New Blog Adddress

We bagan a new blog last year.  If you wish to continue to follow our progress, go to this address:

                                                     www.seasons2go.wordpress.com.

You can sign up there to be a follower by entering you email address and you will be notified whenever I post a new blog.

Thanks for coming along with us on our journey.  We'd love to hear from you.

Lydia and Jim

Smokey, Crepes, and Dill

Smokey Bear’s birthday party is the one of the biggest days for the Cradle of Forestry. The threat of rain kept some people away, but we had over 600 visitors that day. Due to the large crowd, we worked our regular shift and the other team worked a half day to handle all the extra things going on including 5 birthday cakes to share. Of course, Smokey showed up and sat for pictures with the kids; even some big kids. By the way, Smokey was 68 this year and moved into retirement by the US Forest Service. Needless to say, everyone was pretty tired at the end of that day, but we still did our regular happy hour after work.
As per a request from Rachel to teach her how to make crepes, Lydia organized a “dessert crepe party” for both teams.  Everyone was to bring something to go in or on the crepes and she’d provide the crepes.  Nearly everyone showed up and the variety was amazing. Of course, we had to try some of every variation.  Lydia had made all but one batch of crepes at home and Rachel did a great job of cooking those.  Way to cook, Rach!   It was also Frank and Joy’s anniversary so we toasted them with the bubbly they provided.  Another fun memory for our summer at the Cradle.
We picked Dill Falls for our next road trip because Kristyn said “you really need to see these falls”. We followed the directions which led us down this little used gravel road about 5 miles off the main road. The road ended at a dead end with two trails leading away. Our directions were a bit unclear, so we picked a trial and took off. After a few minutes we heard the waterfall below us, but there was no trail, just a path down the mountain through the trees. We struggled down the slope about 30 yards using rhododendron branches as ropes and roots as stepping stones. The path ended at the base of a beautiful waterfall where we “high fived” each other for our stamina and creativity in negotiating the “path”. The sound of thunder and some dark clouds caused us to cut our celebration short and sent us scrambling back up the to the trail – not nearly as easy as going down.  We finally made it and headed for the car.  The thunder told us the storm was on the other side of the mountain and heading away from us.  Feeling a little safer now, we paused for a snack and some water. Hey, let’s check out the other trail. This trail was much easier to negotiate and we soon arrived at the base of another waterfall that was bigger and much prettier. Sassy had a wonderful time playing in the water and Lydia even took off her shoes and waded.  There’s a pool at the base of the falls just perfect for an afternoon swim but we hadn’t come prepared to skinny dip!  Relating our adventure later that day, we discovered the second falls was Dill Falls and the first waterfall was Upper Dill Falls and that we had taken the wrong trail the first time.  Duh!! It was a memorable day and will put that falls on our “must see” list.  Thanks, Kristyn, for the recommendation.
We continue to have our almost nightly happy hours with the neighbors and all our furry children.  The Lopes dog, Ginger, has decided that we’re all okay for humans and makes a bee line for the gathering.  Of course, the treats that we always have could have had something to do with her decision.  The “kids” seem to enjoy the get-togethers as much as we all do. Every now and then a “nut run” will begin and several of them (Sassy and Max being the instigators) will take off running around and sometimes through the circle.
A couple of things happened over the next few days. First, the NFL preseason started and Jim got to watch a Packer game on TV. The Packers lost, but Jim said not to worry because it was only preseason. Second, Lydia discovered through her Facebook contacts that Dennis and Barb Fotinos live about 30 miles from us. Dennis was the pastor at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Kingwood, TX where we lived before moving to Georgia. We will meet with them next month to catch up and share stories. Third, our neighbors, Jo and Fred, had a family emergency and they had to leave for Wisconsin the next day. They asked us to care for their little dog, Boo Boo.
‘til next time  …

Furry Kids and New Friends

We began our second session as seasoned volunteers because our new team contained three new couples who completed their training as the first session ended. We became teachers and mentors to the “newbies” who tried every day to remember what they should have learned during their training. They’ve all done great and we are enjoying making new friends.

The evenings remain essentially the same as the first session…people usually meet at someone’s site for happy hour bringing a beverage, sometimes a snack, and a chair. Everyone is welcome – no invitation needed.  We always include our “furry kids” and they’ve gotten so used to the daily event that they sit at their respective doors and whine if we are a little late in going out.  I think they enjoy the canine camaraderie as much as we enjoy the human version!

Jim moved our TV outside so we could watch the opening ceremony for the XXX Summer Olympics. It started as a happy hour and moved into watching TV. We had our own version of the Olympic rings.  What a hoot!  People began to leave around 10pm. We went inside but gave up around 11pm, so we set the DVR and went to bed since we had to work the next day.

On our next three days off we needed some adventure in addition to the usual laundry and shopping, so we took a road trip. We headed east on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Everyone should plan to drive part of this road. This road runs along the upper ridge of the Appalachians Mountains and there is a fantastic panoramic view around every curve. We made a stop at the BRP Visitors Center to learn a bit of history about BRP. We headed east again and turned into the Folk Art Center. This facility has a long history of show casing local people and their talents. It is filled with handmade objects made by local people who are artists. Every piece is fantastic.

We continued driving east along the Parkway with short stops at overlooks to marvel at the incredible views. Lydia said it reminded her of what a bird must see while soaring over the mountains. Our final destination was Mt. Mitchell.  At 6684 feet it is the highest peak in North Carolina and east of the Mississippi River. We hiked a short distance to the top and enjoyed the 360 degree view.

On the way back to the parking lot, Lydia discovered the start of the Balsam Nature Trail. This hike through a Southern spruce-fir forest is a quick history lesson of the life of trees at high altitudes. During the winter the trees experience lots of snow, wind and cold; most days are below freezing. The summer brings abundant moisture in the form of rain and fog.

Unfortunately, the fog also brings bad news in terms of toxic acidic precipitation that attack the trees. Due to this and the effects of the Balsam woolly adelgid the gray-white skeletons of dead Fraser firs are all too visible on the mountains. The area is still beautiful and the variety of plants is incredible.

One highlight of this month occurred when Jim finally got the outside gas grill hooked up to the trailer propane; the happy end of a 5 month project.  Now we can get rid of the extra propane tank we carried.  Lessening the load is always an important part of this lifestyle. 

July gave way to August and everyone continues to spend more time inside watching the Olympics. One note is August 1 was our 8th month anniversary of being full timers. We celebrated by buying a small refrigerator which we will keep outside when we are parked. (Oh, well – we got rid of the extra propane tank didn’t we?) We started out using an ice chest as Jim’s beer storage and fridge overflow, but a bag of ice twice a week was not working. Of course, we had a special happy hour to celebrate that – any excuse for a party!

Lydia is having a wonderful time raiding the woods for flowers and foliage to make arrangements. We have “fresh flowers” all the time these days on the Party Patio! She’s expanded her knowledge of flora and plans to do a blog with pictures of some of the things she’s seen while at the Cradle. 

‘til next time…

July 2012

Where does the time go? Our last posting was the end of June and it’s the last week in JULY today. Let’s see if I can catch y’all up with our adventures.

Frank and Joy organized a Patriotic Celebration for the 4th of July.  We decorated the clubhouse, Jim and Frank cooked the hot dogs, and everyone brought something to complete the meal. Of course, Lydia had to make sure we had the appropriate table setting.  We even had some watermelon for dessert among other choices.

As June turned into July, the record heat wave that most of you experienced this summer came to the mountains. Oh yeah! Yes, we are high up in the mountains, but record high temperatures are still record high temps. Along with the high temps came afternoon thunderstorms and a few times we had a little hail. Anyway, we decided that we needed some shade so we could sit outside part of the day, so we bought a fold up canopy. We and our neighbors enjoyed several happy hours under our canopy. One afternoon storm dumped about 2 inches of rain in 60 minutes. The rain puddled on top of our canopy and caused it to collapse.   

Despite the now daily showers and thunderstorms (9 days in a row), we returned the mangled canopy and bought a better one. We returned home tired after shopping all day in Asheville but our neighbors insisted that we put up the new canopy, so we did. (Lydia dubbed it an Erection Party.) It’s plenty big for at least 10 of us to gather and it has a sun shade since we get the afternoon sun. Ken and Joanna liked it so well, they bought one just like it.

 

 

 

 

 

The days passed quickly and they told us about the volunteer appreciation dinner. The Hobnob Restaurant, which operates the café here at the Cradle, catered the delicious dinner and several of our talented volunteers provided the evening’s entertainment. Jim was so excited because he got his official US Forest Service hat. We hosted an after dinner party at our place and 12 people showed up. It kind of reminded us of the VW commercial – how many can you fit inside?

A few days before training for the second session started, the new team arrived and set up their rigs in temporary spaces.  There is an overlap of volunteers while the new team goes through training.  Among the “newbies” are friends from the Plantation in Alabama, Barb and Dan Lopes.  We had them over for dinner and told them what to expect in the next few days of training. We also entertained our new next door neighbors, Jo and Fred Wishnie. We bid Hail and Farewell during a big spaghetti dinner and on the 21st, we sadly said goodbye to Bill and Jan, Deanna and others. Hope to see them “on down the road” and maybe next year at the Cradle.

 

‘til next time ….

June–the second half

When last we left you, Lydia was in bed and Jim was watching tv.  Good thing we rested up because bright and early (7:30) on Tuesday morning members of our team met at the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway for breakfast. After a hearty breakfast, 7 of the group, led by our leader, Dr. Charles (79!!!), began the 8.2 mile hike down the mountains. The scenery was beautiful and the wildflowers were gorgeous.  The rhododendron are in full bloom here and there were times we felt like we were walking through a tunnel of big white blossoms. We crossed several streams all rushing downhill and one “sliding rock” type of formation that had us all thinking about trying it out.  No, we didn’t – this time at least!

 

 

 

After a brief stop in a rhododendron thicket for a breather and a snack, we pushed on and arrived about 2:00 at the COF Discovery Center singing “We Are the Champions”.

On Thursday, all the volunteers met at Blue Ridge Pizza for dinner and then went to Lewis and Priscilla’s home for “make your own” sundaes.  A highlight of the evening (besides the fabulous pizza and the “kitchen sink” sundaes) was the arrival of Devin (COF Interpretive Cente, Seasonal Interpretive Specialist), his wife and new baby girl, Iris. We had all been anxious to meet her since her birth 8 weeks ago.  What a doll she is and several of us got our “grand-mother” fix and got to hold her.  Yep, you know I did!!!

We always have such a great time when we all can get together.  The volunteers work on two teams, so after-hours is the only time we can really socialize.  We make the most of it with (nearly) every evening “happy hours” and events like the pizza party. We're having fun working with all of them.

The parents of our "5th child", Kristyn (Forest Service intern), came from St. Louis for a visit. We invited them for cocktails and to meet the group their daughter was “hanging around”.

 

 

 

 

Three days of work, laundry and the usual errands to run pretty well wrapped up the month for us.  Oh, one more thing.  If you remember we’ve had awful telephone and internet service since we got here in April.  We finally bit the bullet and left ATT and went to Verizon, the only thing that works up here.  We’re now fully connected via 2 iPhones (same numbers we had in Georgia) and MiFi for the internet.  It cost us but it will be worth it to be able to stay in touch.  So… let us hear from you.

‘til next time….

June - the first half

First of all, let us apologize for our lack of timely updates. So much has happened in June that we had little time to do blogging. When we had a few extra minutes, our campground seemed to have internet access problems. That is the biggest complaint of all the volunteers here at the Cradle of Forestry (COF)

Anyway, we are still enjoying our life in the Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. Moderate daytime temperatures, cool evenings and frequent afternoon rain showers are the norm in these mountains.  After a quiet Memorial Day weekend, we drove to nearby DuPont State Forest and hiked to three different waterfalls. The 3 mile hike was not too bad except for the uphill part. We probably couldn’t have done it two months ago.

 

 

 

A few days later we picked up our almost 10 year old granddaughter, Olivia (Melanie’s oldest). She stayed with us for 9 days and we and she had a great time together. Here is a list of some of our activities; 4 water fall visits, trips to Brevard and Asheville, and visits to US Forest Service Wildlife Center and Western NC Nature Center.

 

 

 

 

 

All those activities happened on our off days, On our work days, Olivia joined us at the COF and helped us and other volunteers do our jobs. She even helped two US Forest Service interns get ready for their presentations.

 

 

 

 

 

Olivia’s last day with us was the Saturday when the COF celebrated National Get Outdoors Day. Vendors and organizations came to COF for the day to show

 

 

 

 

 

visitors how much fun the outdoors could be. We got to try archery, rappelling, and canoeing. We learned the difference between “good” and “bad” campsites just to name a few activities. That afternoon ended Olivia’s visit and all three of us were unhappy about that. Even our dog, Sassy, was depressed.

The following week Jim drove to Durham, NC to play golf with his three brothers for a few days. He said that he wished he played better golf, but he had a great time playing cribbage in the evening. While he was gone Lydia continued working at the Cradle and getting things ready for the Thursday arrival of Lisa Ann, Nick, and Katie (from Texas), Lisa, Jimmy, and Ian (from Senoia, GA) and (the return of) Olivia. Needless to say, we had a very full campsite for a few days!  Lisa Ann & Co. camped in Han’s converted van at a nearby campsite. The Roberts slept in

 

 

 

 

 

a tent next to our TT. Ian slept in the car on a blowup mattress. Olivia slept on our sofa. On Friday, Jimmy and Ian went trout fishing at the nearby Fish Hatchery.  In spite of the overnight rain and morning fog, the rest of us did a 3 mile hike to see two different waterfalls. The hike was a bit more than anyone expected but the water falls were spectacular and the fact that we were all together made it very special.

On Saturday evening we attended the COF Firefly Twilight Tour. We listened to lots of information about fireflies from US Forest

 

 

 

 

 

Service staffers, then we moved to a nearby meadow to search for fireflies. As darkness arrived, the fireflies began showing up. Kids were running around trying to catch them in their bug jars. The highlight of the evening was Olivia’s capture of a rare predator firefly. A COF staffer called everyone over to see it amid ooh’s and yuck’s as it ate two other fireflies.

Everyone left Sunday afternoon and it was real quiet around the TT and our campsite again. Lydia (and all the furry kids) took a nap while Jim watched the US Open golf tournament.

More about what we’ve done in June in the next installment.

 

‘Til next time ….