BLOWING ROCK & RAIN

RAIN AT LAST...
Sunday to Thursday was spent in Blowing Rock, NC one of the most picturesque spots of the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains. RAIN, isn't it wonderful? Rain. Driving in the rain I had to figure out how to turn the windshield wipers on, it had been SO long since driving in rain that I forgot how(?).

Learned a new word this week.
CATALOOCHEE.

The town of Cataloochee is just about twenty miles from Cold Mountain, so says Wayne Caldwell, author and UNC Ph.d. This is the next mountain saga following the spectacular popularity of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain and may prove to be an equal sequel.

From Booklist: *Starred Review* Set in the reclusive mountains of North Carolina, Caldwell's rootsy first novel follows the small triumphs and tragedies of three families from the Civil War to 1928, when the area was absorbed into the new Smoky Mountains National Park. Keeping track of four generations of Carters, Banks, and Wrights, with their bountiful legions of offspring, would be a chore if not for Caldwell's deft touch, indelibly detailing characters even if their particular branch of the family tree only rustles free to offer a momentary glimpse into the loves, lives, and deaths of these hardscrabble folk. See amazon.com

Caldwell, a quiet spoken, thoughtful writer talked to the OLLI Retreat at the Blowing Rock Conference Center about his family the the long process of collecting and writing family stories. Ninety-four OLLI's, plus staff and speakers enjoyed the mountain top retreat above Blowing Rock for three nights. I have not read Caldwell's book but am waiting for him to read for the audio version (I prefer to listen to fiction when driving).

Read the word 'enjoy' carefully. The sun shone all the way to Blowing Rock Sunday and presented a very colorful sunset. The rain began during the night and did not stop until we arrived home on Thursday afternoon. Yes, we badly needed the rain. But it had not rained in Blowing Rock for nearly a year - why THIS weekend?

Betty Hurst of Handmade in America, was also on the agenda. Handmade publishes The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina With over 500 listings, the 356 page, full color, Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina is the only guide you'll need to find hand-made crafts, artist's studios, galleries, bed & breakfasts, inns, historical sites, special attractions and notable restaurants in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

See: www.handmadeinamerica.org to learn much more about the work accomplished in 22 western counties of this state. I pulled out the 1996, 2nd edition copy found at home and re-discovered a treasure-trove of information I had somehow misplaced.
Of real interest for me was the mention of the QUILT BARN project, now some 70 barns in six western counties of NC sport huge, painted, quilt-blocks. In case you do not know about Quilt Barns (Ohio, Tenn., Kentucky and now NC have them), check out
"Piece Signs,"in Our State magazine for October 2007 and read on:
http://www.handmadeinamerica.org/pdfs/Piece-Signs-OS1007.pdf. This is a project that I would love to see DOQ accomplish in Orange County but the wheels of community art projects move slowly, moonshine ages quicker!

Dr. Emily Seelbinder, Ph.D, of Queen College, Charlotte balanced the speaker roster discussing Toni Morrison's explorations of love in both her book (Beloved) and libretto for an opera (Margaret Garner). Dr. Seelbinder is a particular favorite of the OLLI bunch, this was her 4th (or 5th) year to attend.

Thursday I pursued the ongoing research about artist/landscape painter, Elliott Daingerfield by going to West Glow Spa. Did I mention rain? On any given mountain top, rain also means fog and West Glow was no exception. Hey, research is not often this much fun but I wanted bright pictures of the home Daingerfield built and which has now become a world-class spa. The spa is luscious and delicious - spa menu shown to right. Ed wants more apple&carrot soup soon.

I did take a lot of pictures but all are full of fog and misty silhouettes. I will need another trip, next summer to get the green and blue hills of the mountains. Daingerfield called the "Millet of America," was a promenient painter in this country until his death in 1932.

The point of this visit was to look over vistas Daingerfield painted, where he lived and the landscape he loved. The house is a beautiful 19th-Century, Neo-Grec style house with Ionic columns supporting a temple-pediment front but that's another story. read me later, bb

Real Rain

As I write the drizzle is just ending - we had rain. Not just a droplet or two, but real rain. Weeks have gone by, the earth is hard and green leaves are falling without turning to autumn colors, that's how dry it has been. We still need more, the reservoirs are low and the plants will need weeks of rain to recover but at least the plants are getting revived tonight. Some storms east of Raleigh area but Orange County is finally getting moisture and cooler temperatures.

Boy, did I sleep last night! Something about testing martinis that will help you relax. EF came home from investment club after 9:00pm and I barely remember him coming to bed. At 6:30am I was up and about, stripping the sheets and getting ready for Molly Maids to arrive at 7:30. Headed to the gym while the day was still cool and walked 30 minutes BEFORE doing the weight workout.

Spoke with a blond, Nordic gal in the locker room after the workout. Learned that she is Dutch, lives nearby, has three teen-age sons and a body that could pin down Sylvester Stallone anytime. We talked about Holland, the post-war years and the years since emigrating she has lived in Canada, California and now North Carolina. Reminded me it has been twenty-seven 27 years since I worked in Maastricht developing a color system for Tenneco-Europe. 1980 - 2007, can it be that long ago? I am getting old!

Back to work on the scrappy-pieced jacket. Not the jacket parts per se but spent most of the afternoon strip-piece sewing for 'Seminole' patches (45 degree angles) that will most likely work in the lower sleeves, or perhaps the under-sleeve to turn back into a cuff. The back-composition is still in question. Strips, diagonals, nine-patch, blocks - I have all of the above in some form stored in more boxes than I need. Frustrating isn't it: looking in box after box and not finding what you really need? Got to get organized. Much of those scrappy patches will be used, but where is the challenge.

Since 9/13-14 is the Rosh Hashanah weekend EF went shopping at Whole Foods to get Matzoh Ball Soup, vegetarian chopped-chicken liver(?), tzimmes, noodle-kugel & gelfilte fish for Friday night dinner. Atop a green salad the gelfilte fish with pickled beets, pickles and hard-boiled eggs was a delicious dinner. No matzoh boards: I learned that one board has carbs equal to two slices of bread, one ball is enough - don't need extra starch.

This was my LAST week of the summer hiatus: Tuesday the noon class at Fred Astaire begins and for the next EIGHT weeks I am a class coordinator, a work-out lady, a half-hour walker and a shopper. After November 16, I can return to my usual leisurely life. Not!

Tomorrow EF switches my 'server' to Bell South. This could mean trouble.
press on regardless, bb