Back in the USofA

April 13, 2015

Atlanta Skyline

Doug

We arrived in VA today around noon. I will try to backtrack, to fill in our gap of time. We left Costa Rica on Tuesday a week ago and flew to Atlanta to visit our friends James and Doug. 

 

We managed to fill our two days with them by going to their studio to see the pillows Doug has been making, visiting the botanical gardens, seeing James art show, and celebrating James’ birthday at Babette’s French restaurant. It was a wonderful whirlwind of activities and way too short of a visit. It was great to see JJ and Doug settled into their routine in Atlanta.

Onward to South Carolina - Back in the land of Behold the Lamb and Fried Oreos

Toni

Charlie

On Thursday we took a Mexican bus from Atlanta to Travelers Rest SC where my sister Toni and her husband Charlie picked us up. The bus was 40 minutes late arriving in Atlanta then spent about 45-60 minutes waiting for a passenger. Finally we took off for our three hour ride. There were few passengers on board.

We arrived late afternoon, around 5:30 and took off for T & C’s mountain cabin at Sweetwater. This place is a piece of paradise. They bought the property 51 years ago with two other couples. Each couple has built a home near the seven acre lake they built on the 200 acres of property. Toni and Charlie love to feed birds so we watched a hummingbird and numerous other birds from our dining table throughout the day as the birds fed from the two bird feeders just outside the window.

 

On Friday I drove to Greer about 50 minutes away to see my cousin Frontis. In a 16 minute drive on Hwy 290, I passed 13 churches, mostly Baptist or evangelical. My favorite was Behold the Lamb, a huge church on the hill with a huge sign near the road. Just a few yards down the road was a sign that read “Fried Oreos”.  Lordy, what planet is this? Frontis and I spent several hours together then I headed back to the mountains arriving around 3:30. Toni, Ron and I took a walk around the property. 

Over the years T & C have built numerous trails on the property. There are several creeks and as I mentioned a good sized lake that now is home to a pair of Canadian geese. Toni calls them the other retirees.

On Saturday my nephew Brent joined us for about four hours. He looked terrific but is having some physical problems with his knee and wrist. He just was qualified for the Affordable Care Act and hopes to resolve these problems soon. We had a good visit. My sister Lowe died when Brent was three and his father died when Brent was about 20. Toni has been his mom in many ways for many years. She is the greatest!

After Brent left we drove up to Hendersonville, NC about 15 miles up the road and walked through downtown. It is a charming old town with lots of cute shops and eateries. We went out to eat dinner before heading back to Sweetwater.

Martha

William and MIssy

Sunday Missy, Toni’s oldest daughter Missy and her son William and Martha, Toni’s second daughter joined us for lunch at Sweetwater. Martha is a natural story teller and had all of us in stitches with family stories. It was great to see them.

After they headed home Toni, Ron and I took another walk. There are so many wildflowers in bloom. Toni is quite knowledgeable about flowers so it was a real treat to hear about various plants. Some of the wildflowers she had transplanted many years ago from other locations to their property. It was a wonderful way to end our stay in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.