. Fix Everything,  it is.

Michelle, in advance of their trip asked me if our town decorated for the season and my answer was yes; folks, businesses, and churches most certainly do.  

I had to chuckle because on that day, as I walked into town, all two blocks, I believe I saw more birds than I did on my birding walk!

I am including the photo below for posterity because we will want to remember how far the town came when all the parks are completed. Everyone is anxiously awaiting the completion.

Another soccer game! The team looked very good while playing Andrews. I believe I mentioned how Grayson's coach relies on him to put the ball in play.

There are several girls on the Andrews team and while you probably won't notice it, I could relate to the girls in the picture as they are grimacing as the ball is coming at them.

I was just getting over a silver-dollar-sized bruise on my left forearm and then I got a new tag about the same size just yesterday. So, yes, I do grimace quite a bit! 

At the last minute they made it 4-0.

The day we had been  anxiously awaiting finally arrived and that was last Friday when the Libers offered to take us on a very scenic drive.  

As a motorcycle enthusiast, David has traveled all over the mountain roads so a driving trip is right up his alley.; not to mention he knows where to go. 

Before getting on the road to the Cherohala Skyway we stopped at the Tellico Plains visitor center in Tennessee.

Followed by a delicious lunch here:

The food was so good in part because all the bread, baked goods, and pizza dough are made on premises. 

Having a restaurant builder in the family we are always noticing what makes a place feel inviting and while the brick walls are good, and the abundant use of wood works, it was the blue curtains that did it for me.

A super tiny town it once boasted more industry than it does now, as is the case with so many of the mountain towns. Across the street is a darling coffee shop.

Super cute on the outside, and super cute on the inside.

I am really puzzled by the sign on the swinging kitchen door. Any ideas?

What it does have is tourism, especially at this time of year because it is the gateway to a road called the Cherohala Skyway, our destination as it were. About two years ago a friend told me for the best color go to the skyway and it had not happened yet until this day and I could not have been any happier.

Onward to the skyway, which if you didn't already click on the link above, you might want to now.  About six miles off the skyway, David wanted to show us the Bald River Falls, and who can blame him?  When you love showing beautiful things off, you want to share, right? May I present the Pecks!

Some of the photos I have seen show it with lots more water but I suspect the lack of rain for the last few weeks diminishes the output.  In our view it was fantastic! D'Anna squealed with delight seeing as there was a rocky path down to the bottom that his old lady said, you go ahead without me. Fortunately David was not as reluctant.

At this lower altitude there were some changing leaves, but not a whole lot yet.

Because we have been here in beautiful Western North Carolina for more than two years now, we have seen our fair share of rivers with rocks. The boulders on this river outdid them all. Some of them nearly the size of my MINI Cooper! 

Not far from this location was a campground we checked out with a lovely lake.

D'Anna and I get along so well because we share great enthusiasm for just about everything!  Continuing the drive we kept going further up in altitude, seeing mostly motorcyclists along the way. 

As we neared the top, 5,560 feet for those who are interested, we were enveloped in a cloud. 

As you might note from the previous photo we had been looking at blue skies. Within a few minutes, the clouds began to open a wee bit,

followed by a wee bit more.

Mountains and clouds as far as the eye could see! 

Unfortunately, as we traversed the road down, the leaves were brilliant albeit behind us with no pull offs! David is not easily dissuaded, so he told us he knew of another spot reached by a little walk. Great!

Once we arrived at the look-out platform our hopes were dashed as the trees were so thick as to block the view. Nonetheless, it was good to stretch our legs and enjoy the forest scenery.

On the road again, Lake Santeetlah is gorgeous. 

From what we have been reading we are about two weeks until this is filled with brilliant colors of yellow, red, and orange. 

Because of his vast experience, David had one more spot in mind for us to have a clear view that many folks aren't aware of. I absolutely love how the clouds seem to be suspended in air leaving their mark in the form of shadows. Wait, they always are suspended aren't they?

You might wonder how we have made so many friends here in Murphy and in some regards, I can't imagine it either, but somehow we have, and what a blessing it has been. Between town friends, pickleball friends and church friends, life is very sweet for us. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with gratitude because while it seems as if we are footloose and fancy free, which is true now, it has not always been this way. Raising four children, Bruce traveling most weeks for nearly 25 years, me holding down the fort, that was our life before. Because we married so young it was a long time ago. Not that the work was not satisfying, and Lord knows, we would not change having four sons for anything in the world, it took a lot to get to this place. When you read about these adventures, keep that in mind. Having a beautiful happy family and a new grandson is not the icing on the cake, it is the cake! All four have given us their blessing to live into our mantra, "doing all that we can, while we can." 

Whew, heavy stuff right? I will close with a photo of some friends from way back who have their own happy ending. Talk about marrying young and making it all work out. Oh my goodness, what a life they have led.

Happily they got in touch as they were not too far away on a little vacation. Arriving just as we returned from pickleball, after a visit at the house we walked with their dogs to the nearby Murphy Chophouse where we enjoyed lunch. They did get a kick out of seeing our Mayor and a small entourage, including Laura walk down the hill beside us. So while I have said it was our friend Karen who first introduced us to Murphy, in reality it was Mike and Nancy who asked me about 16 years ago to photograph their cabin for a vacation rental site, in what we learned yesterday was nearby Andrews. Holy Cow, I still have the album of photos I took!  Some years later they sold it, but the happy memories remain.  It took a little sleuthing to find that album in my blog, but while doing so I came across something really special from another post at that time about an incident that I recently told someone about.  My second ever published photo!   Talk about some sweet and challenging memories!!

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Should you have missed last week's post, here it is.