Appalachian Mountain Dreams

I picked up the August 2006 issue of National Geographic in the “Library” yesterday and it fell open to the “Great Smokey Mountains”. Their opening comments on Gatlinburg really hit a nerve because the only time I tried to make it into the National Park wasn’t planned, just a hey, we’re driving by…let just drive through. Bad mistake…after a couple

I was standing out in the “backyard” today watching some weather moving in and enjoying the wind blowin’ the heat away. The feel of the wind and the heat brought back a memory of a spring road trip. I was returning from a job in San Antonio and decided to take the “scenic route”. Now in my family the words

My day online… I keep reading about what a morning person Fred First is and I think it must be that Blue Ridge air, ’cause the only place I ever get up that early (without a really good reason, like a drive to the mountains) is in the mountains. And even there I don’t think I ever get up quite

Since returning from my trip up the mountain I haven’t been able to work up much enthusiasm for posting here. I started this blog while in the buildup of excitement before this years NC mountain trip…now on the downside I need to refocus on the dream. The few of you, who are out there reading this, please bear with me.

Leon Hale | Affirming the power of music: “Music is one of the reasons I like Round Top, the little country town in Fayette County. You can be at the Post Office talking to farmers about the weather and a classical musician from Europe might walk in. He’d be there because of James Dick’s Festival Hill facility, which draws professional

From our trip to the mountains…Roan Mountain Gardens. I try to make the trip up Roan every time we make it to Valle Crucis. I just love the views…

As usual, Fred started my day with a thought provoking post about Al Gore’s latest contribution to the American culture (should I add wars?). I find I share the fears Fred has for the future.Fragments From Floyd: The Gore Documentary: A Few Words: “Along with Gore, I’ve been watching this scenario develop since the sixties. I left the movie with

As I made the commute in to work this morning my thoughts turned to the physical differences between the place I am in and the place where I want to be. The two words that came to mind were FLAT and STRAIGHT. The flat is the nature of the place I call home. I don’t know that I can describe

This shot isn’t mine, my eldest daughter took this one in Valle Crucis behind the Mast General Store. I have taken shots of the same scene, but I like hers better. Here’s my shot of the front of the store… It seems that every time we visit Valle Crucis we end up making at least a half dozen trips to

This isn’t much of a photo, but the significance is the location. We left Chattanooga, TN on Tuesday morning headed for Cherokee, NC and then Asheville for our next stay. Driving up into the Smokey Mountains we passed a sign for Boyds Gap and of cource we had to stop.I don’t know the history of this spot, but I will