Nothing but Blue Skies

And with that came hot days which always seem to bother me more than everyone else.  According to this article, and what little we know about the area, the lack of rain is noteworthy. Of all things, late yesterday afternoon it did rain for about five minutes time. We NEED more!

That however, is neither here nor there, in spite of the heat, a good time was had by all! Nancy drove Matt and Tom up from Orlando where they had been staying for a week in our condo. As has been well documented in this space, she is a road warrior, shrugging off every driving difficulty along the way, including the proverbial traffic back-up in Atlanta. The requisite stop at Buc-ee's did add to their driving time, and by all accounts, was well worth it. 

In anticipation of the upcoming visit we returned to a few places again to judge their worthiness when time is limited for visitors. Although the appeal of being able to go into water was appealing, unfortunately, we never did make it to Fire's Creek (pictured below) with the family. 

Nor did the family join us during, a stop again at the highway flowers. Before long they will be no more.

Sunday was meant to be a time to settle in, get groceries, and go on the river walk. All of which happened, but not before the air conditioner repair man, Bucky, as I recall, came to see why the upstairs was so hot. Thankfully it was a very simple fix that did not take long to diagnose. When we first moved to the house Bruce established an account at the place so, should we need them, they would respond in a timely manner. Indeed, it worked just as he planned.

I interrupt the narrative to show you this sweet watering can Nancy brought, a tool that is sorely needed this summer as watering plants has become part of my daily routine. No complaints here because I am very much loving the flowers.

A familiar theme of the week was me lallygagging behind the group, even on the River Walk where it is nice and flat!

A familiar picture for anyone who has been reading the blog for any length of time, I include it to monitor the seasons. This is the Valley River that runs alongside the pickleball courts. 

One thing we did was a lot of driving beginning with Saturday night dinner in Hayesville at a very nice pizza place called Nocturnal.

The next day we made a similar drive, but a little further yet, to the Chatuge Dam where, guess what, I was taking up the rear.

Normally the views cannot be beat but on this day it was hazy for unknown, at least to me, reasons.

Bruce and I have done this walk before, but on this occasion, I'm still unclear how it happened, but instead of turning around at the campground, everyone crossed a small street and kept going. Oh look here... they are waiting on me!

Turns out it is a Clay County park with yet another campground along the water. What a great find for the future as people were swimming in the cool, clear water.

Packing a picnic to share, we enjoyed it in yet another park across from the dam. From there we took some winding roads amongst fields filled with summer wheat.

The Folk School was next as we wanted to show them the museum and the gardens. Perhaps you might recall that our last visit there to see the gardens earlier in the summer was disappointing? On this occasion, it was waning, but still pretty.

Can you guess what Bruce is doing? Of course you can...this is 2024!! Googling the plant name!  

By golly, there are a few clouds in the sky! 

Throughout their visit, Tom worked on a puzzle that Mary gave me when she and Sam came to see us last month. Never could I have finished it myself, but as we all have come to learn, Tom is a puzzle wizard!

Pretty amazing isn't it? While Tom was puzzling, Matthew was helping us with various tech related issues, including helping Bruce to set up a new wireless printer, and for his Momma, working on my voluminous photo library. Not to mention a pesky bill from T Mobile and the television. Lots to sort out in order for me to watch college football. Sadly, last week watching FSU on YouTube was disappointing, and it was not the fault of the platform! It is hard being a digital immigrant in today's world!

Tuesday more driving was involved as we had reservations at the Nantahala Outdoor Center to do some whitewater rafting, something neither Nancy or Tom had experienced before. As you sit there listening to the safety briefing, which is pretty darn scary I might add, one begins to question one's decision to pay money to do something that might end badly. Well, I am here to report that ours ended beautifully! Matthew bought a waterproof case for his phone meaning I'm now turning over the photos to him.  It should be noted that most of what I know about photography I learned from him in my early days! Here we are on the bus to the put-in spot along the river. Anticipation was running high.

Another shot of his Mom and Dad in the boat. Bruce agreed to sit in the front because he is a nice guy,  although I can't say he would never do it again, another time he would surely let someone else have the pleasure. It's hard to keep your feet in the right place is the main problem.

Our guide was quite good, entertaining us with river lore as well as when to paddle. As to the paddling, there was not nearly as much as we expected. The river was low due to the ongoing drought.  Here is Nancy with our guide David.

And here is Tom.

Once we were on the water I don't think either of them were nervous at all. There were a few patches with ups and downs, as well as twists and turns, but by far the biggest splash came at the end. Matthew bought the photo package they offered and seeing all of them was an amusing and joyful experience.

We laughed and laughed at Nancy and her pose! The whole clan...

A few takeaways:

1. On a hot day, the water feels fantastic.

2. Try and only have your group in the boat, something we would probably do next time. 

3. Don't be afraid because the rapids are not that big!

It was lovely to see this banner which was put in place for the parade held in her honor upon returning from winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. 

Most nights we ate at home and on several of those nights, Ingles pies were on the menu. Very tasty indeed.

It must have been that same afternoon that I decided to investigate why the heck my hairbrush was wet when I reached into my handbag. Well, the laugh is one me, that's for sure! There was a squashed tomato on the bottom of my bag!!! When I had brought home some of those homegrown tomatoes from church, well, turns out I missed one. It had been in there for nearly a week!!! Nice to have a clothesline on the porch.

Wednesday we decided to take it easy, driving to Blue Ridge, GA to see what we could see. We tried out the Rum Cake Lady Cuban Cafe for lunch and were not disappointed. 

Except for the fact that our birthday boy Tom's order was incorrect! Thank goodness it was all sorted out before a party of about 15 people descended on the tiny restaurant. 

On a side note, we sent our best birthday wishes to our brother-in law Danny who has the same birthday as Tom. Battling cancer for a long time, reaching 75 was never a given.  😍

Being a tourist will wear folks out so some of our party took a nice nap before we went to The Crown for Tom's birthday dinner. Located in nearby Brasstown, Matt made reservations for indoors because it was so hot outdoors. Turns out, that was both good and bad. We indeed were cooler, however our seats were in room with much noisy activity. Nancy is keeping her eyes on the developments.

That would be my chair, with the dry handbag hanging, so I missed it all! Well, except for the sound of buckets of ice crashing into the ice maker. Which, come to think of it, why was that anyway? Was it just a cooler of sorts? In spite of those disappointments, the food was delicious and without some mishaps, the story is never as memorable. Right?

The flight home to London was not ideal for being dropped off at the Atlanta airport as we thought when we hatched the plan, thus, instead Nancy was yet another great chauffeur and got them to the Orlando airport only two hours before their departure time. What a blessing to have a sister four years younger!

We learned some things on this visit. Having one shower for five adults, while not ideal, is doable. Meals must be prepared in shifts due to the small counter space was another lesson. A bigger fan is needed for the guest room. Because I am reluctant to remove the awesome light fixtures throughout the house and replace them with ceiling fans, this summer has tested that resolve. We shall see. 

More flowers because I can and they won't be there forever.

Bruce worked on the ramp again today while I was catching up with you. A few more weeks and it will be completed if they can get a few more men to pitch in and we are confident that they can. Tom and Jane will be thrilled when it is over I'm sure. Perhaps their children will be as well because as time goes on, the role reversal occurs--kids worry about their parents! I know ours do.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Our son Bill had a health scare, but he's fine now.

An Anniversary, VBS, and A Few Family Members Come to Town

Oh, and we were in the newspaper last week too. 

I started to type, first things first, but that's not going to happen in this post because, well I feel like showing you our sweet family that came to town instead of chronological order. Maybe six weeks ago Fallon told me that she and Bill would be going on a "babymoon" which confused me mightily, having never heard the term before then. Clever readers will most likely immediately get what it means, but I never once said that I am clever, so I was stymied. In case you are like me in the camp that says, what the heck?, let me explain. Really it is so simple when you see it written, nevertheless, all it means is a trip for the couple before they have a baby. Got it? 

Fallon told me that they were visiting Ellijay and when I suggested they come to see us she thought it might be too far. Fortunately, once we explained that it really was not far at all, especially when you factor in that there is so little traffic, they agreed. Meanwhile, when they were driving our way, it came to me that it might be neat if we took Fallon out to the "four lane" and pose her amidst the flower mass. When I mentioned the idea to Bruce, little did I know that she would arrive wearing a very dramatic dress that would most certainly make for an even better photograph!  Posing the question if she would want to do it, and being the sweet girl that she is, she agreed, really not knowing what I meant by either the four lane or the flowers. In other words, she's a good sport! We enjoyed lunch at Murphy Chop House which is but a block away.

From there we drove to the flowers. One batch is golden yellows, and one batch is more multi colored. I adored it last year and took countless photographs and I don't remember any red amongst them, but holy cow, here they are! 

She's handing off her mobile phone for Bruce to use, whereas her mother-in-law was using the big guns!

It could not have been any more perfect and to think it was all unplanned makes it all the more special. Although in the photos it doesn't show, she was slightly freaked out at the number of bees dining on the Zinnias and can you blame her?

Fallon loves being in the mountains, so it just makes my heart sing to think she will always have this memento of before the baby, who they plan to name Christian, is born.

So that was super exciting, as was the ending of VBS. Oh my goodness I had no idea how it would all work, but others knew what they were doing! First there was a program on Thursday evening,

followed by an outdoor party that included snow cones,

and hot dogs.

The kids enjoyed that, but what they really liked were the water slides set up in the parking lot.

Throughout the week the children were in a contest by grades as to who could bring in the most offering for a mission that benefits children in Africa. It was fun watching the tubs fill up as the week progressed. 

The prize for the winning class was something that took me by surprise because even though our pastor Wil is a good sport, well watching this happen was something else! This is after having taken a shaving cream pie to the face! Is it any wonder the kids love him?

As the "official photographer" I was privileged to see all of the grades doing fun stuff from playing with worms, to doing science experiments, to outdoor play. I will admit that after five days I was tired, but honored to have been lucky enough to take a part. 

Did I tell you that they fed the children first? 

It was a scuba diving theme, which forgive me, I believe I already mentioned. Anyway, those little cups of Cheetos etc were meant to represent underwater coral. Very cute. Plus, that watermelon was delicious which is certainly not a given. Fruit is very finicky!

On my walk home one evening, I saw this guy outside his burrow across from the house.

Eventually he scampered back underground.

In my last post I mentioned the Spider lilies but I neglected to show you how they came to be.

Just popped up out of the ground alongside the old stone wall! I cut some before they declined and am glad I did because they are almost finished showing off.

VBS happened in the evening ,so our regular bi-weekly free lunch went on as usual Thursday. Bette asked if I could bring a dessert to which I replied in the affirmative. Perhaps you recall that I bought a Bundt cake pan at the sale two weeks ago? Did I mention it? I was happy to use it and made a Chocolate Sour Cream cake. All went well until it was time to take it out of the pan after a long cooling period. Holy cow, not again!!

The sad thing is that the cake is delicious, however, it stayed home with us and I had to bring whatever I had in the cupboard which was Vanilla Wafers! Not a popular choice, but it was something.  The cake pan, btw, went into the garbage can. I did not throw out the cake because it was so tasty and we had it with ice cream for breakfast. I served Bruce and said happy birthday for good measure.

One of the folks that volunteers brought in the best homegrown tomatoes that I was lucky enough to take home.

Actually I ate most of the cherry tomatoes while we were there! Nothing like homegrown, that's for sure. 

It is going to seem as if all we do is volunteer for church related activities and to tell you the truth, it has been super busy, but seemingly activities just happened to bottle up. So while I was doing VBS stuff, Bruce was asked to help mow the grass at Harshaw Chapel, the oldest building in Murphy. Before the current church was built in 1922, the First Methodist met in the building pictured below.

As you can see it is in very rough shape with efforts in place to raise money for restoration. Bruce is chatting with Tony, the first guy to begin the mowing. It took multiple people many hours, but finally it has been completed. Apparently the city used to mow it and for whatever reason, no longer does. 

Saturday, Bruce along with six other men, laid out the 70 foot ramp Bruce designed for Tom. What a project. Bushes were removed, post holes dug and string line was placed. As I type, Bruce is out there with the building inspector, hoping what they have done so far will pass. I sure hope so. He has been struggling with a back ache which hasn't made it any easier. As such, we are taking the week off and not playing pickleball so we both can be at our best when Nancy drives Matt and Tom here on Saturday! Today the weather could not be any more spectacular with low humidity, a light breeze, a Carolina blue sky and 82 degrees. 

Speaking of Matt and Tom, yesterday morning Bruce and I were on a recognizance mission when my phone rang. It was the local florist saying she was delivering something to the house and should she leave it? For some reason I thought she said it was a plant, so I agreed. Well, when we returned about four in the afternoon, it was not a plant at all, but a gorgeous arrangement from those two for our 51st anniversary which was Sunday.

Rambling Rose here in Murphy does an excellent job for sure. 

Have you ever seen a bit coin mine before? Now you have. It is loud! (near Tom's house)

I realized the Super Moon was happening so went out front to find it. That's the big house at the end of our street and the street lamp. 

Around the corner from that house, one day I took a walk, and the vibrancy of the Crepe Myrtles is really something. They are all over our community in Orlando but folks, they do not look nearly as good, perhaps because of the heat?

Lastly, here's something funny. Hank called Bruce last Thursday to tell him that they had made the newspaper.

That would be Bruce's back at the end of the picnic table and Hank standing up. What I don't think he noticed was me in my red dress taking a picture, that amusingly, was in last week's Camera Crazy. I am standing in front of Nancy. Too funny was my reaction! 

We are counting the days until our family arrives! We do so love it here but there's nothing quite like family is there?

your friend,

Gail

Getting Ready for Company

When we went downstairs this morning to greet the day this morning, after having spent the night in what I told Bruce I might start calling our tree house, it was nice and cool. That's the thing about the upstairs, when we open the curtains on either side, we are surrounded by big trees, so why haven't I thought of this before???

Our love affair with the house continues as we discover new things to excite us. From the front windows, as we sit on the couch watching television, the setting sun makes itself known and I pop outside to see what I can see. On this night, I believe it was Sunday, the late summer setting sun was ever so striking.

I'd actually just walked home from Vacation Bible school where I am the designated photographer and a check-in person for the week. Amazingly, they not only do it in the evening, beginning at 5:30, dinner is served and it runs from Sunday night to Thursday night. Pretty much everything is far different than when I was last volunteering for VBS. I am mostly doing what I am told! 

It has been fun watching the kids engage with one anther, as well as seeing how the teachers are so good! They are using a curriculum with a scuba diving theme and science experiments are a part of things. Our friend from pickleball, Patty, is one of the helpers and although I won't be sharing the children's photos, I imagine Patty won't mind me sharing hers

Another night, while out looking at the fading light, I saw my guy through the pretty windows, which btw, are covered with storm windows as well.

In keeping with today's title (post number 2051, but who's counting?), perhaps I should talk about it don't you think? Bill and Fallon will be here in just three days!! We can hardly wait to see her growing baby bump! It will be nice to see Bill too. In part because he will be bringing up Bruce's air compressor and nail guns so he can begin building some furniture. It is a group effort as Nancy was kind enough to first go to our storage unit looking for the guns, and then back to the condo where they actually were. It was some effort but all's well that ends well. The compressor has been in Bill's garage for the longest time, so I expect he won't mind having the added space. Now if only we would get my kayak out of there! It's been in his garage for at least three years.

So, one day last week, we went to the Home Depot in Blue Ridge looking for oak boards and plywood. While they had some oak, most everything will have to be ordered. We went home to think about it but while we were in BR we went to TJ Maxx, and a very low rent store called Rose's. You know me, I cannot resist taking photographs of things I find out of the ordinary, and who wouldn't when faced with a product like below?

Two things to consider here: who makes this ugly stuff and who buys it????

On our way home we stopped in a large antique market that moved to the area from nearby Elijay just one month before. The store was super nice as far as that sort of place goes and again, I cannot resist. 

Who knew 50 years ago, or somewhere in that neighborhood, that folks would be collecting this sort of thing??? We did buy a great pillow for the new futon we bought for, drum roll please, our other company coming in just two weeks time! 

We are so hoping it will be comfortable for Nancy, who should feel right at home in a room devoted to sewing, as she is an excellent seamstress, far more accomplished than I. Anyway, as you can see I am trying to pick a paint color that we will like AND that will compliment my latest find at the Antique Marketplace that has been our go-to for good stuff for our home.

Seeing this original painting months ago, I kept thinking about it and finally put down my $40 and took it home. And while it has been met with mixed feelings by some, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

And just when you thought we were done buying stuff, we are not. Another rug arrived and we put it down on Sunday night. 

It  goes well with the drapes, but still something felt like it was missing, that is until after seeing a photo of the room, Pam gave me some advice that I'd never heard before. Sometime in the past she'd once read that every room needs some red in the decor. Hmmmm....when we got home from church I marched out back, cutting a few of the Red Spider lilies that suddenly popped out of the ground in the last week.

Look at those fingernails!! Just dreadful (!!) as they keep splitting and breaking, something completely out of the ordinary for this blogger. But I digress. 

Pam is incredibly knowledgeable on all sorts of topics in life and decorating is no exception. I could not believe how much more vibrant it looks with the red!

Maybe I should ask Nancy to look for some artificial ones before she comes to see us with Matthew and Tom in tow. Kindly she has agreed to drive them here after they spend some time at our condo. Companies coming!! We can hardly wait, but wait we shall. 

In the meantime, we are shopping! Just kidding, but it really has been a constant as we discover things we need. Of course we did not NEED pillows for the front porch rockers, but when I saw these at WalMart for $2.50, how could I say no?

Meanwhile on the back porch the Peach Begonia is doing well.

Before I forget!

The biggest news from last week.....spraying for mosquitoes happened on Tuesday and what a blessing it has been! Apparently, with all the big trees/bushes, the larvae were having a hey-day, but no longer is that the case. I spent several miserable days last week with bites on the back of both thighs that caused my legs to swell. I tried every Cortisone cream we had, but what gave me the most relief was dousing them with a pad soaked in rubbing alcohol. Hallelujah, let the filling of the bird feeders commence!

If only I had changed out the hummingbird nectar sooner we could have enjoyed their presence this  longer this summer as they will be migrating before we know it.

Since I took the photo above, they drank all of the nectar and are into a fresh batch. 

So many birds, but not many bird photos. 

Song Sparrows are plentiful.

Have I mentioned the prevalence of spider webs yet? They not only love the brick, but they love the windows too!

Upstairs the windows are double-hung meaning we could get to the above. On the first floor I use either a broom, or us the hose jet sprayer on the house. It's really something to this Floridian. 

Friday night we called Hank to invite him to join us in Andrews for Food Truck Friday where we were meeting up with our friends Nancy and Jack. We were delighted to see him. Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives that we are not nearly as diligent as we should be! Anyway, we were happy when he said yes please!

Of course in between chatting I look around for photo ops! Not very often in my Florida life did I see anyone wearing overalls, but here it not completely out of the ordinary.

Just the lack of people still amazes us. This is just on the other side of the railroad tracks that border the park.

Yes my friends, those are goats. 

And yes, children roam around without being supervised at every turn. Since our last visit they have added these to the downtown street. Speaking of which, with company coming, it is a great disappointment that downtown Murphy is not looking it's best these days.

Last year, what they call pocket parks on the four corners of the main downtown intersection were just beautiful with flowers mounded so thick it was unimaginable to me. This year, because of the new water lines and the planned round-about, the flowers went unplanted. Mostly it is dirt right now, however, some flowers have recently emerged from that dirt which pleases me to no end. Andrews is different in that regard with mostly one main street running through it with huge hanging flower baskets. We were so delighted to see a new shop opened up, actually right behind our car pictured above. A yarn shop. Perhaps we will visit soon even though I can't knit a stitch!! I did, however, buy a few embroidery tools at the white tag sale, so perhaps I will put them to use this winter. 

I took the photo below because the sky was so impossibly blue that morning. Randy and Linda, deep in conversation, did not even notice.

I was sad that my Olympic watching was so minimal this time around as I've always been an avid watcher, however, my viewing options were limited and I've had to content myself with Youtube. Totally not the sam,e but at least it is something. The word that comes to mind when thinking of the games is majestic. I've just looked up the definition and I don't think I am too far off. With synonyms such as grand, imposing, magnificent and stately, it seems to me that it fits. The dedication it takes to become an Olympian is hard for me to fathom, year after year of training. How do they keep it up? Did you watch any badminton? That was really something. As was every single sport! The hometowns of these athletes are also darn proud. A young woman from nearby Bryson City won a bronze in the canoe slalom that was front page news in the Scout.  Lots of small places worldwide are proud of their athletes. Such joy and such sadness all in one place. That said, do you think that most of the athletes have lost so many times on their journey to the Olympics that they are immune to the agony of defeat? Some readers are too young to remember that famous slogan on the old Wide World of Sports; "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

Pretty dramatic as is fitting when describing sporting competitions, but maybe it works for everyday life too?  Your thougths?

your friend,

Gail