Laura

“For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather; to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands." -- Christina Rossetti

My sister was five years younger than I. For many years that seemed like a huge gap. She was the baby of the family, and I was often jealous of her, though I still loved her deeply. She was precocious for sure. She was a one-of-a kind individual, and we never knew what she would be into next.

When she was little and just beginning to talk, she was like our free home-entertainment system. Someone in the family would just say a word, and then she would start talking. Sometimes it made sense, sometimes it didn't. It didn't matter. She could talk forever about that one word, or at least until we threw out a new word. As she grew older, she was able to sing a song that went with any word or situation that drew her attention. This was sometimes entertaining and sometimes, like on long car trips, very irritating. Another special gift she possessed was the ability to come up with an applicable movie/tv quote at a second's notice. This particular gift brought me hours of entertainment!

Naptime when she was young could often be a time of surprise and apprehension for my parents. Once she woke up from her nap with a comb rolled up in her long, fine hair all the way to her scalp. It took my mom forever to cut out each tooth of the comb without also cutting too much of Laura's hair. Another time she woke up with a metal washer on her finger. As she slept, her finger had swollen, and my parents could not remove the washer. As they discussed what should be done, my dad kept saying that they'd have to cut it off. Laura, thinking he meant her finger, would scream hysterically. They tried soap and water, lotion, oil. all to no avail. Upon someone's advice, they finally took her, crying maniacally, to the dentist! The dentist used his drill and cut the washer (not her finger) off quickly and carefully. Crisis averted. Naptime was always an adventure for Laura.

Laura seemed to get every sickness that came around. When she was four, she was ill with a terrible case of pneumonia. She was in the hospital for a long time, and for part of that time she hung perilously close to death. My parents were with her 24 hours a day, so my brother and I stayed with friends. It was an awful time for all of us. I was worried about my little sister, and I missed my mom dreadfully. It was the only time I remember losing my temper at school. (That was strange because I was known for losing my temper often at home.) It was a joyful time when she was at last well enough to come home, and our lives returned to normal. This bout with pneumonia left her very susceptible to future illnesses, and we were always hyper-aware of her picking up germs somewhere.

Laura, like most people, was a person of paradoxes. She was terrified of anyone dressed up as a character, like Santa Claus, Disney characters, or Chuck E. Cheese. This terror followed her even into middle school. I remember once when Laura visited me while I was in college. A group of us went to Chuck E. Cheese's for our after-cafeteria-dinner meal, and 8th grade Laura went along. Even at that age, she refused to go anywhere near that mouse! On the other hand, Laura's bravery was often quite evident. At 10 years old, she decided to get her ears pierced and jumped heroically into the chair; I was 15 and meekly followed along, petrified the entire time and close to passing out. I would never have gone through with it without her leading. Her amazing courage was also evident in her ability to perform wonderfully and with no outward fear at a very early age. She played piano for our uncle's wedding when she was only 11 years old, played in church every Sunday from middle school on, and was the star of every recital she was ever in.

The two of us shared a room for many years. Her messy nature did not always go well with my compulsively neat nature. I would get so frustrated when I would come in the room after school and find drawers halfway open and clothes or toys out of place. She also made herself at home with my stuff when I was at school. I still remember the broken Brady Bunch record and all the books that she wrote in, using her made-up cursive letters. On the other hand, I also remember having someone to snuggle up to in bed, someone to whisper with in the night, someone to read books to. Some of Laura's favorites were Mr. Pine's Mixed-Up Signs, The Fire Cat, and A Present for the Princess. The most special thing was having someone who shared the same experiences I had. We didn't just share a room;  we shared life.

Laura was always a source of joy, laughter, love, and entertainment. From her ability to recite certain television or movie passages to her amazing talent on the piano, she always seemed to be in performance mode. She loved making others laugh and loved laughing along with them. There was a softer side to her too. She never forgot a birthday or an anniversary and always put people before tasks. She could light up a room with her smile. My sister, though five years younger than I, was someone I have set my heart on emulating. She was and always will be my dearest friend.

Peaceful Weekend In Western North Carolina

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” -- John Lubbock

I recently took Kathryn and Saber on a much-needed, much-deserved long weekend away -- away from sewing masks until the middle of the night, away from standing on tired feet for hours on end helping customers and then cutting out masks, away from hours and hours of hard work and an unending attempt to power through this difficult financial time that our whole world is locked in. I chose as our destination the mountains, rivers and lakes of western North Carolina. We stayed in Flat Rock but visited Saluda and Hendersonville during our sojourn there.

Our hotel was Mill House Lodge in Flat Rock. (link below) The lodge was a collection of older buildings nestled around a lovely lawn and shimmering lake. The buildings, though older, were picturesque and well-maintained. Our room was on the second floor and had a balcony which faced the lake. We had a small suite with a sofa bed for me and a separate bedroom for them. We also had a fully-equipped kitchen and a table that was great for holding the puzzle we worked on over the weekend. Beside the lake sat some picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, a deck area, and canoes and pedal boats free for all to use. The lodge also had a pool with a cabana-type area and adequate seating around the pool. The whole place was the epitome of "peace" to me. I would go out on the balcony early each morning and just soak in the quiet and the essence of mountain air.  It rained a good deal while we were there, but even the rain could not detract from the utter peacefulness of this place.

We planned only a couple of excursions since the point of the trip was for the two hard workers to get some relaxation. Our first planned adventure was to go tubing on the Green River. I set it up with Living Waters Tubing. (link below) There are several tubing companies on the river, all in close proximity to each other. After reading the reviews, I chose Living Waters because they were highly recommended due to their kindness and customer interaction. We found those recommendations to be accurate. We did a 2 hour trip and loved all 120 minutes of it. Saber is not a swimmer, and Living Waters provided him with a life jacket. The Green River is not a lazy river and has several class 1 and 2 rapids along the way. I was a little worried about how Saber would handle it (as was his mother far away in Afghanistan) and insisted he wear the life-saving device. He handled the rapids and the river remarkably well and was ecstatic about the entire ride. He exclaimed that it was one of the best days he's had since he's been in the United States! I personally enjoyed the mindless floating parts better than the rock-riddled rapids, but those areas weren't too scary or anything. 

Our other excursion was not quite as exciting and was actually a little of a let-down to me. We went "gem mining" at Elijah Mountain Gem Mines. I realize were weren't actually gem mining and have participated in other rock-sifting situations before. I knew what to expect as far as that went. Elijah Mountain Gem Mining itself was a little disappointing. The build-up online was a little inflated. It was just a place on the side of the road near other buildings and houses. They had goats, a small store, and a little trail down to a brook out back. That was it. We did "find" some pretty rocks and plan to do some polishing up soon. What I found to be more fun was the Rudnick Nature Trail we found not too far from our gem mining location. This trail is maintained my UNC Asheville and meandered through trees, meadows, and near a creek. We walked about a mile in and then had to turn around when I kind of tore my finger open on a thorn. (It wasn't too bad, but those of you who know me know about my issue with blood. I had to get back to the car! No jeering from the sidelines; the fear of blood is real and scary!!!)

One of Kathryn's favorite parts of the trip was visiting several little shops. The two best were less than 1/2 a mile from our lodge. Her favorite of those two (and her favorite of the whole trip) was Dogwood. It was small but held the work of several artists, some fair trade merchandise, and many interesting items. Nearby was also The Wrinkled Egg. It was larger and a little more touristy. I got a couple of journals on sale there. We also visited some shops in Hendersonville. The problem there was that because of COVID, most of the downtown shops and restaurants are keeping shorter hours. We got there around 5 and barely had time to visit the stores. We went to Mast General Store and a couple other little places before everything shut down for the night. In Saluda we visited Thompson's Store which I found to be delightful. It was one of those old places where you can purchase your nails by the pound, your vegetables from a neighbor's garden, and grab some ice-cream on the way out. We also did a quick tour of the Saluda Train Museum. Saluda is famous for having the steepest gauge railroad line in US history.

We also did some eating on this trip. The Flat Rock Village Bakery was a short walk away, and I took full advantage of that place. It was awesome. Make sure you get there early because they sell out fast. We also ate at the Campfire Grill in Flat Rock, as well as the Flat Rock Wood Room where I ate on my last trip. In Hendersonville we ate at Mezzaluna because it was about the only thing open. My favorite meal was in Saluda. We ate at The Purple Onion, and it was delicious. Eating in their outdoor area made it even more enjoyable. The meal was made even better by the lovely surroundings.

The 3 above are from Campfire Grill.

These two are from The Purple Onion. The first was scrumptious crab dip. We dug in immediately as we were starving after tubing. It looked as good as it tasted, take my word for it.

One example of a pastry from the bakery. This was a almond fig pinwheel. It was good, but the chocolate bearclaw (not pictured because of speedy consumption while walking) was amazing!

Overall, this was a wonderful trip. Saber and I even got to see a quirky weird truck on the drive back. (Kathryn was, of course, asleep.) We had fun. We relaxed. We took a boat ride and laid by the pool. We watched mindless television. We shared enjoyable times that will now become enjoyable memories that we can look back on together. We rested but were not idle. I highly recommend it!

A look at the strange truck on the interstate coming home. The top of the cab and hood were covered with small plastic toys!

Links:
Mill House Lodge, Flat Rock

Living Waters Tubing, Saluda

Dogwood, Flat Rock

The Wrinkled Egg, Flat Rock

Village Bakery, Flat Rock

Purple Onion, Saluda

Another Day of My Unplanned Trip -- Flint Creek

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." -- Nelson Mandela

I have been spending most of this unplanned vacation visiting with my parents and escaping from life's responsibilities. Today we took a family trip to Flint Creek Water Park.  Our day turned out to be more like two hours because of a rain that would not end, but it was still nice to go. It brought back several memories from childhood. One of these memories has become a story that I often relate it to my students, to their great enjoyment. Because of this story, one of my students once convinced his grandmother to drive several miles out of their way in order to see the famous Flint Creek. I will share the story with all of you, in hopes that it will remind you of memories from your own past, memories that maybe you need to share with the next generation.

One very special Mississippi summer tradition was spending time at Flint Creek. We went on picnics after church on Sundays with extended family and friends.

We camped and swam and enjoyed every outdoor activity you can imagine. Back then, Flint Creek was simply a huge tent and camper campground surrounding a huge, quiet lake nestled in the piney woods of Wiggins, Mississippi. The three of us kids along with our mom would accompany another family of three kids and their mom for an awesome week of camping, swimming, bike riding, and eating. The other family, the Smiths, had a camper, and we had a spacious two-room tent. We would pack all of our stuff, including bikes into our station wagon and the Smith’s double-cab pick-up, which also pulled their camper. The fun began on the way up as the four oldest of the six kids got to ride in the back of the truck for the 45 minute drive north. We spent the entire 45 minutes pumping our arms up and down at truck drivers, signaling them to honk their horns for us.

Once we arrived, there was a rush to get unloaded, put the tent up, and arrange all of our belongings. We kids were wild with excitement, chomping at the bit to get into the water. Finally the moms were ready, and we hauled giant, black, rubber, truck inner-tubes spouting long metal intake valves to the nearest swimming area, racing like maniacs to be the first in the water. We floated, swam, dunked each other, jumped from the floating platform, flipped each other’s inner-tubes, and just generally enjoyed the lake.

When we had finally exhausted ourselves, we made our way back to our campsite and put away a mountain of sandwiches, chips, and homemade cookies. We would usually rest for a little while, playing games, reading, biking in circles around our campsite, or napping until we could return to the swimming hole for an afternoon repeat of the morning’s enjoyment. As evening approached, we knew the moms would prepare an amazing dinner with the goal of satisfying six starving children. After dinner we rode our bikes, ran around, or cooled off in the camper before finally crawling into our sleeping bags in the tent and falling asleep to the accompaniment of crickets, frogs, and the sound of the wind brushing through the pines.

One memorable summer, the moms thought it would be fun to ride our bikes around the lake. They had heard that a dirt trail went around the whole lake and thought it would be a fun early-morning activity. We, of course, were game. My sister, still too young to ride her own bike, was in a seat on the back of my mom’s bike, but the rest of us rode our own bikes. The eight of us set off right after breakfast. As we competed to be first in line or fell behind in order to race to catch up, we just enjoyed the fun of a new adventure. For the first hour... As time passed however, we gradually became less exuberant. We rode a little slower and let our moms take the lead. For the second hour... As more time passed, we began to regret not bringing more food and drink. We began to clamor for turning back, but our moms encouraged us to push forward, sure that we were close to the end. For the third hour... The trail began to close in with overhanging branches, and swarms of mosquitoes viciously attacked us. We had to push our bikes through narrow passes and across sandy ruts. The mild summer morning turned into a scorching, humid Mississippi day. The moms began to glance at each other and finally to question their knowledge of the length of the trail. There were some hysterics on my part; I was known for being the drama queen of the group. I wailed that we would never see our fathers or civilization ever again, would die of hunger or thirst, would be eaten by animals and never found. One of the boys suggested smoke signals to alert the authorities of our location. What had begun as an exciting adventure was quickly turning into the tragic ending of our short lives.

The moms made us push forward, hoping against hope that we were nearer to the end than to the beginning. We had eaten the sandwiches we brought for lunch and finished almost all the liquid refreshment we had brought along. The moms knew that the situation was desperate and seriously began to question what they would do if we didn't find the way out of our situation very soon. After about five hours, our trail intersected a small paved road, and we knew we had made it back to civilization. A little further on, we saw the camp office and began a tired celebration as we crossed the dam and headed toward our campsite. (I think I may even have jumped off my bike and kissed the ground.) We had survived! We tumbled tiredly off of our bikes, begged for food and water, and fell on the ground. Quickly the moms revived us with food and drink. As close to death as we had been, we were able to recuperate quickly. We enjoyed the rest of that week and several other camping trips after that, but there would never be another bike ride around Flint Creek.  We began retelling our trip to each other almost immediately, making ourselves sound like the brave adventurers that we knew we were.  We each now wore an unseen badge of honor, for we had made it around Flint Creek and lived to tell the story.

Flint Creek is huge and surrounded by dense forest as you can see from today's pictures below. I still wonder at the bravery (or idiocy) of those two women who set out with six children, not really knowing where they were going or how long it would take. I am forever grateful for the memory of this day, for the strength and courage it has always given me (I always knew if I could ride my bike around Flint Creek I could do anything!), for the sense of camaraderie and connectedness it brought to our two families, for the enjoyment the story has brought to so many of my students over the years, and maybe now for the smile it has brought to your face.

Link:
Flint Creek Water Park

Day 1 of Not the Trip I Planned

"There are many plans in a man's heart. Nevertheless the Lord's counsel -- that will stand." -- Proverbs 19:21

So, these are not the mountains I thought I'd be hiking about this time, but the Lord had other plans. He has worked using several closed doors to direct me in the way He wanted me to go, and that is Gulfport, Mississippi, not Telluride, Colorado or Meridian, Mississippi. I have been in prayer about this trip since I returned from my last big vacation, way before thoughts of any virus. The Lord, Who knows and holds my future, knew all along where I would be going. He just didn't tell me until yesterday.

I got on the road this morning headed west on Interstate 40. Before even reaching today's destination I was treated to some surprises. I was happy to eventually be on my favorite highway -- Highway 64. (If you don't have a favorite highway, you should. I recommend that you choose 64.) I curved along on this old road right next to the Broad River. The river soon opened up into Lake Lure. Not being a native North Carolinian, I was not familiar with this area. Now I can't wait to come back and stay a while. It is absolutely gorgeous. I can't imagine how awesome it must be in the fall. Right beside Lake Lure I found my second surprise, Flowering Bridge. This bridge and the accompanying gardens are always open. They are maintained by volunteers in the area and are absolutely beautiful. I was impressed by all the details and by all the "books" placed around the gardens. Enjoy the pics below. I always love the surprises on my trips, and this was an especially delightful one.

Although I will not be spending a week in the Rockies, I still wanted a little mountain time, so I have begun this year's vacation with a side trip to Chimney Rock State Park. (I know, another week, another rock.) I have never been to Chimney Rock before but had heard great things about it. I arrived at the park a little later than I had originally planned but still early enough. I got there at 10:30. There was a little line at the ticket plaza but nothing terrible. I paid the $17 entrance fee which allowed me to park and ride the shuttle. I parked, checked out the restroom, and slathered down with sunscreen before finding the shuttle.

I rode up to the next parking area where I then began the ascent to Chimney Rock itself. Near the shuttle stop are a gift shop and restroom. The trail (I chose Outcroppings) was very safe and labeled moderate to strenuous. It was UPstairs all the way! The temperature was 82 degrees with a heat index of 84, but it felt much hotter. The humidity must have been about 1000%. I did make it to the flagpole on the top of Chimney Rock, after several breaks and a bunch of water. There was another gift shop and a deli at the top. There was actually another level or two up, the Opera Box, Devil's Head, and Exclamation Point. Instead of continuing up, I chose to find the falls and was extremely happy with my decision.

Hickory Nut Falls is awesome! It was well-worth the 1.4 mile round trip. It is one of the tallest east of the Mississippi at 404 feet high. Many people opted to wade into the water at the base, but I was wary of getting into such a large group of people. After viewing, I made my way back to the shuttle stop and then back to my car. The picture and video below give just a glimpse of all the beauty I encountered.

Video of Hickory Nut Falls

Upon leaving the park, I made my way to Flat Rock and lunch. I am staying in a hotel near Hendersonville tonight before heading to Mississippi on my favorite "northern route" in the morning. Still trying to decide on my dinner destination for tonight. Updates tomorrow.

Things to Know:
**When I left the park at 1:00, they were not letting people in anymore! I know it is July 4th, but I'm thinking that it might be a daily occurrence. There was a huge line of cars headed that direction, full of disappointed people.
**Nearby is Lake Lure Beach, another very crowded destination. When I passed it at 10 on my way in, people were lined up for probably 100 yards waiting to get in. I'm not sure at what number they capped the people allowed in.

A Day At Stone Mountain State Park

"The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places." -- Habakkuk 3:19

This verse meant so much to me on a recent trip to Stone Mountain, NC. It was a gorgeous day for a short trip to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and I took full advantage of it. Stone Mountain State Park is about 1 and 1/2 hours from Greensboro for most people (2 hours on the scenic route I took). I parked at the Upper Trailhead Parking Area. It was a pleasant short walk to the falls. There were several sets of stairs, but they were well-built and in good repair. Just a note of clarification: to get to the falls from this parking area, you go down all these stairs, which means that when you return to your car via this same trail, you go up all these stairs. I chose to go to the falls first, but next time I will probably choose the Loop Trail which will have me seeing the falls at the end. This still means going up all the stairs at the end of the hike, but it is manageable. I just know that there are things I didn't see because I did not do the entire loop.

I hiked to the falls, past the falls, and then to Hutchinson Homestead. This is a group of older buildings which have been restored. It included a cabin, a barn, an outhouse, and several other buildings which were quite interesting and were blessed with the above view. Can you imagine waking up to that outside your window every morning? How awesome!!

After the homestead, I turned around and made the hike back the way I had come. I then moved my car to the Lower Trailhead Parking Area and attempted to make the hike to the mountain's summit. I made it almost all the way. Those of you who know me well know how difficult it is for me to make that statement. I don't almost do anything. Maybe it is time to share that I got new glasses two days before this trip. My prescription has changed some, but I didn't realize how much until I began the walk to the falls. Those stairs that I mentioned were a real challenge since to me each step appeared to slant off to the side. I had to grip the handrails to keep from missing stairs as I made my way down. In areas where there were no stairs but just rocky trail, I had to be extra careful. My lack of depth perception made each step treacherous. Truth be told, I looked like I had had a few too many drinks of alcoholic beverages and then decided to hit the trails. Anyway, as I made my way up the summit trail I got a little worried the rockier it got. I decided that wisdom should prevail over stubbornness, so I didn't actually get all the way to the top. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire time on the trails though, and the pictures below will attest to the beauty that I beheld.

Here is a baby bird that apparently fell from its nest. Lots of people tried to help it but no one was sure the best way to help. We ended up leaving it there in hopes it would fly to safety.

Important notes:
*Both parking areas had restrooms which were clean and well-equipped.
*There was a large poster-sized park map behind glass at each parking area and also free park maps for the taking.
*There were people of all ages on the trails. Also lots of dogs on leashes, so feel free to bring your pet.
*There were a few places to eat not terribly far from the park. I chose to drive to Wilkesboro which is about 30 minutes away. I found a pizza restaurant with a buffet.

Links:
Stone Mountain State Park

Village Inn Pizza Parlor