Blue Ridge blog

Creepy Crawler

Just a little Halloween preview imagery for ya'll to enjoy. I was in the parking lot at work and noticed this little missy taking her sweet time crossing the pavement. A couple of my co-worker's children came out to see what I was doing and they decided to play 'chicken' to see which one of them could get a finger closest to the spider. The girl-child won :-)

She and I decided to go back into work and see if we could identify this beautiful specimen. We may be wrong but the closest thing we could find is that it may be a Marbled Spider

A conversation with cows

There is a farm in Wilkes County, just beyond Red, White and Blue road (I kid you not!) that I have always admired for the symmetry in which the buildings are laid out. It hugs the green grass and it nestles against the backdrop of mountains. Everytime I pass the farm, it begs me to take its photo. But, the light has never been right. Yesterday, I vowed to stop and take a photo of it even if the light wasn't right. I pulled off the busy highway and grabbed my camera. Alas, the morning light karma gods weren't with me. But, the cows were. Call me nuts but the cows saw me come up to the fence and ran towards me. Apparently I was much more interesting than whatever they were doing. They moo-ed at me and I spoke English back to them. I told them that they were lucky to live in such a beautiful spot. They moo-ed at me in unison...often. I went to the fence and one of them let me rub it's face. Kind cows.

I did not make it to the Valle Country Fair...but I heard that double rainbows graced the fair early in the morning. I hope someone got photos!

The Weekend of The Year

This is the weekend that the community of Valle Crucis prepares for throughout the year. Always held on the 3rd Saturday in October for the past 26 years, the Valle Fair brings visitors from near and far to the valley. Some of us occasionally grouch about the large influx of folks, but honestly, this is our moment to spit shine our manners and roll out the welcome mat.
The above photo was taken several years ago when the Valle Fair was held on the Apple Barn grounds. Because the fair has grown, it is now held in the field across the road. Sadly, this will be the first Valle Fair that I will miss in forever...my daughter has a cross country meet in Winston-Salem and I choose to watch that instead. Hopefully, we will return in time to part take in the annual chicken supper held at Valle Crucis Elementary--a place where the weary locals gather to nourish themselves and to take a collective deep breath.

Another item of note: I went to pick up youngest child from her dance studio today and saw the last minutes of her clogging class.
In a masterful blend of styles and cultures, these kids are doing an Applachian-style form of buck dancing to a tune by US3 "Cantaloop" which is a hip hop version of a classic jazz tune by legendary African trumpteer Hugh Masekela. Believe or not, it works!

Autumn Barn

Someone said the 'S' word yesterday. Yes, they said 'Snow' was possibly in the forecast for later this week. Really, all it means is that maybe at the tip top peaks of Grandfather Mountain a flurry or two may fall. This time of year we have extreme temperature changes. In the daylight hours 65 degrees is normal but at night the mid to low 30's are not out of the question.

This barn is somewhere on Horsebottom Rd in Avery County...I think. The ridge just beyond the barn on the right is ablaze with color.

The view fromb Charlie Ward Rd.

I stood in the parking lot of Holy Cross Episcopal Church yesterday afternoon and looked towards Hanging Rock and studied the places where the leaves seemed to be at their peak of the season. I noticed a cluster of intense color near Pigeon's Roost. I was now on a quest. I travelled Hwy 194 up to the community of Matney, drove past the Matney mall and took a left on Pigeon's Roost. About a quarter of a mile up the road (and I do mean up) , the world changes color. The photo above was taken near Charlie Ward Rd. If you are heading up here for the season, a visit to the Banner Elk area of Horsebottom Rd, Pigeon Roost is highly recommended.

I'm not ready to be a grandma

I spent the weekend watching my youngest daughter struggle with the joys of computerized motherhood. One of the freshman rights of passage at her high school is a program called 'Baby Think it Over.' Each student is given a baby doll that cries, needs to be fed, burped, rocked, changed and is forced to take care of it all weekend. A computer tracks every little neglect which for most 14 year olds, I would guess to be rather high. She did well. My little firecracker was not happy to drag the baby through Walmart and incur the tisk tisk stares of strangers looking at teenage mother. If looks could kill, there would be alot of dead people out in the parking lot. Except for taking her time with making it stop crying at 3 am on Sunday morning, she was a perfect little mother. But, she has no plans to make that a permanent situation anytime soon!

A Drive Thru Barn

I love this time of year. There are so many intermingling of elements: fog, frost, sun, blue skies and autumn colors that photo opportunities are literally everywhere. Yesterday and today I have stolen morning minutes to drive on old hwy 421 and around the Hodges Gap area and I have had a very difficult time trying to decide which photo to share. I chose this one, a barn I have never noticed before today. The valley fog is almost burnt off and the sun skims across the trees and one side of this drive thru barn.

TaDa...we have a winner

Goodness, ya'll are entertaining. I have absolutely enjoyed all the stories and comments in reference to my last post. The photo above shows Muriel, who is stirring a batch of apple butter--which if you have not guessed by now, is the answer to my previous post. Yep, some of you are completely clueless to the hillbilly lifestyle, but that's o.k, because we are here to live and learn. I was proud of the comment references to soap and medicine because those suggestions are plausible in content to the scene. Many of you thought that moonshine and molasses may be in the pot, but ya'll definitely need to review the 'Foxfire' series to get your facts straight. S'ok, I'll get to those subjects in time as I have a little experience in all of it. A few of you remembered to included 'Bailey' the dog in the picture. .. BUT because I must choose a winner, I have chosen Bud to receive the pint of homemade apple butter. Why? Because he looked at each character in the photo and came up with a supposed convo. Second runner-up and frankly, a toss-up in my mind, is Patrick with the awesome poem. I wish I had more than one pint of apple butter to share--but guys, makin' the stuff is hard work. Many thanks to Sally who revealed the name of the apple butter stirrer--we now know it's formal name, "Spertle".

A little interactivity

Ok, first let me say that these are a couple of my beloved neighbors and they are conjuring up an autumnal delight. Now, I beg of you to look at this photo and give me a story. What are they making? Why are they making it? What are these ladies saying to each other? And, what is Bailey ( the dog ) thinking? Trust me. I have one precious pint of 'it' to give away and the person with the most creative answer wins (make sure your email is included in your comment area so I can touch base with you).
Tom E.--I know you know the answer, so in order to win, you have to submit something extraordinary.

Color on the Parkway

On Friday I drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway from Bamboo all the way to Grandfather Mountain. I must confess that this is not the best autumn that I've seen lately, however, the worst fall in the mountain is better than the best fall in the piedmont. It is gorgeous around Green Mountain and Cold Prong areas of the Parkway...many oranges and golds. The reds are rustier than crimson these days. Next week I believe will be peak in the High Country..but it is hard to predict. All I know is that the Chamber of Commerce does not pay me for opinion and word has it that because of the bad publicity due to recent flooding...there is plenty of vacancy in the local hotels...so come on up..all is well and maybe you can strike a deal or two.