This House on Campbell Street.....

....is just too good to be true. 

Of course, my mantra has always been "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." That said, there are exceptions to every rule and I am hoping this God-send is one of them! There is just so much to cover, again where to begin? How about a Robin's nest in our front tree?

One must look carefully to spot the Robin on her nest, but after watching this bird fly in and out of the tree, I doubled my efforts to find it. Our bluebirds may be still tenants on Warren Drive, we are unsure, but there appear to soon be new hatchlings for us to ogle! Speaking of nests, the neighbors we have met have been exceptional and it goes without saying that I am loving the presence of children playing in the back yard next door. To date I can only remember the young boy's name, Jude who is nine. Well, the high winds in the recent huge storm knocked off plenty of blossoms in their, I believe it is called a Snowball tree because, well, the flowers are the shape and color of a snowball.

The ground was covered with tiny white petals and when I expressed interest Jude invited me over to see the nest they found that his Dad had replaced in the tree. Oh my goodness, you have to know I was freaking out. Hard to photograph, but here it is nonetheless.

We shall see what happens next!

There is so much to like about the house including one thing I have already mentioned, and I suspect will come up time and time again, is the light.

It is just fantastic at all times of the day and what I have discovered is that there is good reason for my claim. Or maybe I should say there seems to be something that is aiding in that and it is these huge junipers planted on either side of the house.

The above photograph doesn't exactly do them justice but there are lots of them and all are very, very tall. Not as tall as the 100 foot Magnolia in the back yard, but tall all the same. Thus there is no harsh light to be found in this sweet house of many small rooms. Bruce and I are traipsing down the hall, up and down the stairs and don't mind it one bit! For the worriers amongst you, we hang on tight! 

Mr. Vespasian received his mail on the amazing porch, however, he was special and apparently we are not. At least not yet anyway! A notice was placed in the box saying we needed to put a mailbox out by the street and you know Mr. Johnny-on-the spot was all over that! 

There is plenty to say about our activities however, today let us turn our attention to a walk I took just this morning under grey and threatening skies. First off, across the street, as in catty-corner to our yard, there is a small bed and breakfast called Angel's Landing. Her gardens are wonderful, filled with bird feeders and just yesterday I spotted this fellow as well.

Speaking of bird feeders, we have not put ours up yet as we are still trying to figure out the best location. I will say that their is a cacophony of bird calls from morning to night here. So much so that last night at eight o'clock I had to shut the front door in order to hear the television! It is fantastic and so unexpected.

Back to my walk, everything is insanely green. Green everywhere!

I just started wandering the streets to see what I could see and it was good. Lots of lovely homes,

and more green.

Mostly the streets are at a gentle slope, but not all of them! I am doing pretty good for a Florida gal! 

Vegetable gardens, along with flowering bushes.

The word verdant comes to mind. 

On one of the streets, the name of which I have since forgotten,  I looked up and saw both the courthouse and a tree filled with white blossoms.

Once I actually walked down that street my heart leapt at the beautiful sight of a Dogwood tree laden with flowers.

Continuing the green theme, well seriously it is everywhere, so expect more.

Looking up that street,

the fog was visible on the next level of mountain. Or at least that is what I'm calling it knowing no better way to put it.

Through the magic of AI on my iPhone, I now know this is a European Pear tree.

Of course I will forget that information just as quickly as I received it! Not a clue as to what these flowering trees are, but there are a lot of them to be found on the streets I traversed.

Perhaps you have noticed the flag still hanging at our home on Campbell Street? It was one of the things he left and it just seems to fit, so for now it will remain. 

In front of one place that appears to be maybe some apartments? The streets are filled with absolutely every house looking different than the next.

Some much better than others, a fact that would bother some folk,s but it does not bother me in the least because, in my view, it adds to the character, as long as it is not too extreme. One thing that definitely bothers some here is the lack of zoning laws. I read a piece in the paper the other day that said North Carolina was founded for personal freedom and they still take that very seriously more than 200 years later. Below is an example of when I said extreme!

I am pretty sure the above is empty, or so one would hope. It makes for an interesting photography though.

My walk took me by the library which is two blocks from the house. As to the missing letter on the sign, I suspect it is on order.

Just across the street from the library is the Senior Center which we may or may not visit! We are most definitely seniors though so why not?

The longer we have been here, the more I think that while Murphy might not be the prettiest town out there, Blue Ridge, GA comes to mind, however, it is a good place to live. While on my walk, a woman stopped and asked if I were okay, or had I broken down and was looking for help? I explained that I was new to the neighborhood and just doing some exploring. Have a good day she called after giving me directions back to my street. 

That's the way it is. Most all the folks we meet are nice. It is quiet, small, and peaceful. 

I'm pretty sure this is a neighborhood cat and by that I mean you might find it on your street or the next. 

Does this look like the same cat to you? Two streets from the above, I saw it walking on the sidewalk across the street from us.

Maybe, maybe not?

For someone who said they did not know where to start I sure took off running, didn't I? The courts were wet this morning so Bruce went to help with the cooking for tomorrow's Soul Table. Thus, I sat down in our new little office and took off typing like nobodies business. I hope you enjoyed seeing the neighborhood and I promise to next show you more of the house on Campbell Street that we are already in love with.

How could we not be?

your friend,

Gail

A River Runs Through It

The Hiwassee River and the Valley River merge here in town, along the banks of which I walk when I mention the river walk. If you are of a certain age, you might be somewhat familiar with the Tennessee Valley Authority and how they changed the lives of the people of Appalachia. Most of the time for the better because they controlled flooding and brought power to one of the nation's poorest regions. On the other hand, those folks whose towns were buried under water might have felt differently. In any case, there are many dams in the region and to date we have visited three of them. Mostly on the days when we wake up and it is raining, making pickleball out of the question. So far they have been 25 miles or less from our cozy home away from home. There are so few cars on the road that traveling, unless it is super steep or crazy winding is pretty darn nice. At least it is from where I sit in the passenger seat!

I suppose that I've told you very little about Murphy, perhaps because I know so little? I still don't know a whole lot, but we have begun picking up the weekly newspaper that serves both Murphy and Andrews, well actually all of Cherokee County, including news from those two towns along with some smaller villages. Get this---they include the arrest report! Mostly drugs or domestic violence, both of which are regrettable. The latest census shows that Murphy is smaller than most high schools in Orlando, well maybe even smaller than some middle schools. Closing in on, ready? 1,700 people! Certainly that does not count the "summer people" of which there are plenty of those. Mostly from Florida from the looks of the license plates in the WalMart parking lot which we frequent, well frequently because we are still stocking up with staples. We have been blessed to have supplies here, but every once in a while we discover something that is a wee bit out of date. I went looking for bay leaves in the spice cupboard and pulled this one down. How long do you think it has been since a jar of McCormick spice was 39 cents??

I received permission to throw it out! After a little sleuthing, I came across this article that at least gave me a ballpark figure. Should you be curious, well, you know what to do!

The first damn we visited was the Nottely Dam. In the picture we are approaching and will soon be crossing said dam located in Blairsville, GA, not far from the North Carolina border.

Look at how dreary the weather is!!! As I am no expert on dams, Bruce has done his best to explain the concept. Maybe, just maybe, by the time we leave I will get it, but for now, I am still learning. This is maybe what you would call the underside of where we were driving?

After parking, we walked alongside the river which included a tiny waterfall.

Should you be a fan of the color green you are in the right place today because there will be plenty of shades of your favorite color. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that, when it rains a lot in the summer, it is going to be GREEN. 

And when you are in Western North Carolina there is going to be steam on the water, as well as plenty of rocks.

Would you look at that? More green.

One purchase we made before leaving was our hiking shoes, both pairs made by Merrill. They have proved to be Invaluable on the  muddy trails.

I am puzzling about the soil which contains lots of clay, that sticks to your shoes btw. Anyway, I wonder how far is clay present from Georgia? Isn't that the state that you most associate with clay soil?

The above is a nearby trail that we hiked in the drizzle. One thing that is especially interesting to me is the prevalence of mushrooms to be found on so many damp, fallen trees. My photo library now has a compilation of all of the mushrooms I've seen and I will add to it as more present themselves.

This is usually how it goes...Bruce way out in front as I am a slow poke, in part because I walk slowly and in part because I dawdle, taking photographs of everything I see that interests me, a description that will surprise no one. 

Wait...no Bruce! Let's go back to my library and find him. Stands out because he is in blue, right? Something else that has been invaluable are the walking sticks. Oh my yes! This was a pretty steep incline that would have been impossible for me without one.

So frilly and green!

Aren't they cute?  So that is one dam trip, but there are more to come!

Tomorrow marks four weeks since we've been here and so far the blogs are running way behind. Here's a little rundown in list fashion which I plan on returning to as time permits.

Since we have been here we have:

• Seen fireflies, although it doesn't get dark here till so late.
• I've read a signed copy of a novel that I found on the bookshelf here by Ron Rash, one of my favorites who hails from these parts. Perhaps you remember the novel, and later the film, named Serena? That is him. 
• Had a scorpion in the bathroom sink!! Thankfully found by the man of the house and captured. 
• Loving the sound of rain on a tin roof.
• Been to a downtown art walk, an art festival and a movie at the tiny theater downtown. The movie, the latest Indiana Jones movie which I absolutely hated, cost for admission was $5.50! In the evening no less.
• Made friends with the owners of a new wine bar.
• Continue running into someone we have met just about everywhere we go.
• Seen people whitewater rafting.
• Gone to an art gallery
• Seen two fawns!! Second one pictured below.
• 
  Hiked almost to the top of a waterfall. Almost being the operative word.
• Played pickleball far less than we imagined, but we are meeting folks, so that's good.
• Began attending the tiny, and I mean tiny, Episcopal church with windows made by the Tiffany company and built with wood from the congregants land. Everyone is old, including the priest!

Before you correct me on that, after seeing the very young organist, she is leaving in two weeks time! 

So there's a recap for now. I have loads of photos to share but for now my list will have to suffice lest I forget what we have been up to. 

Lastly, I took the photo below of the river running through Murphy and when I mentioned the location to John, formerly our landlord (still is really!) who now wants us to call him our neighbor, told me that this is called Lover's Leap according to Cherokee Indian legend. Think Romeo and Juliet and you probably can put two and two together. We have yet to visit the museum downtown that explains in more detail the history of the Cherokee Indians in this area, mostly that, as far as I currently know, were interred here before moving on to the Trail of Tears towards Oklahoma. But don't quote me on that just yet. 

Gosh it looks pretty doesn't it? Oh yea, it's been plenty hot but not nearly as hot as Florida!!

your friend,

Gail