Wednesday Morning..July 31st

Well Tuesday was men's day as Dan and I drifted the New River and then played pickle ball for about 45 minutes before getting washed out and the girls were in their glory shopping in Galax, Va. We had beautiful weather throughout the day until around 6:30 in the evening when the skies darkened, lightning flashing with thunder booms and torrential down pours at time. The lights in the cabin flickered a couple times but managed to stay on. It was a much needed rain but we could had used a little less of the theatrics.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out while everyone else slept in until close to 8. The old inner alarm clock is too punctual at times, so instead of laying there listening to Nancy snore I get up, of course she never admits to it, oh well. I did my usual morning routines that start with the cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble and spent some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for healing and comfort. All seem as well as can be expected at this stage as we've heard nothing to the contrary.

The national news is about the same as the left continues along with the msm to promote the biggest hoax ever in the history of politics about our duly elected Potus Trump colluding with the Russians to steal the election away from the less than honorable Hillary which has been protected up to this point; but I truly hope her and her husband actions will become pubic knowledge along with the corruption in the last administration. We Americans need to know the truth and then those who were complicit with trying to destroy not only this Potus Trump but the nation, be exposed for what they really have done and to the rule of law. Trump continues to fight and tell the raw truth about those career politicians who have allowed their constituents to suffer in ghettos which lining their pockets. All of the major cities governed by the dem's are third world like neighborhoods and he is exposing just how much tax payer funds have been wasted and God only knows where the funds have gone and in whose accounts they have fattened. It surely has never been used properly when looking at these intercity hoods.

Well Dan and I started on the New River under bright sunshine skies around 10:30 and had a nice float for about 2 hours. We were the only ones drifting down in our kayaks. At times we stopped under some huge trees shading the river just to get out of the bright sunshine. It was peaceful as we saw only the trees in full foliage, a few hawks and lots of cows along the pasture lands. We never got hung up at all as the river was up and moving swiftly. We had a couple white water areas which gave us some thrills from the deep water areas. It's always fun to just let your thoughts go and relax. I did manage to scrape up my right leg while launching the kayak as the older I get the thinner my skin and it looks like a shark bite, oh well.

We got back to the cabin around 1'ish and had a bite of lunch then chilled as the girls were in Galax, Va. shopping. We were planning on playing pickle ball around so I grilled some peppers and onions as well as several marinated chicken breasts around 4'ish so we could have some time to digest before hitting the court. We left a little early for the court as Dan hadn't played in awhile to warm up and its good we did because we got rained after about 45 minutes. We did work up a good sweat which was perfect for Dan. One other player came so it was two on one for a spell which worked up the cardio in the hot sunshine but it wasn't long until the skies clouded and the theatrics began with lightening and thunder and eventually down pours.

We could see a huge storm following us on the way back to the cabin and did it ever let loose as we got inside. The wind was blowing the huge raindrops sideways on the windows and the lightening strikes were close. I'm wondering if it caused a fire somewhere in the woods as I smelled wood smoke this morning when I awakened and opened the back door. Well that was about it for day as we played a couple card games after getting back and then all but me wanted to watch the tube. I tuned into the Ray's game on the internet and they were winning against Boston in the late innings, LATER

Tuesday Morning..July 30th

Well its hard to believe we have been here at the cabin nearly 2 months, yikes time is slipping away so fast and the weather has been ideal with cool mornings and warm afternoons. We haven't had the a/c on in nearly a week which makes for great smells coming from outside and the birds serenading us all day long and the fresh air never breathed before, oh well.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out. I did sleep a little better now that I'm back to wearing ear plugs due to Nancy's snoring. She just will not accept the fact she is so loud and tells me I'm hearing things. I did my usual morning routines with green tea laced with turmeric, quiet times and then checking in on social media and making my comments which are love the LORD first, family second, country third and our awesome Potus Trump. He has done more good for this nation in less than 3 years than all of the combined potus's in the last 50 years; yet we have those libs on the left who are so ill informed and brainwashed by the biased media and academia its almost criminal when you listen to their diatribe. They are attempting to change our culture completely and the folks in this region are standing firm against their idiotic plans. Hopefully the rest of America will stand for this potus in the election of 2020.

Our guests took off for Sparta and the Wellness Center for a workout then had breakfast at Becca's before getting back to clean up and then we headed down off the mountain for the rest of the day. We had a great fun time with visiting old friend and mountain top neighbor Eddie Harris at his leather and silversmith shop in Mountain Park. Wow, what an operation as he gave us the grand tour once again as he did a couple years back with us and the Tracy's. He makes the most beautiful horse hand tooled adornments out of leather and sterling silver. It's a family operation and we met his folks along with 20 or so other employees who are all talented artisans. We have really become quite friendly with Eddie since meeting him on the mountain top at his man cave.

We left there and headed to Mt. Airy to have lunch at an eatery Eddie recommended called So HO. The owner is from Viet Nam and quite personable. We had a delicious late lunch of some sushi type appetizer(no raw fish in it) and Pho which is like a soup but with noodles. Our grand kiddos love this dish and they turned us on to it as well as fried rice and another dish of fresh veggies with beef. All of which was fantastic to the taste. We spent a couple hours dining and chatting with the owner who was quite friendly. It was hot down off the mountain with the car thermometer at 97. We made a few trips on foot down the main street as the girls wanted to visit the many shop's many of which were closed on Monday; little did we known but it saved Dan and I some cash. We headed back on the mountain and the temps were back close to 80. We were so full from lunch that we skipped any formal supper but did snack around 7:30 on some raw veggies and dip and cheese and crackers. They all wanted to watch a 2 hour TV show so I took off up the mountain and hiked the whole usual trip in 30 minutes without stopping which usually takes Nancy and I a whole hour due to her many stops for catching her breath. It was a beautiful evening just as dusk came upon us so I burned the trash for hour until dark.

Well it wasn't after a hot shower and past the 10 PM hour I decided to call it a day and settled in for some horizontal lab. Today Dan and I are doing a kayak trip down the New River while the girls shop in Galax, Va., LATER

Monday Morning..July 29th

Well Sunday was another beautiful day of cool mornings and warm afternoons and the humidity wasn't bad either. We went to worship at Cornerstone in Sparta after listening to the beginning of our on line service with BridgePoint from Florida and then afterwards had lunch at the Muddy Creek Cafe in town. The rest of the day was relaxing except for an evening hike with just Nancy and I  and then an old friend came by for a visit.

I started the day early after a restless night with very little sleep as Nancy had her chain saw roaring through the night. I did my usual morning routines that start with the cup of hot green tea, quiet times and then social media after checking the world news on the Fox Network which is about the only network at times is viable in my estimation and even some of their anchors are becoming somewhat biased against this potus and his policies. All seem well that I lift up to our Creator except for Helen sister, Martha. It seems she has been moved to the rehab before the back issues have been addressed and she isn't liking that decision.

Amy and the family got home on Saturday night safely after their long ride from Kansas and things are back to normal with them. The kiddos start school soon with Eliza now in kindergarten and Amy works full time at her school as well. All is well with Bobby and the new little ones growing in Katie's tummy. It will be a change for us as well with having two babies at once starting in January. How exciting for everyone.

On our hike we saw Eddie Harries for the first time since last October as he has a house on top of the mountain he is refurbishing and is his man cave. We chatted for awhile and then he came down and we showed him around our cabin for the first time and he really seemed to like what we have put together for our 5 months stay here during the summer. He has a very successful leather and silversmith shop down off the mountain and we have become somewhat close friends albeit just when ever he is not on the road. He is the largest provider of horse saddles, bridles etc. engraved with silver in the world and has a shop not far from our area. We took the tour with him a few years back of his business place and wow does he ever put out some beautiful expensive hand tooled products. He stayed for nearly an hour catching us up on all the history of the area and he really knows a lot of folks.

We heated up the leftover Zuppa Soup for supper and sat out on the deck eating in the shade of the evening sunset behind the fall trees surrounding the cabin. After the cleanup we played some card and dice games then called it a day around 10'ish. Today, Monday we are heading down off the mountain to Mt. Airy for some shopping and eating out as well as some sight seeing, LATER

Sunday Morning..July 28th

Well once again the weather was almost perfect for Saturday as we played, visited and did some journeying around the county and saw some new places and old friends. We did noticed a little more of the humidity creeping back into the picture but that was mainly on our hike to the top of the mountain; but the windows are still open and the mornings are in the 50's with almost total sunshine through out the day.

I started the day with a sleep in until nearly 7 for a change. I'm sure its because of the new mattress which is very comfortable and I got to sleep before Nancy who last night(sat) had her chain saw in high gear all night long and the sleep was not there at all, oh well. I was able to do my morning routines before the guests awakened and came down stairs which of course starts with the cup of hot green tea, the posting of this ramble, a few quiet moments with my Creator and then some comments on the social media. Nancy decided we needed to have a semi-mountain breakfast so she had frozen biscuits in the oven, patty sausages and eggs which really held us until mid afternoon when we stopped in Sparta at Charlie's Country Store for some hand dipped ice cream which was fantastic. Everyone had their favorite and he really piled on the ice cream for a very reasonable price. The black wild cherry is a favorite of mine and he must have put a pint in a styrofoam cup.

We headed out around 10'ish and made our first stop at the Glade Valley B&B on Shawtown Road not far from the cabin. I had met the owner at the hospital who goes to church with Helen and Martha and she said to come by and check out the place. She wasn't there but we met Jim her husband a very pleasant man who said make your self at home as we looked around this beautiful piece of real estate. We didn't go in the huge 6 bedroom house with another rustic cabin a ways down the back yard but found the place to be very inviting and would recommend it to any of our friends when we are filled up with guests.

Route 21 which goes through Sparta was entertaining the longest garage sale of anywhere as folks had the road stuffed with their junk or merchandise along the shoulders. The traffic was at a snails pace with the high volume of shoppers and sellers. We next headed over to the fair grounds and the Woodies allowed us to look at the mini log house which is around 400 square feet of living space built on a trailer frame and set up on your property for around 75 grand. It's really a mobile home with less space but uniquely built with all of the grand features found in a modern modular home. We headed out of town to see if we could find a friend house who is being built as they down size and wow, what a structure it is. Chris and Ronald sold their huge mansion and started over with a very well built two story in a wooded section north of town. He was there and showed us around this magnificent building. He was a building contractor and she an artist as well as a real estate person and we got to know them sort of personally and they are super folks. They invited us to come by and see their place although she wasn't there.

We next headed out to turkey knob area west of Sparta to some folks we made friends with a couple years ago and they attended my surprise 70th birthday 3 years ago. They are from Crystal River, Florida and have over 12 acres with a nice modular home with awesome views of the mountains. He is having some health issues and they have decided to put the place up for sale at a reasonable price. We sat and chatted with them for over an hour and I think we brightened his day as he seemed to have perked up with us visiting. We traveled down a couple roads which turned into gravel and into Virginia before turning back a different route towards Sparta where we made a stop for hand dipped ice cream at Charlies Country Store. We sat out front and ate our delicious bounty before heading back to the cabin. The ice cream satisfied our small hunger pangs until supper time. We got back and the gals sat on the porch and Dan and I took a power nap; his was much longer as Nancy was full of talking about something. I coaxed Dan and Nancy into a hike to the top of the mountain where we chatted with Ben, Laura and then Billy as we crossed the top. It was going 6 so we headed down and started the meat for taco salads. I made a guacamole and then we sat out on the deck and ate in the shade of the huge trees. It was still quite pleasant although the temps had gone up a little but still in the 70's.

After the cleanup we settled into games which started with the card game Spades. Dan and I spanked the gals the first game and then had a marathon game where the gals barely won; the rubber game will be played Sunday evening. It was after 9 and Carol was fading but when we started played "dice"she came alive. Dan destroyed us in the first game with me dead last and then a second game I won with Nancy dead last. It's such a fast game and full of action despite getting the exact score of 10,000 points to be the winner. The dice is past around to each person and on every roll you must have a 1 or a 5 to continue; good action and you must be quick to count the scores. Well it was after 10 so we called it a night and I jumped in the shower before heading in for some horizontal lab which never came as Nancy was snoring so loudly, LATER

 
The views from Sam and Nancy's place on turkey knob.

Saturday Morning ..July 27th

Well Friday was a fun day with weather so nice that started with the low 50's and ended in the middle 70's and NO humidity. I actually wore a flannel shirt until nearly 10'ish when it started to warm up. Our guest are loving this weather as it miserably hot and humid back in Florida. The rains have come to our area which we hope will keep the big storms away and all of havoc they bring during the hurricane season.

I started the day much the usual except for a little after 6 roll out. I got in my morning routines before the guests came down so I was ready for the day. They had decide to skip breakfast and head to the Wellness Center which is a workout facility in Sparta. Dan does the weights as he has had some issues with his muscles atrophying and Carol does the treadmill. She has to be careful as she has some balance issues. They stopped at the coffee shop in town and then Food Lion for some goodies before getting back before lunch.

In the meantime we stripped the one bed upstairs and brought the new mattress downstairs and then we took the old mattress off our bed which is still a great one and got it upstairs as we waited the split box springs which had been on order with Gynn's Furniture Store in Galax. Originally we could not get the queen box springs up the stairs as it was just too big to fit through the stairs and the ceiling so they had to order the split ones which are much like the ones you see on a king set. Well we were ready for the delivery and they were here just long enough to carry the boxes up the stairs and unwrap them. This company has made 4 free trips out here after we found out the box springs would not fit; oh well, it has been over a month since we ordered the 2 sets of beds.

I love the new mattress and its a bit higher off the floor as well and I slept in until after 7 this morning, yikes and I never heard Nancy sawing logs either so maybe thats a great sign that she will sleep better as well. We did stay up and play 12 rounds of domino's last night until after 10'ish which is usually my bed time. After lunch we headed over to check on Helen's golf cart and met her neighbor Steve who had checked it out before hand and both Dan and he surmised it was a part they should not take apart or had any knowledge of repairing. She has a golf cart mechanic coming today to either take hers away and fix it or trade it in on a gas powered one. Personally I think she would do better with a gas powered one and not have to worrying about plugging it in to a charger daily as well as extra expense on those batteries; anyhow she loves her golf cart and will need one for her many steps she takes while working outside which keeps her healthy and young at 91.

Helen did mention that her sister was still in the hospital with pain in her back and had not been removed to the rehab facility for her hip as planned yesterday. She seemed to be getting stronger the last time we visited but the back issues are becoming more pronounced which she has suffered with for years, oh well. We had a good visit with her then came back and took a hike to the top of the mountain and was unsure what we were doing for supper. We changed our plans at the last minute and headed for the Saddle Mountain Cafe after remembering it was fish night. Well this small cafe was packed and several waiting to eat. It took them nearly an hour to bring the food which was hot but not what we really wanted as they were out of baked taters so we had fried fish (flounder and catfish) french fries, hush puppies and cole slaw all of which tasted great when you finally eat at 8 o'clock but hung around until well after bedtime in your tummy, oh well we should have stuck with the original plan of taco salad. The hike to the top was great and we fooled around taking selfies of which we discarded most of them without a selfie stick, lots of laughter in the mean time.


We got into a 12 round game of dominos which we ALL love except for our friend Patrick so we never play it with the Tracy's when we all hook up. They now are coming around the first of August to their rental cabin west of town which is about 30 plus minutes away. Well I was the big weiner(winner) last night for a change at the game, LATER

Friday Morning..July 26th

Well Thursday was a mixture of fun and some piddly jobs as well as taking our "mountain mom" down to the hospital in Elkin to visit her sister. It was another chilly morning with perfect weather that was welcomed after the hot muggy weather from last week. Our friends and neighbors in Seminole arrived around 4:30 after a short flight into Greensboro and then a 90 mile drive up to the cabin.

The day started much the usual for me with a 6'ish rollout to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I posted this ramble then spent some time with my Creator giving thanks and lifting several up for comfort, healing and change of heart for our beloved nation by those on the left who want to destroy our culture and way of life. This last fiasco to destroy our potus was despicable and uncalled for and not only do they hate our potus but they used what once was an honorable veteran and destroyed him in the process. The left is ruthless and so anti-American its unbelievable. I'm fearing another type of civil war against those who want to ruin the nation. I did manage to wax the floors before leaving for the hospital around 9:30 with Helen.

Our trip down the mountain was uneventful and Helen's sister seemed a little better with some color back in her face. Supposedly they were moving her to a rehab facility close to the hospital later in the day. We stayed for an hour or so and lady friend from their church came by and chatted awhile. It was a nice visit and both Helen and I are surprised the staff did nothing to check out the back issues before she was released from the hospital to the rehab. I probably won't take Helen back down until one morning next week as we now have company for 10 days.

Nancy made a delicious pot of Zuppa Soup which was perfect for this cool evening supper out on the deck. There was crusty bread and a fresh garden salad to accompany. We did share some fruit of the vine before hand and after the cleanup we settled into a game of Kings on the Corner which I won for a change. Everyone was ready to call it a day around 9:30. I headed for the shower and Dan and Carol now have their own shower upstairs which is a welcome change from years past. That was about it for me as it was just after 10 when I shut the lights out and unknown when night owl Nancy came to bed, LATER

Thursday Morning..July 25th

Well Wednesday started out very nippy here on the mountain but the skies were blue with bright sunshine all day, yeow.. this use to be the norm here in the summer with cool mornings to start the day. It did eventually warm up to 72 by late afternoon and which made for a great hike to the top of the mountain. The long distant view was somewhat hazy but the close vistas were awesome as we came up the parkway from Jefferson.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to a welcoming cup of hot green tea. The temps were close to the 40's for July but it stayed in the low 50's for a couple hours. I did my morning rituals or routines that always include some quiet time with my Creator in humble thanksgiving for our many blessings in this life and intercessory prayers for many we know personally. All seem well at this point in time. After a lite breakfast of Cheerios which we bought for the kiddos but they never ate I headed out to check on the gardens and load up the weed whacker to be dropped off for some repairs on the way to Jefferson to meet up with our old pastor and his wife from years back; lets say 30 plus years ago. Our kids grew up together in church and he baptized all of us except for Amy who was too young when they moved away to another church which broke our hearts; but we have kept in touch over the years and try to get together yearly as his folks had a small trailer in Blowing Rock which isn't too far from the cabin.

We traveled down 221 to Jefferson which I must say is the crookedest road in the area for some 40 miles and I made note to not come back this way which we didn't. There are a couple different ways to the Boone area and Jefferson is on the way but take my word for it 221 is crooked and very dangerous at times with sheer drop offs and the locals speed like crazy around these hairpin curves, oh well. The road reminds me of some of the roads in Europe which is great for road racing if you have a sports car and on top of that we saw several deer along the way standing in the road, so that gives you something else to be aware of, oh well.

We met Beverly and Craig at the Smoky Mountain Barbecue House supposedly around noon but we were early and they were late so we sat in the parking lot for nearly an hour but the reunion was awesome and sweet as its been 3 years or more since we last had our yearly meet at this eatery. The food was delicious and we sat in one of the back dining rooms and chatted away for nearly 3 hours or more. It's so funny I'm always looking to find someone in the crowds who I know. A large group of men were also dining in the same room and one stopped by our table and I spoke with him and he had a hat on which said"Old Farts Hiking Club." Well I remembered Joe Butzback who lived on top of our mountain mentioned he was a member of that club and I said to the guy "do you know Joe" and he set me up when he said yes. So I told him to tell Joe "Hey" for us and he turned around and said tell him yourself. Funny to say the least so we introduced Joe and his friend, what a small world as they had been hiking in the area and dine here often. Nancy just rolls her eyes when I find someone, somewhere, I know almost where ever I go.

We made a couple stops in the area as W. Jefferson and Jefferson are contiguous cites and have a lot to offer in the ways of shopping, groceries and eateries. I would visit here more often except for the hour drive down 221 which is only about 40 plus miles from the cabin but the roads is a big minus, oh well. We finally ended up at Wal-Mart to stock up for our company arriving later today (thur) and then headed a different route up the BRParkway which is also curvy but not nearly as bad as 221. The views were awesome and once again we saw several deer along the roadway. The bucks still have the velvet on their horns this time of the year which gives them a weird look much like a reindeer. We unloaded and the set out on a good hike to the top of the mountain where we visited with Billy for a few and the across the road to Ben and Laura's place. They just came back from Florida with her sister and husband. It was a nice short visit and it was good to see them again since last October. We headed on across the top and down the back road after cutting through the Browning Place which is quickly becoming weed infested and looking so run down. Joe and Jetta would be so disappointed in the lack of care of their cute mountain top abode. We sure miss them as almost daily we sat and visited with them on their porch.

Well since we had such a large lunch as I had catfish, baked tater and Cole slaw with hush puppies I skipped any supper except for a couple oatmeal cookies with raisins Nancy had baked the day before. We sat and watched Fox News and the news was so discouraging for the nation as the dem's continue to try their best to destroy this Potus when all along they should be working for the American folks. This whole fiasco of an attempted coup by some unelected bureaucrats in the last administration is criminal and should be prosecuted to the fullest. This smear on our government is treasonous and I think when this is all over there will be some high up folks exposed to that result.

The left in this nation along with msm is so out of touch with the rest of the country that its becoming necessary for the conservatives to exclude them when we do need a two party system for checks and balance but the left is out of control with their false accusations and innuendos that the Russians caused me to vote for our duly elected Potus Trump. This narrative was put forth by Hillary and the dem's to undermine this past election and they used what once was an honorable Marine to be their point man and it backfired as seen in this hearing today. The snippets we watched on TV clearly showed the biased folks working for 2 year kept him out of the loop while trying to undermine the cause and show Trump was an agent when all along the dem's with Hillary did the play for pay and are the real culprits. These are despicable people in subverting what has made this a great nation for the rule of law. I certainly hope this next phase will send lots of corrupt folks to jail as the AG Barr continues to investigate the investigators. We can only hope the corrupt will be exposed and held accountable even if that means all the way to the top of the last administration and it's starting to look as if it's heading the way. Thank God we have a real potus in Trump who is working for the nation, LATER   

Wednesday Morning ..July 24th

Well Tuesday was a rainy day for most of the night and day. I believe our neighbor on top of the mountain measured a little over 4 inches in the 24 hour period. Around mid afternoon the skies broke and we saw some sunshine before sunset but the front brought with it some unseasonably cool temps. It's around 52* this morning (wed.) as I checked at 6 AM.

There was my usual rollout around 6 on Tuesday morning to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I did my morning routines that include the posting of the day before's activities, of course always a few quiet minutes with my Creator and then lifting up several by name of which there are many. I must say I'm surprised at how well our mountain mom's sister is doing after she fell and broke her hip/femur on Saturday and was operated on Monday. She wasn't in the best shape to start with but she came through doing better than expected. Helen and I headed back down off the mountain around 10 for a visit with her and got back around 3'ish with a stop at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch/early supper.

We met up with Denise the wife of the cousin of Helen and Martha who came up from Charlotte to sit with Martha during the afternoon and several folks from her church came in to say hi as well while we were there. Martha also has some issues with her back and we wanted the doctors at the hospital to check that out before she is released to a rehab facility in Elkin for the hip rehab. It will be awhile before she can return to her home in the Sparta area which is going to require Helen and Joe to make the trip down the mountain. Both Joe and Helen are not spring chickens any longer and walking is becoming an issue with them as well. They both live alone yet and like it that way but taking on Martha's issues will become such an added burden for them not only physically but emotionally as Martha is not a very warm thankful person.

We stopped by Joe's on the way home from the hospital and I picked plums from his tree which is just loaded with fruit. So many have fallen from the tree and a large branch gave way under the weight of the plums. They look just like the purple plums you see in the store and these are totally organic with no pesticides. We headed for our place and she dropped me off and headed home. We had a great lunch once again at the Jonesville Cracker Barrel of meat loaf, smashed taters and gravy and I introduced Helen to the Brussel sprout/kale with pecans salad and she was amazed at the flavor. We haven't ever had a bad meal and the price is just right as well.

Well around 5'ish Nancy and I  took off on a hike to the top of the mountain and I put on long pants and of course Nancy had on an extra shirt as the chill was in the air. It was already down into the 60's and expected to go even colder over night. I harvested the garlic at the old Browning place as it was starting to rot with all the rain and then blessed Billy with a nice bulb of the few I harvested. I pulled several volunteer Black-eyed Susans seedlings Billy had growing out of his beautiful in full color plants and then transplanted them around one flower bed in the backwoods yard. We didn't see or talk with anyone else on top before heading back down the mountain. It was a good hike as we missed yesterday's hike due to the rain.

Well the weather is supposed to be the best in years for July according to Ray's Weatherman site. We have company coming from scorching hot Florida on Thursday and they will be greeted with some almost winter like temps for Florida. What a change that will be. I did get off a letter to our new airman Caleb Dalton who is in his third week of basic training in Texas, so far so good. Our bug man from Orkin is coming this morning(wed.) to spray the inside of the cabin as it hasn't been done since last October and we have noticed more spiders than usual since we've been here. He has the outside of the cabin treated nicely as we've seen no black carpenter ants which a few years back took up residence one summer and was the reason for getting a bug man.

We are meeting for lunch our former pastor and his wife in Jefferson which is about 40 miles south of us at a local barbecue house. Their two kids and our two grew up together and are about the same age at Seminole First Baptist Church and we have kept in touch over the years. They have a place near Blowing Rock and we try to meet once a year about half way which is Jefferson but its been a couple years since last saw them. They now have several grand kiddos as well which has kept them away during the summer months. We always have a grand time catching up and the conversation never stops while eating some great barbecue.

The rain was perfect for the garden and the fresh coat of pelletized lime I applied the day before. The weeds and moss are trying their best to recapture the backwoods yard but the lime is a show stopper for them and so much less expensive as well. Well that was about it for the day as Nancy came back from the beauty parlor with no gray in her hair which really makes a difference in her looks. Brenda does a fantastic job and I'm considering having her color mine if it makes me look as young as Nancy. The Ray's were tied when I headed for the shower around 9:30 after a blow out last night by the Red Sox, LATER

Tuesday Morning ..July 23rd

Well its rainy around here in the mountains and today (Tue) is supposed to be a total wash out. Monday morning wasn't bad as we did see the sun and blue skies although cloudy at times for most of the morning and just a few hours of the afternoon. The rain came in buckets which sounded like hail beating on the tin roof at times. It's supposed to cool off with the highs only in the low 70's for a welcomed change and relief as its been very warm and so muggy.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines; cup of tea, quiet time with my Creator and then checking on the world news and then of course the now daily facebook. I'm addicted to this form of the media but I do see some drawbacks; however we both love the picture sharing, updates on folks and their status as well as giving birthday wishes. We got word from our "mountain mom" Helen her sister Martha who fell and broke her hip got through the surgery despite her poor health. She just doesn't eat and now is skin and bones and on oxygen. I'll drive her and their older brother Joe down off the mountain today to the hospital for a visit. Joe is 92 and Helen 91 and both are starting to show their ages and have some age related issues. Nancy and I have know all of the Sheets for many years and they have no one close to assist them for immediate care plus they are family, especially Helen and Joe who we dearly love.

Well I did some piddling jobs after a breakfast of the last of the watermelon and an egg sandwich as we cleaned up the burger buns from last week. I headed out to give all of the yards a good dressing of palletized lime since I knew rain was in the forecast so it could get down into the roots of the grasses. I then headed down the driveway to rake some heavy areas of loose gravel which cause the loss of traction from the tires when coming up our steep driveway. I was totally soaked in sweat as it was that humid. I piddled around in the garden pulling some weeds then replaced a broken post out by the black raspberry bushes which are sending out runners for next years bushes. I got a few berries this year but next year should be a bonanza of berries.

We decided to get in our hike to the top of the mountain before the rains came which looked like it was coming sooner than later. We stopped and visited with Billy and Paula for a couple and he blessed us with a few homegrown tomato's from his few plants. I mentioned mine were starting to bloom and should have some to reciprocate later this summer before winter sets in. We headed on across the top, fighting the deer flies and gnats; I've never seen them this bad this year as they buzz your head. We have to carry a switch with us to keep them away.

We had a late lunch around 1:30 of a fresh garden salad and the leftover piece of chicken from Cracker Barrel on top. After eating the rains came quickly and I brought in the laundry from the clothes line and then we settled into the internet reading and catching up on the news. We decided to just eat leftover parsley buttered taters and fresh broccoli since we had a late lunch. We did get into some Kings on the Corner during the late afternoon and Nancy won 5 out of 9 games. It's a fun game two can play or as many as you want. The grand kiddos Annsley and Gabe picked the game up real quickly and Katie is the luckiest or best player ever.

We settled into the Ray's vs Boston game and the first two innings was good; no score but after that the Ray's gave up 8 runs so I tuned them out as they were on ESPN and we were both excited to see the home town team play on the TV, well it was embarrassing to say the least as we are just barely ahead of them in the league standings, oh well. Well its raining as I make this post this morning and its supposed to be this way all day, so it will be a wet travel down to the hospital see Martha in Elkin sometime this morning. Nancy has a hair appointment in Sparta around noon so she won't be able to go. Both Joe and Helen are limited to how far they can walk so I'll have to make sure to get close to the building especially due to the rain, LATER

Nancy has the room made up for our neighbors and friends from Seminole who arrive on Thursday and will be here a little over a week. Notice the new queen bed on the right is so much higher than the double bed on the left and of course the cards of how to play Kings on the Corner. It's really solitaire but on the table, fun game for all or just two at a time.

Monday Morning.... July 22

Well Sunday was one of those days you do not look forward too as we spent the morning at the hospital in Elkin with our "mountain mom" Helen and her younger sister Martha who was admitted the day before. Helen found her sister on the floor with a broken hip the day before and she was is awful bad shape.  We drove Helen down to the hospital for a visit with Martha before she has surgery this morning (Mon).

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my morning routines that start with the cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root after my handful of Nutrilite vitamins and supplements while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator. I did speak with Paw Paw later in the afternoon he sounded good and said he really enjoyed seeing Amy and family last week when they stopped on their way out to Kansas. Everyone else I lift up daily except for Martha are doing fairly well considering their age and health issues. We hadn't seem her in a year or so and while she is around 5 years younger than Helen she is skin and bones and can barely breath with out the help of oxygen.

Helen and brother Joe who live close to one another check on each other daily with a phone call and that is about all the contact they have with Martha. Joe and Helen each called her several time on Saturday and got no answer which is quite unusual but Martha sometimes takes off and never lets the others know her business, anyhow they continued calling through the day and no answer so they thought it best to check on her and found her on the floor unable to move, but she was conscious but in bad shape with severe cuts and bruising and unable to move. They called 911 and got help and they transported her the hospitable in Galax but they had no doctor to handle her so she was transported down off the mountain to a very nice hospital in Elkin where she is on the surgical ward. We met the doctor yesterday who came in the room to explain what he saw on the x-rays and the procedure she will have if she is strong enough to handle the surgery. She is in very bad shape but still has that sharpe tongue and quick sarcastic wit she displays at times since we have known her.

I was surprised the doctor prayed with her and us after discussing her situation to all of us. I was really taken back with her physical condition and how she was skin and bones. They brought her a very nice lunch so I decided she needed to eat since she passed on any breakfast and just drank water. I think she was very dehydrated as well after laying on the floor with out moving for several hours. She did eat some potato soup for me and a few bites of the beef stroganoff but that was about it. Her nephew Gary and wife Denise were there whom she has designated as her benefactor. They are sweet folks and we really enjoyed them. They have one son Josh who has visited our cabin when he was real young and we have a poem displayed on the wall he wrote for us after one of his visits. He is now 26 and is about to be married this coming year.

Martha needed to rest and the strong pain meds were doing their job plus Gary and wife were going  stay longer after they got back from lunch. We decided to go have a bite to eat at the Cracker Barrel which is just down the road and it was busy with diners as we had to wait for about 15 minutes. We had a very good meal and I brought one piece of my fried chicken home for later. Nancy and Helen each had the meat loaf which is always good. We made a stop at Lowes for some things Helen wanted which is just too heavy for her to carry. We dropped her off sometime going on 4'ish. The skies were cloudy with rain clouds everywhere and the roads showed some recent rain as well. We did get to hear a great message on line from our Bridgepoint Church in Florida before picking Helen up at 10. We spent the rest of the day inside as the delicious food made us sleepy and comfortable except for a popsicle for me around 7'ish the grand kiddos didn't eat, LATER

Sunday Morning..July 21st

Well the month of July is nearly 2/3 gone. It was another warm and humid day here in the mountains as we saw temps in the 90's over in Galax, Va and about 7 degrees cooler here away from all the buildings and asphalt. There was a nice breeze at times but we are so thankful for the a/c here in the cabin which has been a huge difference sleeping despite some mornings in the 60's.

Saturday saw us doing little chores as we still had tons of laundry with the last of the beds stripped and so many towels to wash. We try to use the sun as much as possible for drying when we have enough clothesline but the dryer is always there on rainy days. We could actually use a little rain and the forecast is for some on the first of the week then its supposed to get back to normal with highs in the lower 70's. That will be a welcome relief and the garden should flourish with the rain. I did harvest lots of greenery yesterday for salads as well as a dozen or radishes.

I started the day much the usual now that we have no company for a week or so with my before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting several up for consideration. Seems Paw Paw is doing much better with the gummy's laced with cbd oil which is a by product of hemp. He has complained of his shoulder hurting for years and with two doses of the gummy's he no longer complains as well as he seems more settled. What a blessing for all especially Pat who is his care taker now. This new phenomenon works and we learned about from a dear friend who supplemented her dog with it who was severely injured and could barely walk; and now runs and plays as before. It must have some great analgesic properties.

I dropped Nancy off at Wal-Mart and then headed for the barber shop and gas station then picked her and another load of groceries up and we headed back on the mountain. It was 91 in Galax and 84 when we got home; what a difference. It looked like a rain storm was heading our way so I quickly got in the laundry which was hanging while we were gone and the rain went around us, oh well. We ate leftovers for supper then worked outside until it cooled down a little more before tackling the backwoods trail to the top of the mountain. We never saw anyone outside but did see the car of the folks who bought the Cline property. They are from Jacksonville, Fl. and haven't been up much this summer.

We spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and learned her younger sister Martha fell over night and was now in the hospital in Elkin. She has been failing in her health for sometime with lots of weight loss and its unknown what her condition is as she keeps everything to herself. Hopefully she will get better as she, Helen and her brother Joe all live here in the county. Well the Ray's blew another 9th inning lead with poor relief pitching, LATER

Saturday Morning..July 20th

Well Friday started out real early with a 4:30 AM rollout to see Bobby and family off for Florida which by the way they made it home safely and thanks for all the prayers for traveling mercies. The kiddos handled the trip without any complaints; they slept and watched movies most of the way. I tried to go back to sleep but that was a farce to say the least, anyhow I had chores I wanted to do now that we had a week to ourselves as well as put up things left out for the kiddos to entertain themselves with. It was a quiet day here after the last week of total activities before the next folks arrive.

I did my usual morning routines, quiet times and catching up on the news and social media comments. I have a couple friends who are dem. libs and we get into a running dialog of which this Potus Trump is constantly defeating their sarcastic criticism of him and his policies. They loved the last potus and Hillary who are being found out about and they never watch the real news networks. They are CNN and MSNBC junkies who constantly elevate the libs and the dems and denigrate our duly elected potus. It's sad to think there are folks so totally blind to reality and fail to see the corruption within the dem party, the last potus and his administration and the anti-Americans in the congress.

I headed out to check on the gardens and did notice several small cukes starting to mature as well as blooms now on the upper gardens tomato plants. I'll need to harvest some lettuces, Swiss shard to add to the salads as well as some radishes. The worms tore up my kale but they are coming back albeit slowly and the collards are coming along as well. The what we thought was a perennial Jasmine vining plants that our "mountain mom" gave us turned out to be 4 o'clock flowers and they are about to bloom and the one Heavenly Blue morning glory seed that germinated is now climbing up the rail fence. Nancy's flower beds are doing well and the hydrangeas have added lots of new growth along the front porch. The circle drive bed which is loaded with Zinnias is doing O.K.but they don't have much height as I would have liked them to have, oh well.

I fired up the weed whacker and did the whole property even the backwoods trail when it began acting up and then I discovered a pin hole leak in one of the gas lines. It had rotted through after all these years so I'll have to have new lines installed and I'll have someone who knows how to do this as last time on the leaf blower I ruined that attempt. I'll drop it off in Sparta on Wednesday as we head over to W.Jefferson to meet our old pastor friend and his wife for lunch. After a lite lunch of leftovers I fired up the riding mower and for the next couple hours mowed the yards. The place looks so nice mowed and edged. Nancy was busy doing laundry, stripping beds, vacuuming and hanging some clothes outside as it was a perfect day for drying on the clothesline. None of my kids use the clotheslines and I do not know why because in Florida they will dry almost by the time you hang the last item, plus it saves tons of money and the environment, oh well.

We cleaned up the last of one batch of taters and the last of the smoked ribs for supper . Gabriel just loved the cooked parsley buttered taters and now he wants that for his birthday supper when we celebrate it in November. I'm thankful I do not have to make a special trip back to Florida for birthdays in September. I got notice that my 55th class reunion is in August in Winchester, Va. It's hard to believe it's been that long ago and several of my class of 1964 have passed on from this earth. I've been extremely fortunate to still have lots of vitality and energy and I think that's comes back to growing up on a farm where we grew most everything, ate the meat we actually butchered and preserved as well as I drank whole milk straight from the cow and well as churned our own butter and raised our fresh eggs. We had no running water in the old farm house so no bathroom until after I left home to never return except for a visit. Farm life was demanding twice a day everyday but the rewards that I'm now receiving later in life is priceless. I love physical work and except for Florida when I don't have the acres to manicure I'm totally never sitting around here in the mountains in the fresh air and sweet cold water from the ground, LATER

Friday Morning ..July 19th

Well Bobby and family pulled out for home at 5 AM this morning after a 4:30 wake up, keep them in your thoughts and prayers for a safe trip.

Well Thursday was another busy fun filled day with Bobby's family as we basically stayed around the cabin except for an hour and half of pickle ball matches at the Roaring Gap Club with two very good players. Bobby and I played well considering he hasn't played in over a year and we won our share of points against two tournament players.

I started the day with actually sleeping in for a change until nearly 7'ish after a busy day on Wednesday in the Boone/Blowing rock area. We stayed up a little late playing cards and eating a late supper. I did my usual morning routines while everyone slept in and little Gabe came down stairs around 8'ish to watch some kids shows on the TV. Eventually Annsley came down around 8:30 to join Gabe while Bobby and Katie slept in. She is starting to show at 13 weeks with the twins she is carrying and seems to need more rest than usual.

We had baked biscuits and I fried up lots of bacon for our breakfast which was delicious then I headed out to check on the gardens and the flower beds. So far everything looks good and the veggies are growing. I'll pick some lettuces, Swiss chard and pull some radishes for our next salad today(Fri.) The cukes are loaded with blooms but for some reason other than the one cuke last week none are setting fruit. The tomatoes are blooming as are the pepper plants, both bell and jalapeno. I took neighbor Gerald into Sparta to pick up his ATV from a shop then we just piddled round the cabin washing clothes while Bobby took the kiddos on a golf cart ride. Both Ava and Annsley are into driving the golf cart so they got some good experience while here this past week. We ate leftovers for lunch then I pulled out some visqueen sheets and made a slip and slide for the kiddos. They had a grand time on the steep back yard and then they headed to the small creek in the hood where they played in the water and on the swing that goes out over the water. I caught up on some little chores and then harvested my garlic and laid it out to dry.

Bobby had bone in pork chop marinating for our supper on the grille along with sliced zucchini and Nancy had white taters creamed with parsley and fresh green onions which is now Gabe's favorite. We ate a little early around 5'ish as Bobby and I had pickle ball at 6. She also had fresh brownies with ice cream for dessert later when we got back around 8. The kiddos had to put together their packing while we were gone so they could walk out the door at 5 this morning which they did. We taught the kiddos the card game Kings on the Corner and they loved it and won after we got back last evening. We also taught Bobby and Katie the "dice" game which Bobby really liked and he won last night before calling it a night and heading off to bed.

Well it will be quiet around here for a few days but we will clean house, wash clothes, do yard and garden work and hopefully hike which we haven't done the past couple of day. We have enough leftovers for a few days as well so cooking will be light. Amy called from Kansas and it very hot there in triple digits. The kiddos have been in the community pool and done some 4 wheeling with Tyler's family. We will have a quiet cabin until next weekend when our long time friends and neighbors arrive for a week then our other friends move into their cabin until October; so the fine eatin' will continue. We aren't sure about our adventures yet with these friends but do know we will be making the trip to northern Virginia the second weekend in August for a family reunion for a few days and then they will be coming here in September.

We are really thrilled with our new renovations and especially the mini split a/c units which have been a must for the family as its been unusually hot and humid this summer. We wonder how did we ever manage without them, LATER

Thursday Morning..July 18th

Well first of all Amy and Family got to Hayes, Kansas around 11:45 EST last night after leaving here early Tuesday morning. They did several stops along the way visiting family in W.Va., then going by Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is held and then seeing the Golden Arch as well as eating out along the way; but the main thing is they are safe after such a long road trip.

Our day on Wednesday started with my usual roll out around 6 or a little before to my routines as Bobby and family slept in until 7. Nancy was up early before me for a change as we were leaving the cabin at 7:45 for the trip to Boone where we were to log in at 9:30 for the zip line adventure. Boone is a little over 65 miles to the city limits and we were a few miles up the mountain south of the city near Blowing Rock. We made it there right on time and checked in. Annsley and Gabe where doing the zip line course which they have done several times for kids and this was my first time for the big one. I took Katie's place as she is now carrying twins in her womb and did not want to risk their health. Well I must say these young folks who run this operation are first class, safety first and lots of humor and I must say if you want an adrenalin rush for nearly 3 hours this is it.

We had a safety lesson on how to slow your speed when coming in on the tree's and huge rock outcropping and platforms. We had a great family from N.Y. with Bobby and I . There were 5 adult kids and most all of them were enrolled or had graduated from Liberty University in Virginia. The couple had one grand daughter and by the end of the adventure we got to know each other. One zip line was over 1600 feet in length and 400 feet in height and one 45 foot rappel down the side of a huge rock. I think we did 12 lines plus a long wobbly foot bridge over a creek probably 40-50 feet high and a couple hundred feet in length; I think that was the scariest of all as many times you thought you were going overboard. You were clicked in but not riding your safety straps as you walked across this footbridge which gave you the feeling of going overboard as it swayed severely.

We had a great time and I'm hoping to do it next year with Bobby. We all were first timers in our group except for Bobby who set the example. Big Momma as its called was unbelievable as we zipped over a huge gorge and a river below at speeds of 25-30 mph while hanging from a thin cable. The noise in the wire told us when the person on the line had reached the other side. Some of the lines which were lower in height went through the huge trees where the limbs had been trimmed to allow your passage. A great experience and while no one in our group chickened out it does happen at time. It's not cheap but a real experience at 75 bucks for nearly 3 hours including the the instruction time. It a very rugged area and just beautiful with vistas far reaching off the mountain.

We headed for the Woodlawn barbecue house in Blowing Rock which was recommended by several of the zip line staff and while it was decent I think the Peddling Pig was better in Boone. We did learn a feller by the name of Butch Triplett has been running the place for over 40 years and it was packed with two floors of diners at 1:30 in the afternoon. We had a sweet server who did her best to keep every one on her floor filled up with drinks until the food appeared which I thought took longer than necessary, anyhow while in Blowing Rock we stopped at the small museum on main street and signed the register and the attendant asked if we were any relation to the Triplett's who at one time were very prominent in the town. There is a Triplett House just off main street and now we know the owner of the supposedly the best barbecue house in the area. The girls shopped and Bobby and Gabe and myself visited the town park on main street. The place had lots of activities; tennis courts in action, three pickle ball courts but no one was playing, rock climbing that enticed both Gabe and Annsley as well as a play ground for small kids and swings that were in use. A real neat park in this picturesque  town.

We came back a different way instead of the Blue Ridge Parkway which was getting some renovation and upgrades and had us waiting at times. The road back to Sparta on 221 is also getting upgrades to a 4 lane divided highway which will take the traffic into Jefferson as it goes through the mountain. We came back into Sparta and made a stop at the Food Lion for pizzas to be baked later as we had eaten a big meal around 2'ish. We were scheduled for pickle ball around 6 but we hit some big rain and the dark rain clouds looked ominous as we headed back to the cabin so we cancelled until today(thur) so that Bobby can get in a few games. Once we got back the sun came out and we could have played after all; you just never know about the weather here in the mountains. The inside of my thighs still have some issues from riding horses on Tuesday as I used muscles I don't usually use, oh well.

We ate a late supper of pizzas and salad around 7:30 then watched a reality show on making swords while we all showered once again in shifts. Afterwards we played some Kings on the Corner a card game even Gabe picked up fast and played quite well. Nancy who is usually the winner never won a game while Katie cleaned house with 4 in a row. At least all of us won at least one game except Nancy Jean who was left winless. It wasn't long after 10'ish  I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Wednesday Morning..July 17th

Well Tuesday once again was a fun filled day after a very early morning start that saw Amy and family leave at 5 AM for W.Va. and then on to Kansas. After they left we went back to bed until nearly 7 before starting the day again with our usual routines. We had a date with Burnt Hill Stables for a 1 o'clock horseback ride which was about an hour or less from the cabin.

Amy and family sent us a picture of them with Paw Paw and he and them looked great; especially Paw Paw at 92. It was the best I've seen him look in quite a spell. They left W.Va. before lunch and headed west on I-64 which will take across and into Louisville, Kentucky and from there on I-70 all the way to Kansas. I think they spent the night some where in Kentucky. It sure was quiet around here as Gabe and Annsley where resting from the past days of running and playing. Katie and Bobby moved from the basement into Amy's room upstairs so I now have my basement back.

The horseback ride was a good one and very reasonable at 25 bucks an hour. The trail leader was a retired N.C. trooper who grew up in the county and moved back after retiring and running the stables. He gave us a good ride and the horses were in great shape despite it being a rather warm day. We made a stop afterwards at the country store in Sparta for hand dipped ice cream which was delicious as well before heading back to the cabin. I caught up on some chores and then we did some shooting from the deck with targets around the backyard as we grilled brats and lamb sausages. Nancy had a pot of buttered taters with parsley and fresh onions from the garden.

After the cleanup we all headed up the mountain for a late evening hike which was perfect during the evening hours. I piddled around in the garden pulling some weeds then giving everything a bit of plant food and a good watering. There is some rain in the forecast but the garden looked dried out despite the heavy dews over night. Well I tuned into the Ray's game and they were winning when I hit the shower around 9:30 and then the sack. The early morning wake up around 4:30 to see Amy and family off had me ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

 Here was a look at Nancy's injury when slipping at the rock slide on Monday. She and Katie skipped the horseback ride on Tuesday.

Tuesday Morning..July 16th

Well Monday was a busy fun filled day that didn't stop until dark, WOW what an active day with very little down time when you have 5 grand kiddos full of energy and always adventurous. The weather once again was near perfect however the het was rather nice during the mid afternoon when we ventured down to the sliding rock area of Stone Mountain where the ice cold water quickly revived any ideas of being hot and miserable. More on that layer.

I started the day much the usual while everyone else slept in until nearly 8 so I had the quiet morning to write this post and spend some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. All seem well as can be expected. Nancy came alive a little before the grands started waking up and coming down stairs. Once again she made a huge breakfast of eggs to order as kid wanted them their way and patty sausages with toast and fresh homemade black raspberry jelly with juices and melon. After we got everyone bellies full the kiddos headed out to play on the porches and the back wood yards running and having a grand time in the woods.

Tyler and Bobby wanted to shoot their pistols so we set up targets and and brought out the pistols and ran through several hundred rounds of .44, .9 mil and some 22 on several different targets; even the girls(Nancy, Amy and Katie) came down and shot a few rounds until Katie got her finger pinched in the slide on Bobby's gun then the girls where through. We continued shooting until we ran out of ammo and it was close to lunch time. We decided after a lunch of deli meat sandwiches and salads to take the kiddos down to Stone Mountain which is just about 30 minutes away at the foot of our mountain where there are sliding rock's with waterfalls so we good cool off and when I say cool off I should say cold off. The water is so cold its unbelievable coming out of the mountain and while having a grand time at the first area of sliding rocks someone mentioned further up the road was an even larger sliding area with a really large waterfall that we saw some kids slide down. We didn't try that one as it looked too dangerous.

All of us but Amy, Katie and Nancy slid down the water slides into the cold water and the boys were just so adventurous as they never stopped at either areas. The 6 of us who were tired of the cold water came back to the cabin and I put the almost finished smoking spare ribs back on the smoker for another couple hours. The meat fell off the bone and were so tasty and perfect. We also did corn in the husk in the oven which was very tasty as well. We had several folks give us yellow squash so we fried up several pans before supper with a little vino to chase it down. We sat out on the deck at the new picnic tables and the evening ambiance was perfect for dining. After the cleanup all went on a hike to the top of the mountain despite Nancy tripping on a root and skinning up her leg. She doctored it up and did quite well on the hike. I once again cut through the woods and scared the boys as they had done the same thing trying to scare us. I saw their plan and then outsmarted them.

I took all of the grands to the small stream with the swing and let them all play for several minutes and then let them drive the golf cart at different time. They had a grand time until nearly dark when Nancy had a huge raspberry cobbler ready for everyone along with vanilla ice cream. Wow was that ever delicious and it wasn't long afterwards it was shower time. The Ross Family was leaving at 5 AM this morning on their way to Kansas after a stop in W.Va. to see Paw Paw. He is 92 and they wanted to see him and for him to see the kiddos as he hasn't seen them since Sam was a baby and he is now 9.

We watched a little of Ray's vs Yanks and it was tied when I hit the sack around 10'ish, LATER

 

Monday Morning... July 15th

Well Sunday was a fun day with the boys to start with and then it was fun time with the rest of the gang until 10 PM. The weather was perfect for our 17 mile ride down the mountain near Damascus,Va. and despite the temps reaching the low 80's when we got home the humidity was at bay as well.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my morning routines of green tea, quiet time and then checking the news. It's funny how the national scene eludes your attention when with family. The major issue facing us was Ava awakened with a fever and had some tummy issues so that gave the rest of the girls a chance to get out of the bike ride. It is a curvy road to get their and many were lamenting about being car sick so it was just us guys who did the ride. We left the cabin around 8:30 and made it there in a little less than 2 hours. It was a great drive and while we did hear the boys at one time mention they were a little queasy from the curves they managed. It does take some getting use to the drive but the scenery was awesome.

The girls ended up in Galax but since it was Sunday none of the shops were open. Nancy treated them to lunch at Macado's which she said wasn't that good. The last time we were there it was O.K. but it does seem to have gone downhill, oh well. We ate lunch on the trail around 1'ish and it was eatable but nothing to write home about. This little dinner on the trail was busy with lots of bikers eating and resting. We met several nice folks at the Sundog Outfitters and one family was from Lakeland, Fl. and we had a friend in common; Grady Judge the sheriff. Grady use to be a FHP trooper before becoming the high sheriff of Polk, Co. and this fellow was friends with him over the years.

Another couple I sat across from on the trip up the mountain were retired Navy personnel who lives and owns a wedding venue in Konnarock, Va. called Windsong Barn which is about 10 miles from the Damascus. We had a great conversation on the ride as she and her husband were taking their grand daughter on a ride down the mountain for the first time. They moved to this area after moving around the world during their career's as Navy doctor and nurse to the area because of the vistas and the Creeper trail. We became friends on the internet.

It was close to 5'ish before we got back on the mountain and unloaded the bikes. We decided to eat leftover's from the spaghetti dinner, lamb burgers and salads. Bobby made a guacamole so we all munched on that along with some vino and each person did their own plates except of course the kiddos. After supper we took a hike to the top of the mountain all except Ava, Annsley and Nancy. Even Eliza went and did the whole hike without being carried. We met the Brown's who gave us some fresh tomato's and squash from their gardens and then I hid in the bushes waiting for Gabe and Sam to come along. They were bragging how they would handle a "whumpus cat" if they saw one and when I jumped out from behind some bushes scaring them it was priceless to see their faces. They weren't sure if they were going cry or pee their pants but then when they realized it was me they attacked me with their walking sticks. We were laughing so hard we were all in hysterics.

We hit the showers once again in shifts as Nancy took the girls who didn't hike on a golf cart ride to the top of the mountain. We then after everyone was clean decided to play once again the family game called "mafia". The kiddos love the game and its one where you can sit comfortable around the room. Well after a couple rounds where you become the person the playing card dictates you to be while no one else knows who you are and those dictated as the mafia try to kill everyone in the room and win the game; I hit the sack at 10'ish. Everyone else was also hitting the sack as we have another big day today on the river, LATER

Sunday Morning July 14th

Well Saturday was another fun filled day with the family, friends and fine eatin' once again. The weather was almost perfect for outdoor activities except it did get rather warm in the early afternoon when we all sat around in the cool of the the cabin while the kiddos ran and played outside.

The day started with my usual 6'ish roll out. I held off on noise making when preparing my tea as the microwave does have a distinct sound and so I was not wanting to wake the rest of the cabin up. I did my usual routines until people starting emerging from the basement and upstairs around 8'ish then it was bedlam when everyone came down and morning rituals started with the kiddo's. The coffee pot was going for everyone else and then Nancy started on breakfast. The kiddo's wanted pancakes and link sausages so she started getting the pancake batter ready. Most of the kiddos wanted wineberries in their cakes as they picked several the day before.

After breakfast and the cleanup we all got ready to head over to our "mountain moms" pond where we fished or should I say fed the fish with a bucket of worms. I think Ava had the biggest fish on and up to the bank when it broke her line. Several bass were caught and slipped off the hook but we did put three in the bucket which we set free at the end of the session. It was a fun time for a few as several small fish were caught and released and there were a few mishaps but nothing serious. We all headed up to her cabin and visited for a spell outside in her front yard where the kiddos entertained us all with their cart wheels and gymnastics. She was tickled to see them and us as well and was happy for Bobby and Katie's newest additions to the family. She and her late husband Roy each held our Bobby and Amy when just infants and have been family friends since then then. She has no grands. We didn't stay too long as the sun was getter hotter and the kiddos bellies were growling for lunch she did have a bowl of candy out and the kiddos quickly had some.

We came back and then the lunch meats and chips was brought out for everyone to help themselves along with drinks of all sorts. Afterwards I loaded up the golf cart with the boys and Tyler and I took them down to the small creek that's on the Heglar property and let them play. The girls opted to stay back at the cabin as Anns had hurt her toe there the day before. The boys had a grand time looking for crawfish and salamanders as well as playing in the cold water that runs clear from the mountain springs. This water is ice cold and is only about 6 inches in depth and you can step across the stream as its just a couple feet in width but its so much fun as the area surrounding it is mowed and manicured. It's perfect on a hot day and it was beginning to get that way.

We stayed and played for a couple hours and eventually Bobby hiked down and rode back with us. We were having and old church friend and now one who works for Bobby at Offerpad come for a visit for the afternoon. He and his family have been friends for years and now his oldest girl just gave them their first granddaughter. She and her husband live in Georgia as he is in the Army. We visited then played some cornhole and canjam before sitting down to a delicious supper of lamb burgers, salad and a pasta salad. I also cut a cold watermelon and it fit right in with our menu. There was some vino flowing as well before eating. We sat outside on the picnic tables which were perfect on the deck and in the shade. The grands were running around playing hide and seek and then when I started a fire we all sat around once again while the kiddos made smores until nearly dark then it was shower time in shifts to give the hot water heater time to recover.

We didn't play any games and today (Sunday) we are heading over to the Virginia Creeper Trail which is a 17 mile ride down the mountain on bikes. Katie opted not to go due to the bumpy ride on a bike with her new pregnancy which we all thought was best for her. She will stay back and catch up on some work with her company as she works remote. It almost a two hour ride over and back and then a couple hours down the mountain so we will clean up some leftovers for our supper. We have an 11 AM session for the ride up the mountain to start the ride down so it means we have to leave here around 8:30 to be there 30 minutes before take off. Well it wasn't long after a hot shower I was whupped and soon hit the sack a little before 10. Everyone else was in different stages of heading to bed as well as we have an early morning wake up, LATER