Dahlonega Gold Museum

We drove over the mountain to the quaint town of Dahlonega.  On the way ice was still covering rock outcroppings in the higher elevations.  It was so tempting to pull over to the side of the road and break off one of the icicles and suck on it like you did when you were a kid, but we didn't...maybe another time.  The town of Dahlonega was established in 1833 and was actually the site of the first gold rush in the United States.  We first had lunch and then toured the Dahlonega Gold Museum, which is in the old courthouse.  Gold was discovered in 1823 in the Dahlonega area by a deer hunter.  The hunter tripped over the gold nugget so the story goes.  The courthouse as it now stands is the oldest courthouse in the state of GA.  The bricks were made from the mud of a creek bed in the area.  You can actually see flecks of gold in the bricks.  The display of gold coins in the museum is worth between 7 & 9 million dollars.

~ stamping press ~

extracted gold from the material that was dug out of the mine

~ can you see the flecks of gold? :-) ~

Basket Making

I'm enjoying my new hobby...making baskets.  It's a lot of fun and very rewarding when your project is complete.  I plan on taking more classes and really want to enroll in basket making classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  This school has a plethora of classes on any folk craft you could ever imagine.  It has been in existance for 80 years.  They do give local residents a break on tuition and will even allow you to take one class per year for a minimal fee of $25.  Check it out at wwww.folkschool.org

~ market basket ~ gathering basket ~ napkin basket ~

Night On The Town

We had a lovely evening. We went out to dinner with friends from our Sunday school class and then to Young Harris College for an Evening At The U.S.O. put on by the college choir.  It was quite nostalgic and we did recognize some of the songs.  And no, we weren't the youngest people there.  Every performance that we have been to at the college has been wonderful.  It's good to support the college and the talent is excellent and best of all...it's free.

A Milestone

Greg reached a milestone today in his recovery from open heart surgery.  We walked at the track at church because it was so cold outside.  We did 15 laps around the track, which equals one mile.  The amount of time that he was to walk today was 22 minutes.  The 15 laps actually took him 22 minutes and 40 seconds.  I think that's pretty good for someone that just had by-pass surgery three weeks and two days ago.  His pace was a pretty good one.  I remember just two weeks ago that his pace was much, much slower.  Little steps each day accumulate into giant steps over a period of time.  Time is the key word...it just takes time!  I'm sure to Greg it seems like an eternity.

I Love Wednesday Evenings!!

Wednesday evening is my favorite night of the week.  I'm sure you're wondering why.  It's a night I don't have to COOK!!!  We eat dinner at church then go to Bible study.  I'm thankful for those nights that I don't have to worry about what I'm having for dinner.  I'd like to share a poem that our pastor shared with us.

A Bend In The Road

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads

And we view what we think is the end.

But God has a much wider vision

And he knows that it's only a bend---

The road will go on and get smoother

And after we've stopped for a rest,

The path that lies hidden beyond us

Is often the path that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,

Let go and let God share your load

And have faith in a brighter tomorrow.

You've just come to a bend in the road.

Random Acts Of Kindness

During the season of Lent we always try to give up something, but it never seems to last the 40 days.  We always give in.  This year we're taking the advice of our pastor.  He suggested instead of giving up something why not try to do something extra for someone else...some random acts of kindness.  We thought that was a great idea.  So today I baked some oatmeal raisin cookies...those yummy chewy ones and delivered them to our veterinary office, our chiropractor and the police department.  It was great to see the smiles on everyone's faces.  Stay tuned to see what we do next week.

Two Lane Highway

We took the four lane highway to the doctors office today...naturally we were running five minutes late.  On the return I decided to take the slower more scenic two lane highway home.  This road used to be the only road up to our area.  It was nice to slow down on the twisting road and to take in the scenery...goats, cows and horses were standing lazily in the fields.  We passed a mailbox that was actually a huge fish.  I said...that's something I'm sure Dave would like to have for a mailbox, but no way will Cindy allow that!!  There was a dog lying beside the road...I'm sure he was waiting for a cyclist to go by so he could chase him.  It was a nice trip back...we should all slow down more and take the two lane highway once in a while.  You'll be surprised at what you'll see.

A Snowy Winter Hike

Today I was the hike leader for our local hiking club.  We went south on the Appalachian Trail for 3 1/2 miles, had lunch at a shelter and then back out again.  The sun was supposed to shine in the afternoon, but that never happened. 
It's pretty much an uphill climb to the shelter and the higher we went the colder and snowier it became.  Much of the trail was covered in a foot of snow with drifts in a few spots to the top of my leg.  The trail was also a little icy from the warmer temperatures a couple of days ago, melting the snow and freezing again at night.  It was quite a difficult hike considering the conditions.  Walking in the snow and slipping on the ice made my knee not very happy.  It was too cold for the batteries to make my camera function so I was never able to get the pictures of the snow drifts.  You'll just have to believe me that they were there!!
The topic of conversation from two other friends and myself as we walked along was that of the upcoming backpacking trip we're going to do in GA starting at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  Yes, here I go again...another year on the trail!!  I can't get enough of that trail.  It gets in your blood and never seems to end.  I feel good while I'm hiking with the exception of my left knee.  It's just so unstable. I'm hoping the physical therapist and orthopedic doctor can get it back in shape.
On our way back to the car there was a huge "peace symbol" made out of downed wood and an old thick vine.  It was there a month ago and is still there.  I wonder how many people walk past it and never see it?  I wish there was more peace in this world.
Once we got further down in elevation it was a little warmer and the snow was gone.  I'm still waiting for the woods to come alive with chattering from wildlife, but we're expecting some more snow...ugh!

~ Deep Gap Shelter ~

                                         ~ come sit a while ~                            

~ peace ~

Spring Might Be Just Around The Corner

Today was another one of those awesome almost spring days. Clear blue sunny skies with a temperature of 60 degrees.  Everyday I've been looking for signs of spring...are the bulbs popping through the soil...are there buds on the trees...are the dormant plants beginning to show signs of green?  Yes, I did see those signs today...yahoo!
We drove over to Unicoi State Park to a craft show and had lunch at the lodge.  What a great park and it's right in our backyard.  On the way we stopped and picked up two Appalachian Trail thru hikers and took them to the town of Helen.  Our first chance at being "trail angels!"

      new windchime and birdhouse

Spring is peeking...

Day Lilies 

 Iris

                                                

Are there buds up there?                                 

A Dose Of Vitamin D!

Finally the sun is shinning.  You'll be surprised
what the sun will do for the soul.  Greg is doing
well although he doesn't have a lot of strength. 
He enjoyed the sun on his face today.  It made
walking much more enjoyable than walking
inside Wal-mart!!

Little Notes

Notes of love and pictures helped to make Poppy's
day brighter.  Thanks Riley and Janey!

We Got Snow!!

We woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland.  This has been the most snow we've had this year.  Nothing compared to what our families in the Midwest or the Mid-Atlantic states have gotten, but for the south 4 inches was a lot. The sun is shinning making the snow glisten in the sunlight.  As the tree limbs get heavy with snow it gracefully falls to the ground in a "powdery splash."  Life is good in the snow covered mountains of north GA!

 The snow and cold made the "old girls" frisky!

The Power Of Prayer

Our thoughts on life seemed to change when we found out that Greg needed to have open heart surgery.  The hard part was waiting the two weeks...thinking about what was to happen and of course worrying.  Cindy, my philosophical daughter once told me that "the opposite of faith is fear...no fear allowed...trust God and trust yourself".  So with that in mind we put our trust in God and with lots of prayers from family and friends we made it through.  Greg ended up having 5 by-passes.  I have never felt such calmness before as I did during Greg's surgery.  I know that it was God wrapping his arms around me letting me know it was going to be alright.  We owe everything to God and the power of prayer.  Greg definitely had a guardian angel on his shoulder while hiking the months before his surgery.  Never did we ever imagine that his arteries were so blocked.

We Are Thankful...

We are thankful for so many things and so many people during Greg's surgery.  Without our son, Mike's help during that week I know I would have been a basket case.  He was very calm and helpful in so many ways.  He kept a constant vigil by his dad's side while I lay in bed at the motel with a stomach virus...yuck!  He drove his moaning mom home from Atlanta and saw her safely in bed.  All this was very hard on him because his family was enduring a major snow storm in MD.  While Mike was helping his mom in GA, our grandson Michael, was helping his mom shovel snow off the driveway.  What a little man!

Everybody has to have a break!