Cataloochee Adventure, - Sep 27 - 28

 Monday, Sept 27 - Adventure!

The day has arrived for our anticipated overnight camping trip to the Cataloochee Valley on the North Carolina side of the Smokies (GSMNP).  We drove 2 hours to Exit 20 off I-40 in North Carolina. We took another 45 minutes to travel the 10 miles across the mountain over a road that included3 miles of steep gravel switchbacks. It is a nerve-racking ride for me, but we did not encounter any problems.  We checked into our campsite #9, with a babbling creek behind us - the Cataloochee River.  I realized along the way that I didn't pack the roast beef and cheese for sandwiches.  We picked up some gas-station BBQ sandwiches, along with firewood, when we got off the interstate.  

After our picnic and a little relaxation, we headed down the valley to the end of the road and the beginning of our hike to the Steve Woody homeplace.  The hike is relatively level along a creek and included 3 log bridges over what once were stream fords.  The house is typical of the area and time, its only current residents (that we saw) were some bats.

As we drove back along the valley toward the campgound, we passed many people and their vehicles lined up along the open meadows waiting for the elk to appear, kind of like tail-gating.  We drove on to the campsite, picked up our cooler and returned to join the spectators.  Unfortunately, the main herd with its dominant old bull were in the next field over.  We had just one lonely young buck who was pining away, "wishin' and hopin'," (cue Dusty Springfield), but keeping his distance.  Meanwhile next door, the old man was busy pursuing the cows and heifers and bugling his desire.

We were back at our camp just before dark.  Bill made a campfire while I heated our leftover gumbo for a quick and easy supper.  We ended a perfect day companionably by the campfire.

First stop at NC Welcome Center

Entrance, at the ridge about half way of our 3 miles

Supposedly this trail follows Bishop Francis Asbury's route across the ridge

A small slice of the road

Campsite #9, well situated with creek behind us but not visible

Little Cataloochee River

First crossing on the way to the Wood place

Woody place coming into view, about a mile from the trailhead

Bats occupying the front room

Spring house

A nice little walk across the creek.  Maybe they had a footbridge

Young buck 

He was this close to the road, very acclimated to traffic

Another lone male

Wishin' and Hopin'

One of the herds

Pursuing and bugling

Gumbo supper

Enjoying the campfire

Tuesday, Sep 28

We slept well in the cool mountain air, no hurry to get going.  After a leisurely coffee in bed, I made a full camp breakfast while Bill got the fire going again.  After another eisurely cup of coffee in front of the fire, we cleaned up and packed up.  It was almost noon when we pulled out.  We detoured to the Palmer House where there is a room of old photographs and history of the valley.  

We declared it a successful trip when we got back home safely. 

A morning view of the Cataloochee

The Palmer House

Palmer Barn

For pictures of more elk from 2020: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CYseiVkpiqpgVMoP6

First Days of Fall, Sep 23 - 26

Thursday, Sep 23

A busy day began with a 10 am dental appointment for a routine cleaning.  I got home in time to pick up my lunch, desserts from Kathy and drive up the hill to the Green's for our monthly luncheon get-together. Kathy is still not well.  Connie, Marilyn, Linda and I enjoyed our lunch and conversation while sitting on  Connie's deck. It was a cool fall day, with clear skies and beautiful vistas across of the Cumberland range.

After lunch, Bill and I had time for a MH walk before it was time for me to go to a LoCo Dem cook-out hosted at their lakeside house by our county chair, Larry & his wife Linda. I got better acquainted with the other members of the executive committee, which was the point of the event.  It was a beautiful setting in Ft. Loudon Estates on the lake across from the dam and marina.

Friday, Sep 24

Marie and I met for lunch at 11:30 at First Watch in Turkey Creek.  The cafe has a lovely patio and the weather was perfect, as was the egg dish we both ordered.  Conversation with Marie is always engaging, interesting and satisfying. After a few errands I was home by mid-afternoon.  Bill was deep into a boat maintenance project so we didn't walk and I didn't get on the treadmill.  Shame on me!  

At 5 we went to the Matzek's for ping-pong and conversation.  Bill was the camp of the afternoon, even beating Mike.  Amanda was planning to go the LCHS football game. She planned to drive herself and meet friends there.  Laura reported that Claire has had a good week and had both her old boyfriend and her new boyfriend visiting this weekend.

For supper I marinated a pork tenderloin in my favorite basalmic vinaigrette, wrapped it in fresh sage and Bill grilled it.  I served it with fried eggplant and PH peas.

Saturday, Sep 25

In keeping with my notion to share more of my thoughts: This week's devotional readings moved from the Book of Esther, to Psalms, to the letter of James and finally to the gospel of Mark.  The daily readings follow the Revised Common Lectionary used by the UMC and always include at least one Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament letter and a Gospel reading. Quoting from today's "Disciples" reading based on Mark 9:38-41. "A great strength of Jesus' followers is faithfulness.  We want to be faithful and we also want to be 'right.' Wanting to honor God in everything we do is wonderful. Yet sometimes our desire to be 'right' causes us to question the motives or actions of others, and work to stop them if they are not conforming to our particular traditions or expressions. It can be hard to let that go.  But Jesus does let it go. What if we simply focus on discovering what or where the most powerful force of love and humility is in a particular situation and center our words and actions there? That kind of response might be like a cup of cold water in the heat of a desert, something a servant would offer." (underlining is mine)

This is game day Saturday, but Kathy and Wayne are still not well enough for us to be comfortable spending several hours in their house to watch the Vols play football.  It was a 7 pm game anyway.  Bill spent his day on boat and RV maintenance.  I puttered around because my right arm/shoulder is still bothering me.  

From my window

Mid-afternoon, I started a gumbo for supper - Shrimp and Andouille!  It was YUM!  Of course, we lost to Florida as expected.

Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Sunday, Sep 26

Thoughts on boarders as David and Trisha complete week 1 of having renters in the basement - friends, a family of 4 with a daughter the same age as Owen and a younger child. David has been working for several weeks upgrading and remodeling the basement to create a small apartment.  It will have a separate entrance at the back of the house. As I have reflected, I realize that whether he knows it or not, he has a history of landlords in the family.  Which brought me to research and recap.

Farrah Family:

In 1917 when my grandmother was 14 her family moved from Montgomery County to Sunflower County to sharecrop on the farm of WE Walker, 3 miles south of Indianola, across the Sunflower River.  In 1920 they mover to another farm close to Indianola which they rented instead of sharecropping.  In 1921 the move again to a 40 acre farm on the edge of town, located there Indianola High School was later built (now middle school.  In 1923, they gave up farming and moved to the Carter House, a boarding house in town which they managed.  My grandfather B Clark Westmoreland boarded there and that is how Emily and Clark met.  They married while he lived there but kept it a secret for a few months.

During the depression, Emily and Clark rented rooms and took in boarders in the house they had purchased on West End Ave.  They did so again during WWII. They eventually developed several low-rent houses on their property and my parents, Clara and John Taylor built a rental house on the property.

After my mother moved to Jackson, MS in the 1980s she purchased a house on Seminole St that had been divided into several rental units. She rented those while she live there and for several years afterward.

In a similar way, Mozelle Renshaw Whitaker's mother took in boarders in the early years of her time in Nashville, when Mozelle was a teen.  It was a respectable way for a widow to make ends meet, along with her seamstress skills.

After church, we spent some of the afternoon getting ready for our camping trip tomorrow.

Recapping a Month - Aug 23 - Sep 22

Wednesday, September 22 - First Day of Fall - (This is a very long post)

Rain for the past few days has ushered in a cold front.  Fall weather is arriving on cue for a change, with lows predicted to dip near 50 for the next 2 nights.  I have not written an entry in this log for a month, except for a few notes during the last week of August.  Every day I have mentally composed what I might say about the day, but nothing has been transposed from thought to pen or keyboard.  I had decided earlier in the summer to skip the handwritten entires and compose directly online.  That method has not been as productive as I imagined.

I remind myself that I began this journal to remind myself that I had purposeful and useful activity every day, to keep one day from blending into the next, to highlight some unique element of each day.  It was an exercise that served me well when social activities were cut off due to the pandemic.

During the early summer, activities began to open up again as  COVID seemed to be waning. My daily schedule got busier and the garden kept me busy at home.  The need for that daily reminder diminished.  As August ended and September began, the COVID was surging more strongly than even.  I had gone back to mask wearing in public indoor spaces.  The start of school produced a surge of cases in children.  The end of August also brought preparation for The Sale, Trinity's big rummage sale that had been postponed for a year and a half.  We might have postponed again if we didn't have so much stuff to get rid of.  And our UMW mission funds were depleted. COVID cases in Loudon County were exploding with a very high rate of infection.  LCHS had to close for a few days after Labor Day due to staff shortages.  

I read today that modeling data out of North Carolina shows that up to 90% of unprotected school children will contract COVID this year.  I heard on national news that COVID deaths have now exceeded the number of deaths from the 1918 Spanish Flue pandemic, and that we can expect 100,000 more deaths by the end of the year.  I am very distraught and angry with those people, including loved ones, who have chosen not to get vaccinated.  

But still my life goes on in a more-or-less normal way except for wearing a mask in public.  Life is still good at 1633 Woodlawn Rd.

A month in review:

Aug 23: On our morning walk we encountered a spectacular mushroom. 

The garden produced in 3's today: 3 pints of tomatoes, e cups green beans, 3 cups shelled peas, 3 cups cut okra.  Vegetable supper tonight. 

Aug 24: Lots of social activity today. UMW work and meeting with the TUMC Vision team in the morning. Lunch with Bonnie, then working with Jim A on the Habitat grant. The grant itself is easy.  The hard part is gathering the qualifying documents.  There is no doubt that Jim qualifies by his income and need.  We just have to gather the documents because he does not have them at hand.

Aug 25: Started the day with a MH walk. Then lunch with Marie on the deck at Calhoun's in Oak Ridge.  Later in the afternoon I made the forms for the Silent Auction of antique quilts for The Sale.  We learned today that Claire has been offered a job as a lab assistant for an MTSU professor who is working on a DNA research project.  She is excited and we are so happy for her. 

More mushrooms generated from the big one.

Aug 26: This morning instead of a walk we took a boat ride with the intent of calibrating the new trolling motor.  It was beautiful and we had the lake all to ourselves.  When I got home, I worked on setting up a Square account for the UMW so we can accept credit cards at The Sale. In the afternoon, I picked up Amanda and took her to Gettysvue CC in Knoxville for a school match.  I rented a cart and was joined by Laura & Mike on the 3rd hole.  High School matches are only 9 holes.  

Aug 27: UMW work day for The Sale, 9 am - noon.  Then I watched a Zoom meeting on Creation Care sponsored by UMW and the organization "Act for Creation, Act for Justice." After a quick lunch with Bonnie, I went to see Jim A to get gather documents for the grant.  For supper, we had a Friday Night Fish Fry, catfish & fried okra with green beans and left-over sweet potatoes. 

Aug 28: Loudon County Democratic Party Reorganization Meeting was at noon in Loudon.  I was officially elected to another term on the county executive committee.

Aug 30: The garden is slowing down. I'm ready to pull out most of what is left, except a few pepper plants, okra and herbs that are still producing.  Tomatoes a very poor, although I'm still getting a few that are usuable.  

Aug 31 and Sep 1" UMW work days - The Sale is starting to shape up.  I've been working primarily in the household good/linens room (not pictured).  There is too much stuff!  All part of our "throw-away" society.  The pictures don't even show all the shoes, much less the 4 other rooms of stuff. 

Sep 2:  We started the morning with a walk at MH. I never get tired of these scenes.  Tennessee played the season opener against Bowling Green this evening and won as expected.  It's officially football time in Tennessee!

Sep 3: Baking and Cooking

Sep 5: Claire came home for the long Labor Day weekend, so we were invited over for supper and ping-pong.  It was good to catch up with Claire's activities and have time to visit with Laura & Mike.  Bill always enjoys playing ping-pong with Amanda.

Sep 6, 7 & 8: Most of each morning was spent working to get ready for The Sale. On Tuesday afternoon, I was the guest speaker for the Martha Circle at Central UMC to give my Creation Care presentation. Wednesday was Allison's 8th birthday.  We had sent money for a bike and were rewarded with a video of her riding her new purple bike. Wednesday evening was the pre-sale for "family & friends and the culmination of the silent auction for quilts.  We made more than $200 on the quilts. 

Sep 9: I was out early to take Amanda to Turkey Creek for a hair cut and then to school.  She isn't allowed to drive there yet.  After dropping her off, I was soon back on the road to west Knox for my own haircut appointment.  Thursday of sale week is traditionally baking day.  I made a gingerbread cake and packaged it in individual servings for the bake sale.

Sep 10: It's finally here ... the big day ... The Sale.  I arrived first, before 8 am.  People began lining up before 8:30 and doors opened at 9 am.  I even had to escort out someone who had come in while we were taking stuff outside. My main job was cashier to receive credit card payments. We had lots to sell and plenty of customers.  We required masks inside and monitored compliance.  We also had 4 air-sanitizers spreading mists all day.  By 5 pm we were all exhausted but happy about the proceeds of the day.

Sep 11: The Sale, 9 am - noon. We had another good sale day. At noon we began packing up the left-over and there was lots left.  The better items went to The Good Neighbor Shoppe - a resale shop that donates profits (thousands of dollars) to community organization each year.  Most of the rest went to KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries) which also has a resale shop in Lenoir City.  They give the church coupons which we in turn can give to people who come to us in need of clothing or household items.  Boxes and packing materials will be taken to the recycle center next week and I'll take the florist vases to "Random Acts of Flowers" in Knoxville.

Sep 13: Went to church to pick up recycling stuff and settle money with Sandra so I could make a deposit. Some good comfort food for supper - hamburger steaks with rice and gravy.  It doesn't make for a colorful plate but it sure is satisfying. Amanda is out of school through Wednesday, a virtual-learning week because of staff shortages due to Covid.  Her engineering assignment was to create a powerpoint showing a local building that started as one thing and is now something else.  I helped her gather pictures and information on Ledbetter Apartments which was the original Lenoir family station (plantation) home.

Sep 15: Happy Birthday Trisha Whitaker!  Jim A's SocSec benefit letter finally arrived so we were able to complete the application.

Sep 16: LoCo Dems hosted a "meet the candidate" for Dr. Jason Martin at LC Park this afternoon.  He will be running for governor and made an impressive presentation.  He was inspired to run because of the health care crisis exacerbated by Covid.

Our insurance renewal came today and it prompted me to go around the house and take snapshots of every part of every room.  Bill made an appointment to review our coverage with the agent. Later in the winter we plan to do a room-by-room inventory.

Sep 17: Met with Chris C from Habitat at Jim's house for Jim to sign all the forms to authorize the work for the access ramp.  It may be Nov before work actually begins. 

Tony's tamales for Friday supper!

Sep 18: Teaching colleague Carole David passed away on Monday after a major heart attack a few weeks. Her by-pass surgery had to be delayed by several days because of a shortage of critical care beds and staff.  Maybe she, too, is a victim of Covid.  Her visitation and service was this afternoon.  Kathy has been sick with a respiratory virus for several days, following Aiden's similar illness. We did not get together for the game.  

Tony's tamale with a Bloody Mary made a great game snack

Sept 19: Instead of leading my Trinity SS class as usual, I was invited to give my Creation Care presentation to a SS Class at Alcoa UMC. There were about 18 in the class and they responded positively to my program. I was home early enough for a walk before the afternoon got too warm.  Fall roadside flowers are blooming everywhere.  They didn't seem to trigger an allergic reaction.  

Laura, Mike and Amanda used the RV this weekend for a trip to Murphreesboro to see Claire. Amanda stayed with Claire Friday and Saturday while Laura and Mike camped.  They had LOTS of rain. LeRoy was our guest for the weekend.  We took him home and had a short visit this afternoon.

Sep 20:  Despite the rain, I was committed to taking the vases left-over from the sale to Random Acts of Flowers, way down Middlebrook Pike in Knoxville.  Bill went with me and I was glad for his help carrying the two heavy boxes and driving skills on the rainy roads.  While in Knoxville, we went to Whole Food where I got some fresh shucked oysters and frozen haddock fillets.  I've never cooked haddock and it will go in the freezer.  I certainly know how to fry oysters, which I did for our supper tonight, along with fried okra and a salad. I was so eager to eat the oysters, I forgot to take a picture.

I enjoyed our walk yesterday so I told myself that I would walk 2 extra miles every day this week, even if it meant using the treadmill.  Today it meant using the treadmill!

Sep 21: I worked on a Good Sam dental grant budget off and on today.  Took a break for lunch with Bonnie.  Did a treadmill mile in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Amanda played in the district golf tournament today representing Lenoir City HS.  Mike took her and I did not go.  She did well, but not her very score. Her 89 was good enough to move on to regional  play next week.  We are excited for her and proud of the way she plays the game - with grace, humility and resilience, very mature for just barely 16.

Sep 22: First Day of Fall.  I've finally circled around to the beginning of this post.  When I began, I did not expect to write a day-by-day account, but that is how it turned out.  I hope going forward to write more reflectively and include some of what I'm reading.  Today was baking day which means a day at home, culminating with 4 boules of sourdough bread.  Between steps and during rising time, I've worked on my part of the dental grant and this journal.  The rainy weather cleared by mid-afternoon and we were able to take a walk through the park.  That is a much more pleasant way to log 2 miles and more strenuous with the hills.  I am completing this online on Sunday, Oct 3!  Transcribing is time consuming.

Dogwood is beautiful in every season.

The journey continues...