Field Trip, Part Two

 Here is something that you don't see every day.

Before I go further, a view from the top.

On the first of July, we basically stumbled upon this place called Fields of the Wood. You can be assured that I have done lots of research about our surroundings and I did learn that this was one of the attractions attributed to Murphy, although it is quite the distance from where we are living. Thus, I was delighted when I saw on the map that we should stop while in the area. I know I can't seem to quit going on about that house with the massive flower garden, but it was on the same road, so here I go again.

It is just so thrilling to come across such unexpected beauty!

Okay, back to the attraction. So ours was one of about four cars in a massive parking lot on this Saturday morning.  The park is quite large with many monuments to view and signs to read.

There are 350 steps to the top of the commandments which we did not climb, however we did check out the psalms. One thing to note in the photograph below is not only Mr. Handsome, but the cracked monument. Unfortunately that was an all too common sight there. It is hard to know how difficult it is to raise the money for repairs.

Essentially the whole park was dreamed up by a fellow named A. J. Tomlinson who had a vision to create not only this park, but several denominations as well.  Should you be interested in the "more to the story", click on the link above.

On the lower level there is a replica of the tomb,

as well as a baptismal font donated by the Church of God in Florida in 1943.

The mountain setting is so beautiful and I will say that the grounds were very well maintained. Lots of steps everywhere!

While not for everyone it is very impressive indeed.

One last view of Prayer Mountain.

Because this was unfamiliar territory, I had the iPad open and discovered that we were going right past, oh wait, no we weren't....we stopped! Cherokee Lake Recreation Area part of the US Forest Service. Seriously, lakes are somewhat of a premium up here, mostly reservoirs which this is one as well. When you come from the land of water to the land of mountains it is completely understandable that when you see a sign for a lake you STOP! 

By this time of the day it was quite warm so standing on the dock didn't make much sense, thus when I found a trail we took it.  Along the way I saw this pretty yellow wildflower, one of countless wildflowers I have encountered on our explorations. Because I keep seeing them I have finally started a wildflower folder to go along with my mushroom folder. Generally, I am far too lazy to make folders, but if I ever want to revisit these subjects, this should very much be my plan. Let us see how long I stick to it!

At the end of the trail there was another small dam.

Undoubtedly you noticed the water in the lake looked brown something that mystifies us, but it is quite common. Yet, look what you see on the other side of the dam?

This too is mystifying because it is as common as the brownish water. Sounds like someone you know needs to do some light research!

While it was a very short hike with some ups and downs, having my walking stick is always a welcome accessory. It probably looks goofy to some folks, however, as most everyone's mother taught them, "it is better to be safe than sorry!"

Whew, made it back to the parking lot! 

When is writing about how much I love the mountains too much? Now? 

Our dear friend Keith has been so good to keep watch over Bruce's tool closet and anything else that comes up, so I know it is not that he is tired of helping, as he is very, very, generous with his time and talents. Asking Bruce a few days ago if we were ready to come home, I know he was disappointed with Bruce's answer. He misses Bruce!! And while we miss him and everyone else, in the interest of keeping Gail from losing her mind in the heat, Bruce had to reply that he was not looking forward to returning. Have you seen how hot it has been in Orlando? In the sun it is plenty warm, however, the difference here is that even when the temperature rises, there are all of these gorgeous shade trees to hide under! 

Or we can head to our favorite hang-out,

where we never know who we might meet. Jen opened the shop a week or two before we arrived and we have been frequenting ever since we discovered it. It's a family affair; that is her father-in-law playing the accordion in the background while she and her husband are behind the counter. I suspect he can do polkas but instead he did very soft and lovely music which was very much appreciated.

We just love the small and cozy shop and have met so many interesting folks there. It is too bad that Bruce, and I believe his name was Michele, are out of focus, but sometimes it works out that way. Anyway pretend you can see him clearly, will you? He and his wife were super interesting having ridden bicycles across the country from San Diego to Maine! Shockingly, they had no Florida connection which is mighty rare around these parts. 

One reason we have been so supportive is because we so want her shop to succeed. Chatting with a local friend yesterday, she says the town changes significantly when folks like us go home to Florida. That said, lots of folks like us decide to move here after living in a charming little town for a bit. I tell you one thing, it is mighty quiet. 

Until we meet again, I remain,

your friend,

Gail

p.s. if you missed Field Trip, Part One, you can find it here.  

Field Trips, Part One

Finally! Let me say that one more time--finally! Of what, pray tell are you referring to Gail? After seven weeks in North Carolina, our mail should be coming soon. Tell us more you say, and so I shall.  While we do not get a lot of mail, we do get some. Most of our bills are done online so that is not really a problem, that is unless I want to study the expansive American Express bill. Where does the money go? Right? More than that, every now and again we receive some mailbox money and letters from Dale, our Vancouver friend who still has no electronic means of communication by choice. It was just weird, so after two weeks without mail we checked at the post office here. Wait, I already wrote about that in June. I won't belabor the point, but it has taken multiple phone calls over the following weeks with plenty of false information disseminated but the confirmation of address change that I began on June 10 has been recognized. So there is that good news. Here's a photo of where we are staying, in case you are new to this space, and that driveway that is a little bit challenging for us to go down, what with our weary knees and all. Note the mailboxes at the end of the driveway. 

After the early weeks of rainy days, it had largely been raining just every now and again, however, this Thursday, our regular field trip day, it is raining this morning. We shall see what the day holds in store for us, but for now I thought I would begin to catch you up to date on the field trips we have already taken. I am pretty sure our first trip was to the nearby Nottely Dam where I took this photo.

Water, rocks, greenery and trees will be a familiar theme of this post because there are plenty of those beautiful creations around!

Nearby there are some trails to hike which we did. Naturally I had to take a photo of my dear husband amongst the trees.

As I mentioned, we both have knees that are showing wear, making hiking challenging, however, putting one foot in front of another day after day is what we gladly do. While on the river walk yesterday, I was talking to Nancy about how sad it is that we have lost two sisters, especially Carol at 63 years old, and how grateful I am that we can, indeed, put one foot in front of another.

Early on we went to see Mary near Lake Fontana and were treated to this lovely view on our way.

I absolutely love looking at the mountains from the valley floor, but being up high like this view from the deck of the house Mary rented is pretty darn wonderful as well.

Of course that entails lots of winding roads to traverse to get up there, but after weeks of practice, Bruce is taking to it. 

Here's a little thing that I wanted to pass on and that was that in our Orlando world we venture but a few miles from our little part of the city. Here, people think nothing of driving twenty or more miles to do something with the explanation that the drive is both scenic and relaxing as there is so little traffic. A different perspective for sure. 

On our return from seeing Mary we stopped in the nearby town of Andrews, a place we visited ages ago. I found this album from June of 2008 from our visit. That was fun to revisit. Anyway, since that time Andrews has lost some of their population as well as their businesses. The downtown is still cute, but seeing this sort of thing was both sad and hopeful. At least flowers filled the space!

That said, they are not giving up. Forgive me if I already wrote about this but when the three major factories closed down, people were forced to look elsewhere for work wherever that may be. Here was a sweet mural I spotted.

This place is the scene of the current Andrews Idol competition that, according to the Scout, continues to be a rousing success. The space is very attractive.

Here is why it is called The Blue Stage. 

According to many people we have spoken to, below is the primo restaurant in the area. The outdoor look is lovely and so, apparently is the inside with terrific food. Perhaps we will try Sage for our upcoming anniversary. 

Taking the photo below, I had no idea that in a few weeks time we would meet a man whose family is heavily involved in the trout industry.

Interesting because he is one of the few people we have met that are actually from the area. As I have mentioned before, most everyone we meet has a Florida connection, however, we did meet another local on Wednesday evening and he said that the locals are none too happy with the Florida invasion. Sounds kind of like how we feel in Orlando!

As we got closer to Murphy, returning from that trip, we saw a fishing sign marked along the highway. Pulling into a field Bruce followed the bumpy. pitted, gravel road to its end and while he investigated the close by water, I enjoyed this beautiful view.

A veritable sea of green that in a few months time will look anything but. Now that sounds exciting doesn't it? 

One of our visits to the folk school we went through the museum, filled with beautiful examples of what is taught there, including blacksmithing. The weaving...wow!

Just past the entrance to the school in Brasstown, off old HWY 64 W, not to be confused with HWY 64, there is a small cluster of colorful buildings used as shops. This stands guard outside a closed station with a somewhat curious sign.

What could "sons of arthritis" possibly mean? 

UPDATE!

I began writing this yesterday morning and as it turns out the rain held off for a bit so we did a small field trip AND some mail from June 20th arrived!! Woo. Our sweet mailman wrote on the back of one of the envelopes, "my apologies for the forwarding fiasco." He said it better than I could have! And yes, there was some mailbox money along with a statement that let me know that insurance only paid so much, thus I owed money to our doctor. 

Time to go play pickleball with our new group. Speaking of new groups, our friends Shirley and Shelly made it into this article in Orlando Magazine.  Aw shucks, I heard from another friend late last evening, a friend texted and said, it should have been me in the article. I don't miss a lot from Orlando but I do miss friends and family, that's for sure. 

Lastly I miss seeing the sunrise and sunset every day. Rarely is there color in the sky here except for this one evening.

Plus I am not seeing as many stars as I would like but other than that, it is all good.

your friend,

Gail

 

Bonus Post

This will be short and sweet but going through my library, I noticed so many lovely flowers that I neglected to share. With that in mind, here we go.

Seriously orange and daisies? What is not to like?

Along the river walk a few weeks ago; sadly most of them are now gone. 

Not far from there is a shop in downtown that leaves all of this out, all of the time! I am crazy for that almost black petunia. Isn't it something?

I mentioned that I was going to revisit that beautiful roadside garden and I am one to keep my promises. It was really spectacular,

and so large it would not all fit in one photo.

Nor would it fit in two, so here is number three.

The truth is that there are flowers in front of the fence and then even more beyond what you see in the top. Now you can understand more clearly why I simply had to have Bruce pull over! I will admit it was a wee bit tricky as you can see how close to the road everything is, not to mention there's a bit of a drop-off, but a crazy person does what a crazy person does, mostly without thinking too much about it!

Taking photographs at the folk school is far easier. Safer too!

A few lucky folks can grow Gladiolas in Florida, but not many. This pink!

It is a bit of a conundrum photographing flowers. On the one hand, when it is sunny the light comes through them. On the other hand, it oftentimes washes out the color and is just plain harsh. But you get what you can while you can and mostly be grateful.

I wonder what this looks like when it is fully open?

Look how adorable these are! As if confetti were sprinkled in the garden.

And what have we here?

Miniature apples is what we have here. Or maybe not full grown? I'm no expert, so don't quote me.

I am pretty sure that this story has been told before, however, humor me if that is the case. Our first attempt to buy the local newspaper, the Cherokee Scout, named thus because Murphy is in Cherokee County, the door to the paper box would not open. 

Bruce called them and was told to come by in the morning and they would give him a newspaper, and so they did. I saw the above while I was waiting in the car for Bruce. Two cats, red flowers, how could you go wrong? 

I believe it was last fall that I was looking at real estate in Murphy and came across a townhome located in what was once the golf course area. Actually, pretty much on the property, and therein lied the problem, the golf course has been closed for ages. So, instead of pulling the trigger, I was hesitant due to the closure and wondering how it effected the property. It was super reasonable and now I am kicking myself after Bruce and I went out there last week and saw for ourselves what a find we missed out on!  Along the way, there was a pullover moment when I saw this.

Wait just a minute....this is me on the far end looking back to where I had Bruce pull over to check this out!

It was a beautiful display of what I may have just learned is called the "Disco Belle" variety of hibiscus? Honestly the blooms are nearly the size of dinner plates!

And how, pray tell, am I coming up with this "Disco Belle" idea? It has been quite a number of years ago that a dear woman, Joelle,  contacted me on Facebook who, lo and behold, is related to me by marriage, something I never knew before! I was probably about 65 or so at the time.  After my Mom's parents divorce, I learned that my grandfather married another woman and Joelle is her granddaughter who, btw, knew our grandfather far better than I did as we lived in Florida and he lived in Missouri. She spent many happy summer days visiting her grandmother and my/her grandfather because they lived much closer . Get this, our birthdays are but days apart!! Anyway, she lives in North Carolina on the other side of the state and it was she who informed me of their name. Life is so full of surprises isn't it? 

Sadly, we drove down the road in the direction the Subaru is parked and I noticed something unusual on my side of the car. Not much escapes my notice as you probably already know. It was a big area with clay soil and loads of plastic containers that Bruce is calling 55 gallon drums. The horrible part is that they were being used as dog houses with more than a dozen dogs chained to said containers. Who knows what was going on but it did not look good to us! We are still kind of cringing thinking of it. Perhaps one day they will be listed in the Scout under the arrested column. I've told you that, right? People who are arrested are listed in the newspaper!! Mostly it is, unfortunately, methamphetamine busts or domestic violence. Which leads me to this thought....Bruce and I have been watching a fellow on YouTube who posts videos of Appalachian towns and their people and the struggles they face. I had a long conversation with Jonathan while I was on the river walk this afternoon and when I was discussing Murphy he looked up the population and was a little surprised at how it has lost population over the years. We then discussed the factory closings in this part of the country and how they have both affected population, as well as led to an increased use of drugs. With no worry about getting to work in the morning, it changes everything. I surely don't know the answer to those problems, but it makes me sad to think of it. 

If you are new to this space, and I think there are a few, it is not that I don't see beautiful flowers in Orlando. It is the not knowing or expecting that is so enthralling me. Here's one taken super close to our place in Orlando along the nearby canal.

Gorgeous flower, right? But I knew it was coming. I kept my eye out for it, knowing just about when it was going to bloom.  What is so great for this old lady, and don't correct me because that is what I am, is I don't know what is coming next in this adventure. A few days ago I got one of those Facebook memories that they assumed I might enjoy remembering. NOT! A photo I took of a bagel that Bruce brought to me in the hospital, toasted super dark, just the way I like it. Obviously, I never saw that coming, so you might conclude that I am being overly dramatic in my zeal for these glorious days we are experiencing, but when you come close to death life becomes way more precious. Maybe being dramatic is not so bad; I sure am enjoying having no clue as to what good things are coming next!!

your friend,

Gail