Church,Hike, Rain,Dinner out and Domino's

We had a great day and it was even better because of the 1 1/2 inches of rain this evening. Church at Cornerstone was outstanding this morning with great praise and worship music as well as a great message. Nancy and I are made to feel welcome there and we just have made so many friendships......The afternoon saw us taking a quick hike in between the rain showers but the big rain came around 4 PM until about 5:30. What a nice soaking rain with an occasional down pour.... Nancy made Paula Dean's mac and cheese and a squash casserole to take to Mechell's and Andy Dalton for dinner(supper). Her parents, Gerald and Kay where there and we ate some fresh catfish Andy and Caleb caught the day before. YUMMMM! The fish was good but not as good as the fish he catches at San Tee Lake in S.C. After we ate we had a HOT game of chicken foot domino's and Andy won again. He has uncrowned the legend(me) with his play. He has won every time we've played this summer. They sent us home with fresh lettuce, beets, a cuke and a squash from their garden. This will be short, until Later missing our babies and grand babies.

Friday was a side trip to Stuart, Va.and Sat.was helping with Angel Food Ministry

Hey all, I must apologize for not writing on Friday night but the technology of the Internet still has Allegheny County cornfused!!!! We have been off line for the Ump Time since we've been here but what the heck we're back on as we speak. So for future references if you don't hear from me for a couple of days its because we're ex-communicated from Skybest. Com...... Friday was glorious morning because you guessed it we had a beautiful rain Thursday evening with about 1/2 inch of rain. THANK YOU LORD!!!!! The grass was beginning to crack under your feet. We went to sleep with sound of rain beating on a tin roof. Oh does that bring back memories from the farm life in Virginia.....Nancy and I met up with our good friends, Joe and Helen after a early morning quiet time, assessment of deer damage(none) and oatmeal with cinnamon, honey breakfast. We struck out at 9 AM for Stuart, Va. via the Blue Ridge Parkway. What a gorgeous morning(after the last nights rain) with a freshness only found in the mountains. We turned off (BRP) onto Rt.58 and ventured into Stuart, Va. where we found several museums(civil war, Cherokee Indian and mountain folks). After the realization of walking through and seeing how much easier we have it because of the modern conveniences of today; the reality is it gives us so much more free time to have real fun like we had yesterday...... Joe and Helen remember when they came to Fairy Stone State Park when they were but youngsters with their parents in a 1933 Chevy. It was an all day trip back then as they remember. We shared a great lunch near the beach area; with home made potato salad, angel eggs(deviled), ham sandwiches, chips, home made oatmeal cookies and sweet tea. The watermelon we saved for later. After lunch we toured the beach area (we forgot to bring our bathing suits) and saw many people both young and antique enjoying the beach and swimming area. It was a well maintained area with even a snack bar and bath houses for the beach goer's. I saw something I had never seen before and that was a soda type machine that dispenses live bait. The bait include night crawlers and red worms at 3 bucks per selection. The lake looked as if it held bass and perch. I almost forgot to mention as we entered the Stuart area we came to Lovers Leap. The tale goes that an Indian maiden fell for a local guy and it was frowned upon so they decided to spent eternity together by jumping off this sharp precipice. After viewing this magnificent drop off earlier; never would we have imagined that when we returned to the BRP via Rt. 8 was at the bottom of this steep drop off. When we left Fairy Stone Park we found 2 covered bridges near the Woolwine area; the first was built in 1914 and was 48 feet long that crossed over the Smith River . We found many names craved in the bridge that date back to the 20's and 30'. Not far from this bridge we found a second bridge that was dated to back to 1921 that crossed over the Smith River that was 80 feet feet in length. This was a bridge that was unique in that it was next to local church and was used daily until 1971. Wow the both bridges were one lane and you could still hear(vivid imagination) the Model A's and Model T's as they crossed this covered marvel of the the early 1900's.....We decided it was a full day so we headed back to the modern era of Wal-Mart in Galax via Hillsville. This is a nice clean city. Before stopping at Galax we stopped at the farmers market for fresh vegetables just off I-77. Wal-Mart has become a must for us(Nancy) before calling it a day. Wow did we laugh, reminisce and have a just plain fun day especially Joe and Helen as how they remember back 70 plus years(give or take a few)......Saturday was a great day for Nancy and I as we helped to distribute 80 plus orders for the Angel Food Ministry. What a great way to introduce people to the church(Cornerstone) and other non-believers. It was a success and we are still ironing out some glitches. It sure is a way for non believers to come in contact with believers while helping out peoples food costs. It is for anyone. So just sign up and the food is quality...... This afternoon we made a convalesce call to our friend Kimberly who was thrown from a horse last week. She is very lucky to not be more seriously injured and even killed. The horse not only kicked her in the head, but stepped on her chest as well. Her biggest complaint is the left fractured ankle which has to be elevated for at least 2 weeks (Poor Eddie). Can you imagine having to listen to her for 2 weeks and putting up with her every whim. We took her a layered taco dip(at her request) and chips along with some fresh jalapeno peppers. We love her dearly and are glad to hear her "chin music" just to know she will be alright, eventually. The price you pay for friendship!!!!........ Well we are planning on taking an after dinner hike after the dishes are done and hopefully nothing news worthy will take place(except maybe some rain) until tomorrow. Later, missing our family and especially grand daughters Ava and Annsley.

Our Company Leaves, Getting Ready for Bob and Family and Hiking

Well it was another great morning, slept in until 7 AM. The temp was in the low 60's and no deer damage once again. I'm afraid if we don't soon get some rain the deer will be back in the garden looking for those young succulent plants.I have several 2-3 inch zucchini squash and the 1/2 runner beans are starting to climb. I'm hand watering every day........ The quiet time took place after Dan and Carol left at 9 AM. They were heading to New Jersey for a family wedding on Friday night. We had a great time this year with their visit as we just relaxed mostly except for Tuesday......Nancy and I changed sheets, cleaned bathroom and washed clothes before taking the first of our 2 hikes to the top. It was starting to get warm by the time we got back and it was lunch time. After a lunch of leftover Mexican food, salad and smoked chicken I gave the safety gates a second coat of polyurethane and Nancy made oatmeal cookies for tomorrow's picnic with Helen and Joe.......Wow it was really getting warm so we moved inside the house which was quite comfortable due to a breeze and being in the shade. Nancy and I both read for a couple of hours, right up until dinner time....... We had salmon on the grille with Lima beans and angle hair pasta with garlic and fresh basil.YUMMMM!!!After we both did the dishes I went out to hand water the vegetable gardens and Nancy did her flower gardens. It was really starting to cool off so we took another hike to the top then down a loggers road (through the devastation) and back to the bottom of the hill at Jodie and Gerald's. We walked up the trail by their new cabin and could smell the odor of polyurethane. It looks like they are staring to finish the inside of their place,Yea Jodie will be pleased to hear that news........ Well today was a nothing exciting day after a melancholy morning as once again its just the 2 of us, however tomorrow will be a different day as we are planning a side trip. Will give you all the details, plus pics tomorrow night....Later missing our family and grand babies.

Relaxing Day, a Hike and a Mexican dinner

Well the morning was a cool 55 degrees, no deer damage and a great quiet time. We just kinda lazed around with no real agenda as Dan and Carol will be in the car tomorrow all day so we decided to stay around the cabin..... Nancy made her signature buckwheat pancakes, eggs and turkey sausage, YUMMMM........ Dan and I hit the badminton birdie for about a 1/2 hour before taking a hike. We decided to take a hike to the top but as we neared the top it was really starting to get HOT, so we decided to go back down the golf cart trail and walk along the back road in the shade. We came back down from the hike and had a salad lunch then sat around and read,discussed and went on line...... Carol needed a pedicure so she had a 6 PM appointment in Sparta. We had to go by the post office and pick up a certified letter from the mapping district as they are about to vote on changing our 911 address plus our mailing address in July at the next county meeting......We had a chance to show them our new church building and facilities before heading to the Mexican Restaurant in Sparta for dinner. Dan and I had chicken fajitas and the girls had taco's and burritos along with refried beans and rice. The salsa and chips are very good, over all the diner is a keeper and we willl eat there again....... After we dropped Carol off for her pedicure, Dan and I gassed up for their trip tomorrow. We came back and got to know the pedicurist and invited her to worship with us on Sunday at Cornerstone. She said she would be there........ Well, we have had a good time with Dan and Carol and will miss them and all the fun we had together. We didn't take any pics today but will do better tomorrow. Later missing all our loved ones and especially Ava and Annsley.

Day Trip to Lexington, Nascar Museum, Subway,Winery,Timberlake,Carlson's and dinner in Elkins

The day started out with no deer damage(YEA) and a cool fresh start for another beautiful mountain morning. Oh how we love to savor these special moments when all your surroundings are GOD made; air never breathed before, blue skies(heavens) and the beauty of the ornaments that's are found in our flower and vegetable gardens in bloom....... We started out for a 11 hour day which just flew by. We shared these past couple of days with our neighbors and good friends Carol and Dan from Florida.We have been neighbors, friends, parents and grandparents together while just living a stone throw away in Seminole. Strangers are always asking the girls(Nancy and Carol) if they are sisters, or twins even once if they were mother and daughter(what a laugh we get from that one and neither will admit to being the daughter)....... Nancy and I visited Lexington a couple of weeks ago with Helen and Joe, so we were lost only half the time. We made it to the Richard Childress Racing museum in Welcome,N.C. The museum was first class with so many race cars and memorabilia from way back when stock car racing first begun. The late Dale Earnhart was the drawing card as he collected several championship for RCR(Richard Childress Racing). One observation we noted on the roll cage of Earnharts #3 race car was Phil.4:13 I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me. I was a little taken back(when I read this) as Dale was know as the Intimidator and one not know as a believer(by his racing actions) until after his death. We also saw several large mounted animals; polar and black bears, buffalo, elk, ox musks, wolves, foxes, turkeys, deer, fish and birds that he had killed. The display was in good taste and stressed conservation through responsible harvesting..... Before we knew it lunch time had arrived so the nearest lunch place was a Subway, where we ate a foot long..... We then headed over to the Richard Childress Winery where we were once again impressed with the building and the vineyards. We tasted some of the "fruit of the vine" and was again impressed by a phrased craving in the woodwork of 1 Tim. 5:23 "stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and frequent illness."As we left the building we saw the owner, Childress himself walking out. We managed to speak to him and take a snapshot...... The day wouldn't have been complete if we hadn't visited the Bob Timberlake Gallery. Nancy found a small table made out of a sawed slab of timber with what looked like Mountain Laurel legs, so she has found my next project. We did get a manly photo of Dan and I on either side of a Porker( the town of Lexington is inundated with casts of pigs everywhere) before heading out to the Carlson's in Clemmons. On the way we stopped and made copies of pics at Walgreens. ..... The visit to the Carlson's was short and sweet. The Botbyls had never had the chance to visit their big, beautiful new home since moving here from Florida...... After leaving Clemmons we headed back to the mountains to the lower temps but on the way we stopped in Elkin for dinner(supper up here) at a very nice with good Italian food restaurant called Masullini's(not sure about the spelling but its easy to find in Elkin). I ate my first strombolli, YUMMMM..... We came back and ended the evening with fresh popped corn and playing "chicken foot dominoes" with Carol being the winner. Later missing all our babies and grand babies.

Hiking twice today, relaxing and Dan keeping the squirrels and rabbits on the run

Today was a relaxing day with not much of anything going on. Just enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and gentle breeze with our Florida friends, The Botbyl's....... After the usual start with checking for deer damage and none was found.The yard and garden got a good drink last night after a midnight thunderstorm. The rain was hard for a short time and the lightening was fierce......After a Quiet Time we had a lite breakfast while Dan and Carol slept in. We finally hit the trail around 10 AM and walked for about 1 1/2hours. The girls found a semi - comatose lunar moth and both girls thought it would look nice as a pin on their tops...... We had some awesome salsa and chips for lunch(the chives, jalapeno peppers and dill came from my garden)then kind of relaxed reading(Dan), sun bathing on the deck(Nancy and Carol) and myself working in an around in the garden. Dan managed to whack a few squirrels and a rabbit with a BB gun. No injury to them but its fun to see them run and hide. After an early dinner of left over smoked chicken, macaroni salad, salsa and regular salad we took another long hike. This time we walked to the very top(old Lundquist Place) what a stroll that was..... We came back and decided it was smores time so a nice campfire was made and we indulged ourselves. It was after 9PM and we decided in order to get an early start for our adventure trip to Lexington tomorrow we would turn in before 11PM... Just got word of the blog for the summer camp youths to Lakeland where our son, Bobby will be speaking.... Missing our babies and grand babies and all our family. Later

Worship,Smoking chickens and Playing Golf

The morning was just another absolutely beautiful one with coolness in the air and the clear blue North Carolina skies. The trip into Sparta to worship at Cornerstone was marked by a beautiful majestic buck standing down in a holler watching us drive by. The praise and worship music lifted your spirits, along with the warm fellowship of those attending made it great to give thanks for another day......We stopped at Lowes grocery for a few things as well as Hawks for some tomato's and peaches. Lunch was leftover's from our get together yesterday with the Carlson's.... Well I tried something I had heard a lot about and that was "beer in the bottom" chicken. Actually I used 2 Dr.Pepper can 's as I only had bottled beer bought for that purpose. I filled the chickens with fresh rosemary(from my herb patch) and Nancy rubbed them down with olive oil and I stuck a potato in the hole where the neck would be. Plugged it up nicely then I poured beer in the pop cans and set those hens(actually that what you do when you want little diddles or baby chicks) on the bottom rung of my smoker and filled it with water soaked oak wood. I put them on at 1:00PM and took them off at 5:45 PM. just after our company arrived. (Sorry about no picture of them but I forgot as we were interrupted by our friends arrival)..........Well dinner I must say was one of the best smoked chicken ever. I even ate the potato's plugging up the neck hole. The fresh broccoli and salad(with kale from my garden was superb) as well as the fresh jalapeno pepper on the baked potato's (also from my garden) complimented the chicken. YUUMMMMM!!!! After dinner we sat around and visited, exchanging "whats a happening in the hood" at home. We then played 15 holes of golf (card game) instead of the 18 holes as we became very sleepy. Dan and Carol drove all day from St.Augustine, Fl..... Tomorrow will be a laid back, sleep late, a hike or two day. Well I failed to take any pics at all today but will make up for it tomorrow....... We did get a little rain this evening(hoping for a lot more). Later , missing our babies and grand babies

A Fun Day on the Longest Day of the year!!!

Well, the day started out as usual with 60 degrees and the look of rain. We did get a small shower during the night but not enough to measure. We could use some rain as the grass isn't growing(kinda nice so I don't have to mow as often) and I'm hand watering the garden and flower beds. I have several small zucchini's on the vine so won't be long until we have grilled zucchini, fried zucchini and zucchini pie, YUMM. I hated squash went I was young but my taste buds have changed and now I would eat it every day or every other day. Nancy even makes a great squash casserole...... I finally got to use the new bench in the woods for some quiet time.... After breakfast I managed to polyurethane the new safety gates for the stairs and the picture painting Nancy did for a neighbor...... Nancy made a super corn casserole and macaroni salad for the afternoon cookout of roasted weiners and hamburgers for our company. They arrived around 1PM and stayed until after 9PM. We had a great time visiting, playing, hiking and of course eating. The Carlson's are long time friends from Florida who moved to Clemmons,N.C. about a 2 year's ago. We were close to them as he was our youth pastor and leader for our children in Seminole. We have pics of their 3 girls visiting our cabin when they were but babies, so they have know our place here as well as in Seminole, all of their lives. The girls are now in the 10th,8th and 7th grades. They are such a delight and are very athletic as we played tons of badminton, pitched soft ball and even played around with a volleyball as well as took a nice long hike to the top of the mountain. We finished the evening playing "chicken foot" dominoes while polishing off a whole apple pie(Jenny made) with vanilla ice cream. Yummm.... Just an update on 2 of our local mountain friends who are hurting; Ray was in the hospital in Elkin over night for abdominal pain. The doctors were unable to find anything after all the tests were complete and he is back home, Kimberly our raucous Sequence player and long time friend was bucked off a horse on Friday and was nearly very seriously injured. She suffered a fractured ankle, was kicked in the head(actually hurt the horses foot with her hard head) and her chest was stepped on. She is a hurting girl but nothing that won't heal, except her pride as she is quite a "horse person."We love both Ray and Kimberly and are thankful they are both well enough to be home......Well after a full day we gearing up for arrival of our friends, Dan and Carol Botbyl from Florida. They plan to arrive on Sunday evening and will stay to Thursday morning before going on to New Jersey. Later, missing our babies and grand babies

Today was a Day Trip adventure to; Boone,Blowing Rock, Triplett and Todd

WOW!!!! What a great day we(Nancy, Joe, Helen) had and the weather was absolutely perfect. The morning started out the usual way with checking for deer damage(none), a peaceful quiet time and hand watering all the new plants. The temp was a nice 54 degrees with sunshine.We met up at Helen's at 9 AM and started out........ First we had to stop at the county building and submit 2 new names for our driveway now the Jodi and Gerald are building their new cabin off what use to be our driveway. There will come a time that our 911 address(and mailing address) will change from 21 Eagles Nest Lane to one of the 2 names both Gerald and I submitted. We will let all of you know when(and if) that takes place before we head back to Florida for the winter.......... We headed down N.C.18 to Boone and then to the little town of Blowing Rock where we made our second stop of the day. We then headed to Storie Street Grill for lunch as it was pushing 11:30. This grill is so popular (Nancy and I have eaten there twice before with our neighbor and friends, the Botbyls) so we decided and early lunch was better than having to wait. I had eaten the meat loaf before and it was yummy so we all had the same meat course with each of having different sides. The portion was huge and very good and we detected the herb fennel, which added to its unique and distinct flavor....After eating we strolled down main street and visited several shops(tourist traps) stopping at the Mast General Store outlet. They are very popular with selling candy(old fashion) by the pound. Some of us have a sweet tooth and bought more than the rest.(No names mention,but it wasn't Joe or I). After leaving the Mast Store we crossed over to Memorial Park. There we observed the names of men who had died during; WWI, WWII, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars. One name stood out and that was Dillard Triplett(unknown if all we shared was the same last name) who was killed in WWII..... We decided we wanted to visit the town Triplett which according to map quest was within a few miles of Boone. We checked with several people(who cautioned us about going there)and finally decided what the heck. Well the road was Elk Creek Road and it was one of the crooked 2 lanes roads ever going down the mountain. There was an isolated building or two and not much of anything else except lots of dirt roads with signs warning private drives or private roads. Well we finally got near to the bottom of the mountain and there was an area that had a sign indicating this was a place to bring you refuse, garbage or whatever was to be disposed. Thinking there had to be more we drove on and saw nothing but trees, rocks and drop offs. We pulled off and waved down a car that came up behind us who slowed and stopped and this man(right out of Deliverance) came back to our car. He had tattoo's, rotten teeth and looked as if his genetic tree didn't fork. He said this area is Triplett as there were no stores, no streets, no town. So we went back to the garbage disposal area where there was an official Triplett sign.......After going back up the mountain we then headed to Todd and the famous Todd General Store. Again the road was very "out in the the boonies" and not much different than Triplett except there was this old building filled with stuff(junk) that was probably discarded at one time and brought back to sell as antiques to tourist. This place wasn't worth burning or the merchandise(junk) in it...... Well all was not lost on these 2 towns as we headed back to West Jefferson. Truly a beautiful small town with a Super Wal-Mart. Yep we had to stock up for company this week end.... The day was a fun, adventurous day with good food and lots of laughter. Nancy nearly worn the floorboard out pushing on her imaginary brake. Missing all of our family and especially Ava and Annsley. Annsley will be here on the 2nd of July for a week. Later.

Gardening, Making safety gates and Hiking

It was another North Carolina morning with a coolness and stillness that can only be found in the mountains. My how much we yearn for mornings like the one we had this AM. The birds(robins, wrens and blue jays just to name a few were trying to out do the other with their songs. The gentle breeze made the air feel colder than the 50 degrees at 7 AM..... After a quick trip around the yard and gardens with my steaming cup of hot green tea(I quit drinking coffee a few years ago and turned to Earl Greys) I was happy to find no deer damage. There is a worm however; that is having a picnic every night with one of my cherry tomato plants which is loaded with about 2 dozen green tomato's...... The cool morning forced us both inside for our quiet time. I sometime use Ron Hutchcraft's web site for many of my morning meditations......After a hearty breakfast of buckwheat pancakes, eggs and King syrup(I remember using this syrup when I was but a small boy; as a matter of fact it was once distributed in a little bucket with a picture of a lion on it. I always will remember picking up "molly " grubs and placing them in one of these King syrup buckets)." Enough remembering back 55 + years......Nancy and I took a long walk to the top and then down a side of the mountain we hadn't walked in year. Boy was it steep, but the cool air made for a pleasant hike.....After a lunch of potato soup(leftover from last night) and peanut butter crackers with a slice of raw onion. UGH!!!Sounds awful but try it(and Nancy did and she was surprised at how good it tasted) it is a comfort food for me; as Nancy finds mayo,pickles and lettuce on a sandwich is comfort food for her.......Jill (our daughter-in-law) wrote to say Annsley(9 months) is crawling everywhere and that she is fast, so there is a concern about the steep stairs in the cabin. So I put the trusty table saw to work and whipped(4 hours) out 2 sets of safety gates; 1 for the downstairs and 1 in case she tries to climb up the stairs..... We got a sad but not unexpected phone call telling us that Aunt Peggy(my age) is terminal with cancer and only has 1-2 days at the most to live. She has battled this for a couple of years....After dinner(supper) we took another walk to the top and saw Mike and Nancy Carmichael, who we haven't since September. They have a beautiful real log home on top. As we walked further along the top we ran into Bill and Cindy Leslie who we haven't seen for over a year or more. We talked as fast as we could(it seemed) trying to catch up on all the latest about each others families. They live full time in Raleigh where he is a T.V.anchorman. Well better go for now as we have a trip planned for tomorrow. Later, missing all of our family and especially our grand daughters. We just got a concerned phone call that our neighbor Ray Todd is in the Elkin hospital because of abdominal pain.

Brrrr this AM, 2 good hikes, woods bench installed long with 20 bean poles

What a cool morning this AM!!! Down to 48 on the porch at 7 AM and breezy.That wind really made it feel like winter in Florida. Nancy had on her sweat clothes all day and I wore the flannel shirt until lunch. The skies were cloudless with bright sunshine. After our morning ritual of checking the garden and flower beds for deer damage we retreated to the warm cabin for our quiet time. Afterwards we were able to get on the Internet(rare occurrence these days) and check in with many of our favorites. After breakfast I hand watered all of the new seedlings and vegetable plants...... Nancy emerged from the cabin dressed like it was Alaska. We headed up the back trail from our cabin(we no longer use the road because our neighbors have 30+ pit bull dogs)which is quite steep.I later came back after lunch and did some pruning on the bushes and trees that line this trail,as well as cut some steps into the bank with a hoe. We saw Fred Fuller, who is building a large new home on top and spoke with him momentarily, before noticing how much colder it was on top because of the wind. Down on the back side road it was definitely warmer. It seems on top its always; hotter, colder, and windier than down below at our place...... The hike took us through an area which had recently been logged. What a mess these loggers(all loggers) leave behind with so much waste and a complete change of scenery. It will take several years before the undergrowth will grow tall enough to hide this devastation......After the hike it was time to set my bean poles for the 1/2 runner beans. These are the best tasting green beans you will ever put in your mouth. Hopefully by the 4 th of July we will have our first mess....After a great lunch of a leftover catfish fillet and salad I headed to the back area to install a bench seat....... I had cut down some large pines last year and allowed them to cure(the sap or rosin is gone). I then wedged the pine log between 2 trees that were about 4 feet apart. Next I took a finished board and fastened it to the top of the log. This bench seat will be there permanent but I will be able to take the board you sit on off for the winter.....Nancy spent all afternoon painting a cabin scene on a board. She really does a good job. She has painted(created) many scenes for our cabin and they just make our place more unique. I later helped her by cutting out the frame and painting it for her..... Dinner was a good potato soup and salad as the evening was brisk in the shade. After doing the dishes we headed out on a final hike of the day and actually came in the cabin before dark which is very unusual. It will be another extra blanket night. Later, missing all of our families and especially the grand daughters.

Planting,Weeding,Hiking putting up a Birdhouse and Cutting bean poles

Wow it was a crisp morning and supposed to be even crispier in the AM. Nancy and I after our quiet time took a long hike to the top and took some pics of Bull Head and towards Mt.Rodgers(Virginia). The air was so clear it looked(3-D) as if you could reach out and touch the next ridge. It was a bit breezy at times and Nancy wore a sweat shirt all day....... We took a golf cart ride just before lunch and saw Tommy Brown moving a large modular building up our back road to his place. It was huge and the movers where breaking tree limbs(with the building) as they moved to the top through the woods. We saw one of Mr. Blackie's buddy's sunning himself along our back trail.......After lunch I worked on getting Nancy's birdhouse ready for installation; painting 3 coats on the base plus a coat of polyurethane on the house itself, digging a post hole and cutting the post. While waiting for the paint to dry in between coats I transplanted some okra, beets and zinnias......While Nancy got the house ready for guests this Saturday; the Carlsons are coming for the afternoon and we will cook some wieners over the fire on sticks and hamburgers on the grill. We will play a little badminton to work up the appetite....... Sunday the Botbyl's will come for 4 nights and 3 days as they will arrive Sunday evening. They missed a visit last year so much has changed since they were last here....... I cut 20+ bean poles for my 1/2 runners as they are starting to send out runners. After a supper of the best catfish we've eaten in a long time(thanks to Andy Dalton who caught these in Lake San tee, South Carolina) we took another walk to the top and saw the building Tommy had moved on to the back of his property. Matt( their yard man and our mail carrier) said he was going to use it for storage....... We came back down only to find where the deer had eaten our lily's in the back yard to the ground. Oh well tonight could be a restless night as our hosta's are growing out from when the deer ate them before we came up. Nancy and I watered the gardens by hand and then had a nice campfire, hopping the smoke will keep the deer away...... Later missing our babies and grand babies and of course all of you as well.

Transplanted some beets, bleached the house and took 2 hikes

Hey to all it was 52 degrees this AM. Nancy had her sweat suit and I had a flannel shirt on until I started moving about. The morning was still and the air was sweet with the fragrance of summer. The birds are busy especially the robins and are they fat. After my quiet time with the Creator it was time to get moving. I transplanted several hills of beets an put a load of clothes in the washing machine. Monday was always wash day when I was growing up........ After breakfast I took the first of 2 hikes to the top today. When we reached the trail that borders the back of our property we came upon the carcass of a new fawn(baby deer) that was hours old. There were 2 large dogs near the carcass but was unsure if they killed it or found it dead. We checked later this evening as we took our second hike and the carcass was gone with no trace that it had even been there.......I started bleaching the exterior Hemlock boards of the cabin. I took a bean sprayer and filled it with pure bleach and started spraying the black mildew that had accumulated since we had last been here(8 month ago). I finally finished up around 5 PM. Nancy was able to finish painting her fake birdhouse that I built last week. We had left over spaghetti for supper then took a golf cart ride out to the mail box. Later missing our babies and grand babies

Nursery duty at church, hiking and out to dinner for Fathers Day

It was 58 this morning with clear blue skies. Nancy and I both had on flannel shirts while we wondered outside checking the gardens for overnight deer damage. Thus far in the past 2 weeks we have had no damage. If you noticed all of the white shopping bags tied or hanging everywhere they are deer deflectors. It seems anything that moves or flutters cause the deer to be skittish of the area. So far there has been plenty of natural browse(due to the rain showers) for them to eat thus sparing my garden......We traveled to Cornerstone Fellowship( contemporary worship music) and took our turn working in the nursery. That had become one of our focuses at our home church in Seminole. Nancy and I feel a great need to serve others especially new families with small children. We had 6 youngster's in the nursery which is the same amount we have in our large urban church. WOW!!! Brian and his staff of volunteers are reaching out to this mountain community while making a difference for sharing Christ......After a light lunch(we knew we were going out for Father' Day dinner later) we took a hike up to the top. The air was clean and crisp especially as you walked in the shade of those tall trees and the visibility was such you could see approximately 70 miles to down town Winston-Salem...... Made it back in plenty of time to water the new seedlings and plants before heading over to Helen's and then over to pick up her brother, Joe. We went to Mt. Surf for dinner and was this restaurant full(no waiting)but it has been years since we had eaten there. There was free dessert for all fathers so we brought ours home as Joe had made one of his famous lemon pound cakes. We had a good meal(grilled pork chops was the special) at a reasonable price and then headed back to Joe's for cake and ice cream. Yumm!!...... While at Joe's the bunny rabbits were everywhere as well as 2 turkey hens and 12 little diddles(baby chicks) were out for a Sunday stroll (or trot)... We made it back before dark and managed a few laps round the cabin(outside) to help ease the full tummy feeling. I want to say Thanks to my son,Bobby and daughter, Amy for their thoughtfulness on this special day. I love you guys and to Helen and Joe for sharing this day with us, we love you guys as well .....Later missing our babies and grand babies.

Buckwheat Pancakes,Leaf and String Festival and Sequence

What a beautiful morning with the cool, clean fresh air. Air that no one has ever breathed before. It was the start of a new day and with it comes the opportunity to spend a few minutes with the Creator. WOW!! If that doesn't get your motor running........ Nancy and I checked out all the gardens and lots of the new grass seeds are finally starting to sprout after the rain shower last evening. Several hills of potato's are breaking through this tough clay ground along with beets and beans.The rain showers have made such a difference with not only the gardens but the temperature as well. Nancy is running around with a sweat shirt on......What a great breakfast of buckwheat pancake's with King syrup, eggs and sausage with horseradish. That meal lasted us until 4 PM when we brought home a Lil Caesar's pizza from Galax. Early we went to Galax to see the ole' time pickers of Bluegrass and Mountain Music. While there we visited the Framers Daughter boutique where a familiar artist was doing a signing of her works. We have several P.Buckley Moss prints as she has a gallery and studio in St.Petersburg, Florida. Pat is a very personable person and it seems she remembered us from a couple of years ago. Nancy bought 2 children's book which she had illustrated and signed for each Ava Mae and Annsley Elizabeth(our granddaughters). We also saw one of the vendors who has a new craft shop in Allegheny and we invited the owners to our church(Cornerstone Fellowship) and they have been attending ever since........We made it back to the cabin around 3:30 PM in a nice rain shower. We then got ready for the group that was coming at 7 PM. We had Ray & Audine, Eddie & Kimberly and Grant & Shirley. Nancy made a Salsa with fresh Jalapeno peppers from my garden, Kimberly brought brownies and Shirley made a cherry pie. Yumm!!! It was raucous as usual with gals beating us 5 to 4(first time this year-Jodi's doesn't count). The day was a play day and fun. Until later missing our babies and grand babies.