Proud Mom

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Panthertown

Saturday was another wonderful day spent hiking with friends in a beautiful area called Panthertown Valley near Lake Toxaway. The end goal was a geocache called Yosemite of the East:Panthertown Pilgramage which was found, but the beauty of the area was the real prize. It took the better part of the day to do the 5 mile hike but I would do it again tomorrow. The pictures above are a few of my favorites taken on the hike.

Tracks

Today I was out taking pictures at the river and I think I found a raccoon play ground by the looks of all the tracks.

The Pinnacle of my Saturday

After all the fun at the Whimmy Diddle Competition, there were caches to be found. I started driving north on the Parkway and decided to try Pinnacle Power. This short, half mile hike almost got the best of me because it was uphill all the way. When I broke through the trees and saw the views all around me, I wanted to sit and take it all in but time was short and B&B were waiting for me back at the car. A quick look around did not turn up the cache but that just gives me more reason to go back, as if I needed more. This was definitely the high or should I say Pinnacle of my day. One of the reasons I'm so hooked on geocaching is that it takes you to so many beautiful places that you might never see or even know about. Who needs drugs?
Maybe the young guys who were chasing each other through the intersection when we got back to Asheville. We were driving down Tunnel Road when out of no where came two cars, squealing tires and bumping each other as they sped through. As they disappeared down the side street, we heard several gun shots and immediately dialed 911. B gave her description of what she had seen and a police car that happened to be behind us in traffic, u-turned and took off in that direction. It was like something on a TV show, but scary to witness in real life.
That was my truly awesome Saturday, a lot to pack into one day. I just want to get back on top of that mountain with plenty of time to sit and a camera.

Whimmy Diddle

The plan last Saturday was to continue from the Lake Cherokee CITO to the World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC and meet up with my daughter and son-in-law. Unfortunately, they were detoured by a phone call to come to the hospital because son-in-law's father had possibly had a heart attack the night before.
I didn't say everything about my day was perfect but, modern medicine is so very awesome because the next day they inserted a stint to by-pass a 90% blockage and he is home doing well.
At my daughter's insistance, I continued on to Asheville and thoroughly enjoyed my first Whimmy Diddle competition. The MC was entertaining and kept everything moving along and strictly by the rules. This was entertainment of the home grown, mountain variety which suited me perfectly. I brought back several but haven't quite got the hang of making it gee and haw.
The Folk Art Center is full of beautiful crafts from quilts to face jugs . There are trails nearby, picnic areas, geocaches and always, the beauty of the mountains. Stop in and visit and make plans now to be at next year's event. There's music, dancing, craft demonstrations, something for all.

Day Full of Wonder

Yesterday, September 15, was one of the most awesome days I've had in quite a while. It may take me all week to tell all the stories. It started with a drive with my best friend to a local lake to participate in
Beach Sweep/River Sweep.
A couple of good friends have hosted this clean up for three years and this year tied it into a Geocaching CITO which included fellow Geocachers from the USCGA
The morning was clear and cool and working together, eleven of us gathered 600 lbs. of trash from in and around the lake. The area looks much, much better and I enjoyed meeting and working with everyone.
At one point I stopped to admire the smooth bark of a huge tree and noticed water droplets falling all around me. I looked up to see a squirrel chasing left over rain drops to the ground, and life was good.

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This is a location I drive by everyday on my way to and from work. The flags make perfect sense coming from the other direction but seem like a joke from the other. I couldn't help turning around to get a picture.

The Not-So-Broad-River

The pipe laying down in the water, about the conter of the picture, is usually covered with turtles sunning themselves. I've not seen many this summer, especially after the temperatures shot into three digits.

Somehow the wild flowers seem to make it. These are practically growing out of the rocks.

To give an idea how low the river is, the two pipes in the back ground usually stick out about two feet. I'm guessing they're about 6 feet out now.


I've lived in South Carolina all my life and cannot remember a summer so hot or so dry. We've actually started hoping for a tropical storm to brush by and bring some relief. My garden withered away. My flowers barely bloomed. And for one of the rare times in my life, I welcomed the use of an air conditioner.
The river that flows through the county is so low the geese can hardly swim. I've no idea how the fish are surviving.