What Is Your High Point? Have You Been There?

When I tell you that I like to climb the mountains in this area, they are not really mountains, although that is what they are called.
(Technically, they are monadnocks which happens to be a Native American word and that makes it just right, doesn't it?)
Our mountains in North Georgia are just over a two hour drive away from us and it is always exciting to come over this first hill and see the mountains on the horizon.

Brasstown Bald is the highest point in Georgia.  Although, there are some very high ridges nearby which are nearly as high but technically speaking, Brasstown Bald has the highest elevation (4786 feet) so it thereby earns this distinction.  There is a bench at Brasstown Bald that has this sign: 

"HighpointersFoundation.org". 

 Interested, I looked it up. It is a club that promotes the highest points in the USA and they have a link to a list which shows the highest elevation of the 50 states.   I knew that for the USA, the highest would have to be in Alaska (Denali at 20,320 feet) and that the lowest (the lowest high point, if you will) would have to be in Florida! (Britton Hill, Florida at 345 feet!)

Now...here is my question for YOU...where is your HIGH POINT in your state or in your country?  Do you know?  And have you been there?  And for my friends in the USA, here is a link, you may click on this - America's Roof and see the list of the highest spots in each state!  

I know that Ben Nevis is the highest in Great Britain but is it higher than Brasstown Bald? Hmmm....let's see....

Highest point in Scotland (also highest in the UK) is Ben Nevis, at 4409 feet.

Highest point in Wales is Snowdon (3560 feet).

Highest point in England is Scafell Pike at 3208 feet.

Beinn Nibheis

Ben Nevis from Banavie. The summit is beyond and to the left of the apparent highest point.

Highest pointElevation1,346 m (4,416 ft) ^[1]Prominence1,346 m (4,416 ft) 
Ranked 1st in British IslesParent peaknone – Highest peak on island ofGreat BritainListingMunro, Marilyn, Council top(Highland), County top (Inverness-shire), Country high pointCoordinates56°47′49″N 5°00′13″W
NamingTranslationVenomous mountain or mountain with its head in the clouds (Scottish Gaelic)

"Mountain with its head in the clouds", can there be a more perfect name for a mountain?

Brasstown Bald...you might wonder at the name of this mountain in Georgia.  It really comes from a misunderstanding you see...according to the Encyclopedia Britannica...  "The name Brasstown probably derives from a misinterpretation of the Cherokee Indian name Itse’yi, meaning “green place,” which was confused with the name Untsai’yi, meaning “brass.”

By the way...

Stone Mountain -elevation 1,686 feet

Arabia Moutain - elevation 955 feet

Panola Mountain -elevation 946 feet.

Hey, these are just numbers!  You could never guess how many happy hours I have spent on the three mountains I have listed above! (Not just climbing to the top but also in the deep woods around each mountain.)

Don't forget to tell me your high point and if you have been there!

Panola Mountain State Park-Moonlight Hike (June 18, 2016)

Hello, my friends! How in the world have you been doing? Have you all been able to survive without me for a little while? Oh good, I was worried, I know how much you need my wise words!

It was brutally hot in the Atlanta area this past weekend.  Let's see, it was 105 degrees when we were out and when we came home, our house seemed as if it was getting hotter. Our air conditioning was not working! Luckily, we were able to get a repairman quickly and all was well within a few hours. (Thank goodness!) 

What a difference a week makes! The weekend before was really gorgeous, the high was only in the 80's and since there had been a bit of rain, it was overcast.  THAT was the Saturday that I did the Moonlight Hike on Panola Mountain!  Want to see?  Sure you do!
I am sorry for the quality of these photos. Richard was not able to go with me so all of the pictures were taken by me!

You shouldn't worry about me going by myself, our group was a nice bunch of folks, twenty eight in all, plus two guides!  We met and then drove our cars down a small road and then, walked to the base of the mountain.  The weather was pleasant, it had rained the day before and the air smelled wonderful under the pines. (To be fair to this area, just beyond these pines, it is almost all hardwood trees and they are truly wonderful! Panola Mountain State Park has some great specimens of trees. I wish they would do a Tree ID Hike! Hint, hint to Panola Mountain State Park!)

Okay now, I tend to get distracted by my trees and flowers, don't I? Where was I? Oh yes, ready to climb Panola Mountain for the Moonlight Hike on June 18th!  

Look! Here is the famous "butt slide", so called since the hikes often come down the mountain on this side. (And very often, people will come down like a crab, on their feet and hands.) This time, we went UP the butt slide. The young man behind me when he saw my face at the thought of going up this rather steep slope said to me, "I've got your back".   As we climbed up (and hey, I didn't have a problem at all with it!) , he laughed and said, "Why, you don't need my help!"  I guess all my years of clambering over these monadnocks have paid off!  Thanks anyway to this sweet guy and really I have to say, all the folks on this hike were just a great bunch of people!

Ideally on this hike, you will see a beautiful sunset on the Atlanta skyline and then, watch the moon rise on the other side.
We saw a pretty sunset but the moon was mostly hidden behind clouds, but sometimes, it would peek out and when it did, it was a gorgeous sight.  (The hikes are always on a Saturday closest to the full moon.)  

We all had flashlights to light our way. I loved to see the mica sparkling under our feet, as if we were walking on diamonds.  At the very top of the mountain, as we admired the sunset, we heard the most unusual birdsong, the sound of the whippoorwills.  I didn't want to leave!  

At the base of the mountain, beside the lake there was a fire waiting for us and we toasted marshmallows and "s'mores".   If you look at my header photo just now, you will see the lake and you can see the area in front of the photo where the fire area is located.  Now, as I was walking back to my car, I thought to myself how much I enjoyed this hike and it would have been perfect if I could have just seen the beautiful moon...

Wait!  What do I spy with my little eye?  Hello, Mr. Moon!

Ahh, a moonlight hike at Panola Mountain...will I go again?
What do you think?

Genius (New Film With Colin Firth)

Just found out that the movie "Genius" is playing in select theatres. (I looked it up and there are only two theatres that are showing this in the Atlanta area.   Looks like I will see it when it makes it to TV!)  It is based on the book by A. Scott Berg about Max Perkins, the publisher of Thomas Wolfe.  If you would  like to read an article about this, then I have a link for you at one of my very favorite magazines, "The New Yorker", you may read it just here.
Max Perkins had a great problem in getting Thomas Wolfe to edit his writing (as you can see from the following clip.) Me thinks that J.K. Rowling could have used a Max Perkins! (I do like the Harry Potter books but come on, those last ones were just way too long.  I am sure my son would disagree with me and perhaps many of you, but this is my belief. I just bet Max Perkins would agree with ME!)

This film looks very much like one I would like to see.  Funny thing, most of the actors are from either England or Australia!  Colin Firth plays Max Perkins and Jude Law plays Thomas Wolfe. ( I have read criticism of the Southern accent that Jude Law tries for, but personally, I think it is quite good.  Thomas Wolfe from that time period would have sounded quite differently than the accents we hear today.)
Now, may I just say...COLIN FIRTH...wow, he is just an incredible actor, truly!  If any of you see this film, let me know what you think.  As I said, I am sure I will have to wait and see it on TV!

A Bird In The Hand

.I

Our baby cardinals are growing rapidly...but back in April, they were very small.  We heard them one day making quite a racket and they had fallen out of the nest.  It really is best to leave them be unless they are headed for danger.  We rescued them and put them next to the fence in our yard.  (I would like to tell you that this is some old woman who just wandered by and asked to hold the baby bird but alas, it is yours truly and even Richard with his magnificent photography skills could not make me look any better!)  This bird nestled quite comfortably inside my hand and I could feel its tiny heart beat.  

Have you ever rescued a bird?  Once again, I do know that it is best to leave the birds alone but if you know for certain they are headed for danger, I don't see why you can't help them.  We have been rewarded by watching the baby cardinals grow up! They now have  orange beaks (they are brownish at first) and the feathers are changing into the adult colors...bright red for male and reddish/ green color for females.  

Do you ever notice what folks type in a search engine and end up on your blog? For the longest time, they would get to mine by typing in "Bird with bright orange beak"!  HA! I am for the birds, I tell you!

Woman In Gold

Hello everyone! Richard and I watched a movie this week on TV and you might have already seen it but if not, then I most certainly recommend it.  It is "Woman In Gold" and it stars Helen Mirren.  It is a true story about the  painting "Woman In Gold" by the Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt.  The artwork had been stolen from the family's home in Austria by the Nazis in World War II. It ended up at a gallery in Austria (and the gallery did NOT want to let it go, of course.)   The film is about Maria Altman, a Jewish refugee who settled in California (played superbly by Helen Mirren) who went to court and asked to have the painting returned to her. (Her aunt was the subject of the painting.) 

You might not know this about me but I am very interested in court cases and the back story, if you will, of how they are brought about in the first place!  You MUST watch the movie to find out what happens when the lawyer goes to a Barnes and Noble Book Store and that one visit makes him realize that he will be able to bring suit against the gallery in Austria for the painting!

It is a very good movie, based on a true story.  Please let me know if you have seen it and if you do see it, let me know what you think.

Maria Altmann's attorney, Randol Schoenberg, now specializes in legal cases related to the recovery of stolen artworks, especially those stolen by the Nazi regime.  He is the President of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.   

And my friends, if you are interested in seeing more of the art by Klimt and many others, you may read and learn more about artists at this website: 

artsy/net.

(It looks as if you may purchase art from this website also.) I hope I don't sound like one of those creepy radio ads, where someone is talking to you very personally and then, starts trying to sell you something.  This sounds like a legit website to me, so I am just going on instinct here.  Art seems like 

a nice thing to promote to me.

Fire Pink (Trumpets Should Sound When This Blooms!)

 This is a Fire Pink and that RED color is amazing, the photo just cannot capture it.  And as my title post tells you, there should be the sound of trumpets when it blooms! The color is a very bright red and it sways upon a very long stem, which makes it hard to photograph!  Notice, the notched edges of the petals, that is why is in the PINKS family, called this not because of the color "pink" but because the edges are "pinked".  (Think of  "pinking" shears!)
Hey, guys, I have told you this before, you may read my old post just here from two years ago!  I love the wildflowers that grow in this area.  We found the fire pink in the same spot that we have seen it in the past two years, on the Outcrop Trail at Panola Mountain State Park!
=========================================

Carl Wilson, you know his name, don't you?  He is no longer with us but he was one of the Beach Boys and he had a beautiful voice. I was thinking of this video where he was just singing in a small restaurant.  I have it here for you. (And if this makes you sing or hum this lovely tune, you are welcome!)

Peach Melba

On Saturday, my Dad and I picked blackberries from his garden.  It was almost 100 degrees.  The berries were so hot that when I washed them later under cool water and put them into a bowl, you could see steam rising off of the the berries!  Now, that is HOT!

My Dad also gave me two nice size peaches, he had bought them from a man who has his own peach orchard and he just lives a few miles away.

What did I do with the blackberries and peaches?

Hmm...I thought that I could possibly make Peach Melba.  I looked up the recipe and yes, I think I could substitute blackberries for the raspberries. Want to know how I did it?  You know I am going to tell you whether you want to know or not!

KAY'S Peach Melba!

4 cups blackberries (freshly picked!)

3/4 sugar (maybe a bit more...go by your taste)

squeeze of lemon juice

2 tablespoons blackberry jam  (Oh, forgot to say, Dad gave me this too!)

Put the above into a boiler and bring to boil and turn down to a high simmer.  Take a spoon and smash the blackberries as much as possible.  Simmer until...well, I don't know, until you think they look right, you know until it is cooked down. Take off heat and let cool.

At this point, I had a strainer and I took some out and strained some of this mixture into a clean glass jelly jar. So, this part has no seeds...it came to about 1/2 cup.   Any of the seeds left in the strainer, I just put this back into the mixture.  Now, the mixture left, I took that and put into a larger glass jelly jar.  (Richard likes the seeds but I don't!)

The two peaches, which were lovely and ripe, were sliced into a bowl with 2 teaspoons sugar. I then put the peaches in the fridge. 

Later that evening (after another blazing hot day!) I took the peaches and put them into two bowls. On top of my peaches, I had two scoops of vanilla ice cream and Richard's bowl had 3 scoops of ice cream. I then drizzled some of the blackberry topping on his (with the seeds) and on top of mine, the strained blackberry sauce without seeds. (I will keep the jars of blackberry sauce in my fridge, and hopefully will find a use for them in another recipe this week!)

Wow, those fresh blackberries and fresh peaches just make such a difference.  It was delicious.

What do you think?  Have you ever made this before? It seems to me you could make it with any kind of berry and you should use any berry that you have that is fresh and most certainly a berry that is GIVEN to you!

Oh! And my "go to" recipe book is always my Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I have had it since 1984 or so and Richard covered it for me in a yellow plastic wrapping. It is a golden treasure!

By the way, Peach Melba was invented by the French chef, Auguste Escoffier in honor of the Australian opera singer, Nellie Melba.  It was first served at the Savoy Hotel in London!

 Funny, I always find an English connection, don't I?  

Don't know about anyone else but I couldn't do much of anything on Sunday after the terrible news from Orlando.  So sad and today I learned that one of our former co workers had died in an accident over the weekend.  Praying for all who have lost loved ones.

The man that I know who died had found great joy in his job at Stone Mountain.  Here is a photo in his honor.

He truly loved Stone Mountain.

Pink Clouds and Car Races-JOY

Hello, my friends!  What in the world have I been up to? Going to car races? No, not at all, I have just been talking to my Dad!
Two days ago, he called me and said, "Look outside! You have PINK clouds over your way!"  It is refreshing to talk with someone who has an interest in ...well, almost everything!  He was very excited to tell me that he had seen one of the best car races that he had ever seen.  Just a few weeks ago, Martin Truex won the Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte in a very exciting race. Now, you must understand, even with my Dad's influence, I don't care one thing about car racing. Not one thing.  Still, if I am speaking with someone and they are passionate about their subject, it always makes me listen even though I care very little about what they are describing to me! (Does that makes sense?)  It makes me happy!

When our son was growing up, I remember some of my friends asking me, "What do you do when your son says he is bored?".
My reply, "I don't know, it has never happened yet." It was true!  And I do wonder if our son is a lot like my Dad, always finding something of interest, something to share with someone that expresses joy in the subject!  

Joy...it is a word that you don't really hear much any more.  In England, they have an expression..."any joy?".  It means were you able to accomplish a certain thing or if something had come through for you in a positive way.  I think we should ask ourselves that at the the end of each and every day- Any Joy?  And if it is hard for you to do so, then search out positive people like my Dad...seen any pink clouds lately?

I will be going to visit my Dad today...there might be discussions on baseball, politics, cows, chickens, cucumbers, butterbeans, homemade pimento cheese, tractors, weather, or his childhood in Toccoa. One thing for sure, I won't be bored!

Queen Elizabeth's Favorite Songs/Henry Francis Lyte

Music! I love it! Anyone who read my blog knows this, almost EVERYTHING reminds me of a song! I would find it impossible to choose ten favorite songs, but hey, that's just me!  Apparently, they have asked the RELATIVES of Queen Elizabeth II for her favourite songs and according to an upcoming BBC Radio documentary on the Queen her favorite 10 pieces of music are as follows:

• Oklahoma! by Howard Keel

• Anything You Can Do (Annie Get Your Gun) by Dolores Gray and Bill Johnson

• Sing by Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band featuring the Military Wives

• Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astaire

• The White Cliffs Of Dover by Vera Lynn

• Leaning on a Lamp-post by George Formby

• Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven (hymn) 

• The Lord is My Shepherd (hymn)

• Lester Lanin Medley

• Regimental March Milanollo

Here is my question for you: how many of these do you know? I know all of them except the last two!

I have mentioned Vera Lynn in a post before (and the song that I spoke of was "We'll Meet Again".) I have also written of Chas and Dave, and they do a wonderful rendition of "Leaning On A Lamp Post".

"Oklahoma" was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, of course, and I have written of my love for their music too!

It amuses me to think of the Queen singing "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better".  I mean, come on, it's the QUEEN! (And if you don't know the musical, "Annie Get Your Gun", then, look it up, it's not only good but very funny too!)

The hymn," Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven" was written by Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) It was the processional song used at the Queen's wedding on November 20, 1947, which was exactly one hundred years after the death of the writer of this song. 

I have a great fondness for all songwriters but most especially for those who write beautifully written hymns. (He also wrote the hymn "Abide With Me".) If you would like to know more about Henry Francis Lyte then, please click on the following...Henry Francis Lyte.  And you SHOULD want to know more about him, be sure and read his life story!

I found this song for you which was recorded at Westminster Abbey...and you must know that is where the Queen and Prince Phillip were married in 1947!

 Please notice that it seems that no one directly asked the Queen herself about her favorite music, I wonder if she would reply (with a twinkle in her eye)..."That's easy, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!"  HA!

Since Queen Elizabeth and I have so much in common, I wonder if she also loves blue flowers? My guess is that she does!  I might not be royal or even close to it but I know a pretty garden when I see one!

My Love May Still Shine Bright

How many couples do you know that met from writing letters? We still have most of them too. Therefore, the following sonnet by Shakespeare fits the occasion nicely.
Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary!  (We hope we will  be out and about, will tell you in a future post!)
Take care, my friends, we hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sonnet  65: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea

Related Poem Content Details

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea 

But sad mortality o’er-sways their power, 

How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, 

Whose action is no stronger than a flower? 

O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out 

Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days, 

When rocks impregnable are not so stout, 

Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays? 

O fearful meditation! where, alack, 

Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid? 

Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? 

Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? 

   O, none, unless this miracle have might, 

   That in black ink my love may still shine bright.

"Morning Has Broken" is a song that I asked our good friend, Mary  to play at our wedding on the piano.  The song was a big hit for Cat Stevens in the early 1970's but it is actually from a hymn with lyrics written by English author Eleanor Farjeon.  

The Monkees-Good Times! "She Makes Me Laugh"

You might not have been around in the 1960's. Sorry if you were not, it was a BLAST!  I was a kid, so I really didn't know that much of the problems or the drugs associated with it, it was all just GOOD TIMES! And that is the name of the new album from THE MONKEES! They are now on tour celebrating their (gulp) 50th anniversary!  Sadly, Davy Jones died in 2012, I will miss his lovely voice and sweet charm.  (I wrote about him in one of my posts. I loved him so, when I married my Englishman, my cousin said to me, "Well, you finally got your DAVY JONES!")  Speaking of getting married, if someone were to ask Richard what could he ever see in me and why in the world did he ever marry me, I could just imagine him saying, "She Makes Me Laugh".   And hey, guess what, that is one of the new songs from THE MONKEES! (It was writtten by Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of Weezer.)

Hey! Richard and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary this weekend!  The man is a SAINT, but if you have been reading my blog and know us at all, you might have guessed that already! HA!