The Last Leg of the Journey

Because we are off in the morning for our next camping trip I figured I ought to wrap up our fantastic Fall journey. 

About time, wouldn't you say?

Having us in Dillsboro in my last post, oh wait, that one was about Halloween and most folks did not seem to see it, so if that was the case, here's the link. Correcting myself, the last trip post included the Taco Bell tree, an unforgettable sight.  Packed up and ready we were once again on the road, traveling through some beautiful scenery. Mountains with changing leaves, what is not to like??

The first more major town we came to was Franklin where we were greeted by this colorful mural on the outskirts,

before we arrived in "downtown."

Passing through it looked like a perfect "Hallmark" town to me! Actually, according to this, "Franklin is also known for its Scottish Heritage and the Scots rapor with the Cherokee Indian Nation. North Carolina has more people with Celtic heritage than any place in the world, including Scotland." Who knew? 

Before we head back into Georgia, I realized that I may have given the impression that the lodge was second rate, something I did not mean to do. While looking for photos for this post, I came across this pretty one from our evening spent around the campfire. You know the one whenI left a library book there I have since paid for! Fortunately it was only $27 which, while not cheap, I can spend that at the grocery store in the blink of an eye these days!

You know what? When I added that bit about Franklin from another site, my font has gone berserk, so for a paragraph, let's really get crazy, shall we?

Taking all backroads, around lunch time I squealed, and I mean squealed, with delight when we pulled into Commerce, GA and I saw this:

I don't know about you, well except that you probably dislike the above font as much as I do, but every now and again I read a book that is just so good I never forget it. That's how I feel about Cold Sassy Tree, although it has been decades since last my last reading! Based on life in this small town, it ended up being made into a television movie starring Faye Dunaway and Richard Widmark. If you too read it, loving it as much as I and want to know a wee bit about Ms. Burns, click on this link. As was the case with the mural in Franklin, this one leads you into the downtown area which is quite small, to say the least. That said, this was a Sunday afternoon so why would there be more people out and about in a small Georgia town? BTW, the name of the town was changed some years back from Harmony Grove to Commerce. I prefer the former, don't you? 

Where you see the pink awning, or so I think, is the Mexican restaurant that, thankfully, was open and full of folks eating out after church. We took our familiar spots at the bar where we learned how authentic it is from the Mexican folks that own it. I believe they took over a bank building, but that is purely conjecture. The ceiling, clearly, was meant for something a little higher class.

On the same side of the street, the Charles Chip can first caught my eye, but then when I read the sign about being a girl watching college football, I knew it was right up my alley.

Dawgs fans have clearly had a lot to cheer about lately, remaining at #1 in the college football polls for most of this season, along with winning the national championship last year. For the last six or seven years, being a Florida State fan has not been easy but, by golly, it sure seems as if Mike Norvell has finally righted the ship. With just two regular season games to go, we have the best record in years and hopefully will add to that soon. Hip, hip, hooray!

As to the above photo, what were they thinking having Pepsi instead of homegrown Coca Cola? Secondly, has anyone else checked the price of Charles Chips lately? Unreal! Sort of like the $5.35 I spent for a dozen eggs earlier today. 

Finally, while we are still in Commerce, otherwise known as Harmony Grove, how about the longevity of this furniture store? Amazing community support, right?

Looking at a map just now, it must have been here that we left 441 and took SR 22 South, eventually arriving in a town far less prosperous, although I suspect at one time it was more so as it is the county seat and has been for more than 150 years. The courthouse below was built in 1886.

I am unclear as to the publishing date of this description of downtown Lexington, but either it was far too rosy when written, or it has recently fallen on very hard times. 

I took this one, thinking of Bill:

And who knows why I took this?

Although this pretty much seems to sum up the town of around 200 souls there has to be more to life there than this. Where, for example, do they go to buy groceries? Perhaps Athens? (p.s. I am adding this while re-reading the post before hitting publish. After having spent some time reading the informational brochure included regarding Lexington, interestingly enough, in the early days, it was a shopping destination drawing folks from the struggling nearby Athens, GA. My how times change!)

This part of Georgia has towns, but nothing much in the way of cities where we might find lodging for the night, so veering over towards Dublin, GA, arriving in town, we first made our way to this place to have a look-see. 

In a testament to the high standards Bruce set, we were pleased to see that the restaurant still looked great.. Georgia is a state where Bruce spent plenty of time that's for sure! Being the construction project manager of building various Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and more, kept him traveling the state nearly every week of the year, which is why he is oftentimes just as happy to stay home. He built in around 42 states and when with Earls, two different Canadian provinces. Quite a footprint he's left behind.

The remainder of the trip was mostly in Florida, so nothing we have not seen before. When we got home, our birdies had been very busy dropping seed like it was going out of style.

Seeing the newspaper in the photo above reminds me I need to stop it for a few days. This trip will not be full of charm and character, but if all goes well, it will be full of nature. Only time will tell. Bonus points for a place nearby to play pickleball should we care to! 

Speaking of which, I have been amusing myself of late at the courts, documenting the diverse crowd at Dover Shores. Here I am with two new ladies, one of whom is from China, the other Japan. Then too, our coordinating outfits caught my attention.  (my knee is much improved so the brace is back in the drawer)

Diverse? It is hard to be more so in size than this!

Don't be fooled at Cindy's diminutive size, she hits the ball as hard as anyone! 

Today, however, was a day of preparation so no pb for us. Let's just hope I don't forget to pack anything!

your friend,

Gail