Rugby and Big South Fork

August 16-17

Bill and I enjoyed a great weekend at Rugby and Big South Fork National Recreation Area.  On Saturday morning, we traveled to Rugby for the annual British Motor Car Show. Link here for more about Rugby, Tenn.  It is a historic village settled by Brits in the 1800's as a Utopian community. 

Rugby Episcopal Church - still an active congregation

After viewing the cars and two motorcycles and having lunch, we went to Big South Fork NRA. We have camped here many times and also enjoy.  The afternoon was too hot for hiking, so we just chilled in the shade and/or the AC of the RV.

Sunday morning weather was very nice, so we were able to make 2 short hikes.  Leatherwood Ford is a favorite and we walked along the river for a short way. (Big South Fork of the Cumberland River.)  We also hike to the East Rim Overlook. The view of the river from high above was spectacular. East Rim refers to the edge of the Cumberland Plateau where the park is located.

Big South Fork East Rim Overlook

Photos are in the album:  https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOzIqqFb_05UabTdlet4pAtPe_tBdLQ_20j3LXA7E0ldhR_xU1RAwTxsZjv4-oUhQ

Catching up on the News (Mar 22-May 26)

I have gone more than 2 months without making a journal entry.  It is not because nothing has been happening.  Just the opposite!

May last entry left me at Wolfe Lake early on Saturday morning.  I had a delightful visit with Park & Cindy and left Sunday after breakfast for Jackson to see Melanie. Melanie and visted and had supper with Brenda then I spent the night at Brenda's. Monday morning I picked up Melanie and we traveled back to Tennesse.  We had several fun days and too soon it was time to take her to Chattanooga to Chris and Erin and their 2, Solace and Cavett.  On one of our days we, including Bill, went to downtown Knoxville for the WDVX Blue Plate Special (live music at noon) followed by lunch at Tupelo Honey on Market Square.

In other news:

A group of Trinity women are providing lunch for Habitat volunteers every Tuesday.  I am coordinating our effort and doing most of the shopping.  So Tuesday volunteering has been added to Thursday Yoga and lunch and some Wednesday's for Good Samaritan.

I've also been busy with my spring garden and we are enjoying an abundance of salad greens.

April 5. A group from Trinity participated in a pro-democracy demonstration in downtown Knoxville.  There were 10 us us representing.

Unicoi State Park

May 4-6

Bill and I travelled to Unicoi State Park in North Georgia just because we had heard that it is a beautiful place.  Whoever told us that was right!  It is nestled in the mountains of northeast Georgia. It is not easy to get there from here.  We enjoyed 2 nights of camping. Anna Ruby Falls was just outside the park boundary in the Chattahoochia National Forest. It is probably the most beautiful waterfall I've seen, with two streams converging its base. The photo album is linked below:

Anna Ruby Falls

 https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPYVZOJ-bE63pe3NcxJoDWibMwUyDVvmi5lgP2j

March in Mississippi Mar 21-24

 I left Friday morning for the 500 mile drive to Wolf Lake and Park & Cindy''s house  near Yazoo City, Mississippi.  It is a long day but I made it with no problems.  We went to P-Reaux's for a great supper at a unique place.  I had a dozen oysters on the half-shel and boiled crawfish (all I could eat).  This hole-in-the-wall place does them as well as I've ever had and I used to live in New Orleans.

P-Reaux's, Yazoo City

Cindy and I shared 3 pounds of crawfish.  We didn't finish it all.

We also shared 2 dozen oysters.  I think I had more than my share!

Park & Cindy at P-Reaux's.  It is a real neighborhood place and they knew almost everyone.  They are Friday night regulars.

Saturday was a restful day, just hanging out around the house.  Late in the afternoon, we went to a neighbors for a crawfish boil.  More regional goodness and good company.

Crawfish boil at the neighbors.  They have a beautiful place. 

We ate casually in the garage/back patio.

From the Taylor's gallery (back porch)

The "back" of their house faces the lake and is the living space.

Wolf Lake and their dock.  Water level is high due to recent storms.

Their garden

Sunday morning after breakfast, I said goodbye to Park and Cindy and made my way to Melanies, traveling part of the way on the Natchez Trace. Melanie and I went out for lunch at her favorite Mexican restaurant. Late in the afternoon, we went to Brenda's for supper. Melanie did not spend the night, but I did.  

I picked up Melanie on Monday morning and we made the long drive back to Tennessee.  She will spend the week with me.

New Year Day 153 - March 13

 Trump Regime - Day 51

In addition to illegal firing of federal workers and dismantling of Congressionally approved agencies and withholding Congressionally approved appropriations, the Trump Regime is mounting a concerted attack on the First Amendment.  On March 7, I posted to Facebook the text of the First Amendament without comment:

"The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances."

On March 11 I reposted the First Amendment text with the following comment: "I seems that every day we are hearing of a new assault on the Freedoms it guarantees. Without it we do not have a democratic republic."

On March 13, I reposted again with this comment: "The First Amendment was written for such a time as this. Our founders feared a strong executive. Pay attention. If we lose our First Amendment rights of religion, speech, press and assembly, we are truely lost. This regime is challenging it every day in the quest for power."

The most recent assault is the Regime's lawsuits against the lawyers and law firms who have successfully brought cases against him. He should lose again as the suits clearly have no legal basis. The lower courts are consistently ruling against his executive orders.  As of March 6, more than 100 lawsuits have been filed against the regime: 30 related to immigration, 20 challenging Musk's DOGE, 10 challenging policies related to transgender and 20 opposing changes to funding, hiring & firing and dismantling of agencies, like USAID, approved by Congress. Of those which have recieved a ruling, Trump has won only a small handful. It remains to be seen whether he will abide by the court's rulings. So far, all are under appeal. 

A court has just ruled that most of those who were fired must be reinstated as the firings did not follow proper, legal procedure.  The latest attack on lawyers goes to the heart of the rule of law.  These are SCARY TIMES, even more so than in the 1960s. Then we witnessed riots, beatings, burnings and assassinations. Somehow, it seems that it was all endured to promote human rights and the general welfare, not to dismantle the government.

Gardening is Holy Work

Gardening is Holy Work

On grass-stained knees
With dirty hands
Earth-scent filling the air

Humbly submitting to rain

and sun and drought and cold

To bugs and bunnies taking their share

To being one with all creation.

Gardening is Holy Work.

(March 11, 2025)

March 8 - Before

March 10 - Preparing the ground

March 11 - A beginning, greens in the ground
(buttercrunch and romaine lettuce, swiss chard and spinach plus parsley and kale)

March 11 - First shoots of asparagus

Fifty years ago we began gardening in this spot on Shalom Farm, in cooperation with Anna and Jake Smith whose farm it was.  Bill and I later bought 2 acres from them that included our little house and the garden plot.

Going Home

Day 10, March 3 Skidaway - Covington

We started the journey home with a lot of discussion about which route to take home.  Could we avoid Atlanta altogether? No. We decided to take I-16 out of Savannah and then go cross country to hit I-20 outside of Augusta. Our target was the Hampton Inn in Covington where we stayed Day 1. The plan more or less worked. We found a beautiful little state part on our route, Magnolia Springs just off US 25. We stopped there for a leisurely lunch break.  We travelled 246 miles over 6 1/2 hours.

The light blue-green in the center is the spring source.

Day 11, March 4 Home

We left Covington at 10 am, hoping we would go around Atlanta at an off-peak time.  The traffic, construction and congestion were harrowing anyway. It took us about 1 1/2 hours on I-20 to I-285 (east beltway) to I-75 to get out of the heavy traffic.  After a brief lunch and gas stop north of Chattanooga, we made it home at 3:40.  We travelled 244 miles today.

Trip Total : 11 Days, 1823 miles