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old barns, old barns

Cades Cove, GSMNP

Well, we're back at the weekend without much happening around here--so it's more vacation photos for you! I really love all the old barns we saw in the Smokies, and I'm always happy to visit favorites when I am with my family. Here are a few photos that turned out really well.

Cades Cove, GSMNP

Cades Cove, GSMNP

Historic farm museum, GSMNP (photo taken by Michael)

Mail Pouch barn in Confluence, Pa (photo taken by Michael)

Broken down combines

Slightly derelict, Somerset, Pa

One of my most favorite barns ever, Somerset, Pa. I think it would be totally cool to renovate this barn into a home. I have very specific ideas about how that could happen, and what it would look like. But those are probably always going to be dreams.

That's it for now. I hope to be back this weekend with actual project updates. And I do have a few more sets of vacation photos to share.

going away is better than coming back

Cades Cove, Smoky Mountain National Park

Thought some pictures from our recent trip north might be a nice weekend breather. On our way to Pennsylvania we spent a couple of days in the Smokies. These are some of my favorite photos from the Cades Coves loop--a driving/biking loop through a ghost town--abandoned when the park bought the property in the '30s (I think). It was very tiny and secluded and fosters many dreams within my own heart.

Cross inside Methodist Church

Methodist Church and Cemetery

Missionary Baptist Church

outside looking in

sunlight on pew

brick floor cross

front door

around the bend

I could stare at this forever...

run off from the grist mill channel

water wheel

more to come...

Biking and Baking

Michael with his new bike. Love the grin. We spent the day at Guana--after a long break from hanging out there. It was great to be back! It was our first time to take bikes out and that was also pretty fun. Not so fun was adjusting to the bike rack on my trunk. But all was well and eventually I wasn't surprised to look in the rear view mirror and see bikes bouncing around.

It was such a beautiful day--warm and sunny but not crazy hot. As it will be soon, sadly. I realized, as we were biking, how unaccustomed I was to riding on, shall we say, rustic trails. Michael's bike is a mountain bike. It has shocks and wide tires and he had fun jumping some of the larger tree roots. My bike is a hybrid--not really road, not mountain. And the trail, well, let's just say that I don't remember there being nearly so many tree roots in the trail when we were only hiking. Good thing I have the comfort bike seat.

Like I said, it was a beautiful day. Lots of people were out enjoying the river and the trails. I nearly ran over a snake that was eating a lizard. We also so several of these creatures:

I swear that they are the stupidest creatures on this earth. This one was nearly on Michael's shoe before he realized we were there. We weren't being quiet. Michael's  of the opinion that they're more trouble than they're worth for most predators, which is how they happen to be around at this late date. I can't think of a better reason.

When we got back we had a nice vegetable dinner--sweet corn on the cob, fried zucchini, tomatoes--accompanied by the beer batter bread I mentioned in my last post. Seriously, you should all trot over here for the recipe and make some. It's so easy and really, really good. We were gluttons, so I don't have a picture, but now I know that there is a place for self-rising flour in my pantry after all!

King of the World

On our recent trip to Alabama, Michael took me hiking at Oak Mountain State Park. It was wonderful! I really, really miss "real" hiking--up hills and mountains, through hardwood forests, past rippling little creeks and over tremendous boulders. I'm learning to love a lot of things about the Florida outdoors, but that doesn't mean I don't yearn for a good lung-expanding hike every now and then.

We took the straight up and over route to get here, which is the top of some mountain. Actually, Michael is standing on the toppest top. The other side of  that rock is straight down and a little scary. I felt much better once I was back on solid dirt again. This is the view from the rock:

It was a beautiful day--cold enough to need a heavy coat and gloves, but warm once you got going. Especially on the up and over route. We will definitely have to make it an Alabama staple--I want to try out some of the other trails and also get out on the lake.

Alabama

Over President's Day weekend Michael and I took some extra time off and drove to Birmingham to visit his family. It was my second time in Alabama. It's hard for me to get over how much that very Southern state reminds me of Pennsylvania. They both share a similar industrial history and it's weird to see old steel mills, iron mines and coke plants littered about and not be in Western PA. The photo above is from the Sloss Furnace, which is registered as a National Historic Landmark and operates now as a museum. What is really awesome is that the museum is actually the whole site--you can clamber and climb over almost all parts of the old factory. In it's hey-day the furnace produced something like 400 tons of pig iron daily. I can't really imagine what that would look like, but this big old wrench gives you something of an idea:

I also really liked this sign, which hangs in a area of the furnace that is used today as studio space for modern iron workers:

I personally feel that the Virgin is the perfect touch.

Final Trip Installment (AT LAST!)

On our way back to Statesboro, and eventually Jacksonville, Michael and I stopped at the Portal, Ga Turpentine Festival.  Who knew?  Portal is a very tiny town, and I think the entire population was at the festival.  It reminded me of a lower budget Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee.  Lots of snack booths and such.  We just missed the cake judging, but we did get to try potatoes cooked in pine resin.  We were both incredulous, but it was fab, and you can see the impressive effect it had on Michael's hair situation.
Our very last stop was a sanctuary for injured or imprinted birds of prey.  It's a little sad to see these great animals confined, but they wouldn't have a chance in the wild--many were missing an eye, had broken wings, etc.  I had never seen a bald eagle up close and was duly impressed.  I also had no idea how BIG a red tailed hawk really is.  They are much more elusive than everybody thinks--all those times you thought you saw a red tailed hawk soaring overhead?  It was probably a turkey vulture or a red shouldered hawk--slightly smaller, but also very pretty. 
I was suprised by how much I enjoyed this visit--birds are not normally animals I feel comfortable around (although I think that I am mostly disturbed by starlings, pigeons, and over-eager ducks).  But the raptors were so impressive and beautiful and proud. 
One more funny thing.  You know everytime you're watching a movie and there is an eagle or some other raptor flying overhead?  No matter what, movie producers use the red tailed hawk's call--it's so much more manly.  The eagle does not have a majestic call.  It's disconcerting; kind of like when you're at the gym and that really beefy guy pressing 300lbs. sounds like maybe his voice never changed.

Little Trip, Part II (finally!)

After we left Crooked River and the Tabby Sugar Mill, Michael and I drove 45 minutes or so north to St. Simon's island.  It's very quaint and touristy, but we were only there for the lighthouse.  The original lighthouse was built pre-Civil War and was manned continually by the Coast Guard until the 70s, when it became an historical site.  The original light had to be re-built at the turn of the 20th century, for some reason that I don't entirely remember.  There was a very cute museum and gift shop in the old keeper's quarters--the upstairs was recreated to look like it had in the early 1900s.  Lots of want-able stuff, although the dressed up manequins were a little freaky. But the best part was climbing the hundreds of narrow cast iron stairs to come out at the windy (very windy) top.  Michael took pictures of the view from all sides, but I like this just emerging picture best.  You can see a sideways picture of the lighthouse here.
From St. Simon's we drove north and a little west to Statesboro.  That's where we saw rolling hills and fall colors.  That's also where we lost NPR and listened to John Coltrane loop and loop and loop (because we were always too never sure where we were to pay attention to the music).  Anyway, Statesboro is not a very big town, but Southern Georiga University is there, so it is kind of an interesting mix of small town, semi-rural, and slightly eccentric places.  We saw many fast food places and also many coffee shops.  None of which made a good mocha, unfortunately.  But that's ok, because we ate at R.J.s Steak and Seafood, which was an experience in and of itself.  It was very much like a dingy Hoss's.  Except that there was a big carousel of desserts and then trays and silverware and dishes and no instructions. We took one of everything and then they took away the dishes we didn't need after we had ordered.  But my shrimp was good and in the end, does it really matter that the child in the booth next to us was standing on the table?
  On Saturday morning we drove from Statesboro to George L. Smith II State Park, which was definitely the highlight of our trip!  This lake is almost completely surrounded by cypress trees, and the water is tea dark from all of the tannins that leach into the water from the trees.  This time of year was so beautiful, too, because the colors of the leaves were reflected in the pond, plus there was a 3-D effect going on with the leaves that had just left their trees and were floating on the surface of the lake. 
One end of the lake is dammed by a grist mill and covered bridge; after our hike we ate lunch at the picnic area there and were only mildly assaulted by falling acorns.  There were several places to launch a boat, and we heard rumos of possible canoe rentals, although the rangers' office was closed.  We'll be back to try our luck navigating the cypress bulbs.