Make Up Your Mind Day!

Today is "Make Up Your Mind Day"!  

Now, how many of you are singing the song by The Lovin' Spoonful"?  What, you don't know it?  Now, you will...

"Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind"

Does everything remind me of a song?  Pretty much!  There's a lot of tunes in my brain, leaving no room for important information like passwords for computers, or if I have paid a bill or where I put the latest invitation to an important engagement...but tell me one little thing and I will have a song to go with it.  (Now, where did I put that bill....)
=====================================
Hey! Besides climbing up Stone Mountain, I also walk this way...

and THAT that way when I am at the top!

I do my best to keep "walking the walk" as my friend, Pat tells me to do from the Isle of Lewis!  Thanks, Pat for your encouragement and to you all for your kind words from this past year!  

Happy New Year!

Fats Domino/Amanda Davis

Look at this!  I searched for this on YouTube for you...please watch it!
Antoine "Fats" Domino, Jr. died in October of this year.  Elvis Presley was a huge fan and I was pleased to see that in the video, Fats Domino remembers him with great warmth and admiration.  Admire his skill at the piano along with that incredible voice! (Elvis called him "Mr. Blueberry Hill" and said that Fats was the REAL king of Rock and Roll!)

We have lost so many this year.  In Atlanta, one or our favorite news anchors, Amanda Davis, died yesterday.  Sadly, she was at the Atlanta airport on the way to her father's funeral and suffered a stroke.  She was 62 but looked years younger.  You can understand that when someone is on TV for 35 years, a familiar face and voice becomes like a part of your life, as if you know that person.  I really liked her.  (I loved the work she used to do with "Wednesday's Child", where she would interview a foster child who was searching for a "forever" family.) 

Just like Fats Domino...I didn't know him and I never saw him perform.  Yet, I was truly saddened to learn of his passing.  When you look at this video, you can see and hear his talent but I think you can also sense his great soul and spirit.

"Thank you ever so kindly".    

Hope all of you had a lovely Christmas and looking forward to a happy and peaceful new year.  God bless you all!

Merry Christmas To You All! (And To All A Good Night.)

I miss making Christmas cookies for my son, so here...I am going back in time to show you these! (The bird cookie cutter came free with an English magazine, don't you love it?)

When you have a live Christmas tree in a pot that is not really sold as a Christmas tree because the branches are so small, you have to be creative and make lightweight ornaments. Okay, problem solved! This tree started out small but it has grown over the years!

Here I am posing with Christopher from last year, we have it on our front porch now with lights.  It is  about one foot taller this year and fuller!  It seems to like it on our front porch!

Wishing you as much love and joy as will fit inside my Dad's stocking! (You know I had to give him this!)

Walk of Heroes VANDALIZED!

VANDAL:  

noun

noun: vandal; plural noun: vandals; noun: Vandal; plural noun: Vandals

1. 1.

   a person who deliberately destroys or damages public or private property.

   "the rear window of the car was smashed by vandals"

   synonyms:

   hoodlum, barbarian, thug, hooligan, delinquent, despoiler, desecrator, saboteur "vandals defaced the front steps of the church"

Walk of Heroes Veteran's War Memorial is a veteran's park in Rockdale County in Georgia.  It is a place of great natural beauty and this site was chosen as a park to honor all veterans.  My husband took a few photos of the bronze statues the last time we were there, which was on Nov. 11th, Veteran's Day.  The five statues holding up the world represent the five branches of the Armed Forces, the US Marine Corps, the US Army, the US Navy, and the US Coast Guard.  This past week, vandals broke into the park and stole the globe, two of the statues and also, a plaque.   The thugs left behind their tools that were used in the theft along with broken debris from their destruction. Of course, the police believe that it had to be a group of men due to the weight of the objects.  
It is absolutely sickening to think on this.  This park is considered a crown jewel of the county and rightly so.  This kind of thing is something that I just cannot understand at all.  It is thought that they will try to sell these objects for scrap.  Could they not have taken a look at them and thought..."Wait, maybe we shouldn't do this."   Could they not looked around and realized how very special a place this is for so many people and thought, "Hey, this is not right, this is almost like stealing from a graveyard."
No, I suppose someone who would steal something like this would not have thoughts like this.  I hope that if they try to have them melted down, that they will be turned in. 

I will let you know how this turns out!  Fingers crossed that the vandals will be caught and the globe, the two statues and the plaque will be returned. Rockdale County wants it all back!

They even managed to damage those beautiful words on the wall there behind the statue.  It is from the Bible, from the Book of John, I am sure you know it, John 15:13...

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". 

The Wright Brothers

"Dear Friends, I have a wonderful story to tell you..."

 I wonder how many people think of the Wright brothers when they are on an airplane or when they see one in the sky? You would if you read this book: " The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough!
This past year has been a busy one for me and I have not had much time for reading but this is one book that I finished and I was very happy that I did.

Do you see that quote I gave you at the beginning of my post?  It is from the very first person who wrote about the Wright Brothers, a Mr. Amos Root, who wrote about them in his beekeeping magazine, "Gleanings In Bee Culture" in January of 1905.  (Of course, you know I had to read more about Mr. Root and his relationship with the Wrights,  you may do so just here.)
Bees? Yes, you see the Wright Brothers studied the flight of insects and birds...they observed them very carefully and applied what they learned to keep their airplanes in the air! 
  



The Wright brothers-  Orville and Wilbur Wright- were the sons of a minister, Milton Wright.   (Aside here, their father was fascinating in his own right I urge you to read more about him!)  Their mother died early but apparently, she was a big influence on them both-  she designed and built small appliances for herself and toys for her children. Were they wealthy college educated young men? No, they were not...they were hard working and intelligent and had great determination in their work.  When you read this book and learn of everything that they both endured,  you will shake your head in wonder.  Did they have great respect from all who heard of their experimental airplane?  No, they did not and to think that they rose above the ridicule and disbelief and went about their work...you will be filled with admiration for them.  (France plays a large role in their success...read the book!) 

This past Sunday, the power went out at the Atlanta airport due to a fire.  Thousands were stranded and flights were cancelled for the entire day.  Many were left stranded on the planes that were on the runways.  I wonder how many who saw this news on TV thought about the significance of the date on Sunday, which was Dec. 17th?
Orville and Wilbur Wright had their first successful flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on Dec. 17, 1903!

(By the way, from all accounts, the people who were stranded showed remarkable patience.  Good for them , I say!  I really liked the video where they show a man singing "Lean On Me" from one of the airplanes stuck on the tarmac!)


Goodness me! I have not told you that much about the marvelous book by David McCullough, but I hope you will read it! It is one of the books that I will treasure for always. I hope that you will read it too.
Just in case you don't read it...I simply must tell you the last little bit of information that the author shares with us...it is one of those kind of things that might not mean a thing to anyone else but to me, is just perfect...

On July 20, 1969 ,when Neil Armstrong, another American born and raised in Western Ohio, stepped onto the moon, he carried with him, in tribute to the Wright brothers. a small swatch of the muslin from a wing of their 1903 Flyer.

Happy 90th Birthday to Joan! Young At Heart!

This time last week, Richard was still not home from his trip.  He was flying home from England (and boy, were his arms tired! HA!) He believes that the whole trip from door to door, that is from his parents' home in Eastbourne to our home, took about 18 hours.  Thinking about it through, it was a good thing he didn't book his return flight for the Friday (Dec. 8th) as that was the big snow day and the Atlanta airport was a mess with tons of delays and cancellations.

Now, why in the world would I let him go to England without me?
It was his mother's 90th birthday celebration! I wasn't able to go and Richard couldn't get too much time off, but we were both glad that he could go!  Want to see some photos? Wait until you see her cake! Wow!

I asked Richard to take a few birthday decorations over from America. I sent the "Happy Birthday" banner along with some polka dot balloons. They were most likely all made in China, but hey, it 's the thought that counts, right?  Don't you love their solarium overlooking their pretty English garden? (They don't say "yard" in England, it is always the back "garden"!)

Joan got such pretty flowers...

The ones on the left are from her grandson, Christopher! And the ones on the right from her husband, Peter! (Richard got her orchids, he didn't get a photo of them, but they are lovely.)

Yay, there is one of my polka dot balloons! 

Of course, I had more that I wanted to send but Richard only took a few things.  I didn't want it to be too much over the top, not like Buddy decorated in "Elf"... but almost!  :-)

THE CAKE!  Isn't it exquisite?  It was made by a local bakery, The Cavendish Bakery, I think Richard told me.  What do you think, is it as gorgeous as I think it is?
Now, notice the color of the candles and the piping on the cake, do you think that Joan's dress will match?

Of course, it will!  Doesn't Joan look fantastic! That lace dress! It is lovely, isn't it?  And it looks so good on her! Look carefully at her necklace...that is one of the gifts that Richard and I gave her and I picked it out. Those are Mickey Mouse ears, in sparkly crystals! (Wish they could be diamonds, Joan!)  And guess what...Dec. 5th was Joan's birthday and she shares her birthday with Walt Disney! So, if any of you know how my mind works...you will see that this makes it more special!
Joan had on a different necklace but she wished she had something a bit brighter and then....Richard gave her the Mickey Mouse necklace!  I think it looks really pretty with the dress! 

Richard with his Mum and Dad...(I call them Joan and Peter.)  That is PeTe, the dog, looking on!

Richard is so sweet, he took another photo of the "Happy Birthday" banner that I sent over!  I hope it felt like a big hug when they looked at it!  
If you would like to leave belated birthday wishes for Joan, please do! I hope she will see this and know how good she looks! Joan is in good company, my Dad is 90 and hey, so is Queen Elizabeth!

Look! Here are my sweet in-laws posing with my giant hug that I sent to them.  They look like models! Pure elegance.

The Great Southeastern Snow Storm (From 1973 in Macon, Georgia)

What is the most snow you have ever seen? I was talking with my Dad about the snowfall totals in Georgia that fell on Friday.  When I wondered what was the deepest snow that he had seen in his lifetime, he reminded me of the snow that we had driven through in February of 1973.  We lived in St. Mary's, Georgia at the time and we were returning to Conyers, Georgia for a visit. (Of course, there was no mention of a major snow storm expected in middle Georgia!)  My Dad was driving the whole family and as we drove up I-75, it started to snow.   It snowed and snowed and snowed!
There was two lanes, but since the snow covered everything, we could only follow in the path of the big trucks that were still driving. Most people pulled over and tried to stay in hotels but not my Dad! We had to pull off one time to buy gas and my Dad realized that he would not be able to get back onto the highway, as the entrance ramp was uphill. What to do?  He BACKED UP the exit ramp.  Now, this was not easy...he would start to reverse, and then, see someone trying to exit off the highway. He would have to drive the car forward again, wait for the car to pass us, and then, reverse again, watching carefully.  Finally, we got back on the highway.  Now, I didn't tell you...but while we were at the gas station, we were only able to walk around a bit in amazement at the amount of snow. It was up to my knees! My siblings and I couldn't wait to get to Conyers so we could build a snowman.  As we drove closer to the Atlanta area, we kept seeing less and less snow...by the time we got to Conyers...the ground was completely dry.  It was cold but no snow.

You should have seen our car!  It was completely covered in snow. It looked like it had been dropped from the North Pole. No kidding.
Looking it up now, I see that this storm was called The Great Southeastern Snowstorm and from the statistics, I see that Macon had 16. 5 inches of snow! So, if someone asks me what is the largest amount of snow that you have experienced? My answer...16 and one half inches!  No one expected this in middle Georgia in 1973...there were a lot of people stranded but my Dad was determined to make it through.  You know he did!

Snow Mountain/No Mountain!

Due to the snowy conditions in the Atlanta area today, Snow Mountain at Stone Mountain closed today at 2PM.  Oh, lovely irony!  (Snow is produced from the water from Stone Mountain lake and they make 350 tons a day. It is projected onto this giant hill just in front of Stone Mountain...it is very popular.)

You should see the map of Georgia today on the TV weather radar.
The snow fell north of Atlanta but there is a line just east of Atlanta, and beyond that line, it was only rain with a mixture of snow.  So, no snow on the ground for me! Not YET anyway!  We will have to wait and see what happens!
  If it does snow tomorrow, as long as I have my Yorkshire tea, I will be OKAY!
(Note, this photo is from a few years ago!)

The snow fell from as far south as Louisiana all  the way up to Maine! That means from Mimi to Nan! (Mimi- my blogging friend in LA and Nan is my friend in ME.)   Those letters are the state abbreviations for the postal service!

What is the weather like where you are?

Christmas Is For Sharing

The Christmas advert for the British grocery Sainsbury's from 2014.  I wonder if my fellow Americans have ever seen any of the TV ads from England.  Now you have! Hope you will like this as much as I do.  It was made in cooperation with the Royal British Legion and was based on an actual event during World War I.   If you have time, there is an another video about the making of this "1914" ad and the Christmas truce. 

It would take a lot for me to give up my English chocolate! (Watch the video and you will know what I am talking about!)

"Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, that is the last song playing at the end of the video, I have written about this song before... it is a song that I really like.
Of course, you know the song that the soldiers are singing, "Silent Night" and it is "Stille Nacht" in German. (Original song was in German, as you know.)  As songs go, not just hymns, but of all songs, it is one of my favorites.

Hope you are all doing well these days, my friends!
Or are just doggone tired like me?
Take care!

Love London? Look At These Buildings Yet To Come!

If you have been to London recently, you will be familiar with the buildings that are known as The Gherkin, The Cheese Grater, The Shard and the Walkie Talkie.  Next year, there will be more tall buildings to add to this list!  Want to see some photos of what is to come?  You may see them just here!  The piece is entitled "The skyscrapers that will change London's skyline."  What do you think? Amazing, aren't they?    Can't wait to see The Scalpel!

Cheese Grater Building on the left and the Walkie Talkie on the right.  (Of course, their real names are The Leadenhall Building and 20 Fenchurch Street.)  Those Brits, you have to love the simple but oh so perfect words to describe the buildings. When you hear those nicknames you know exactly which building they mean! 

Richard took that photo the last time we were in London, September of 2016.  I think it is very good, don't you?

Squanto, Pocahantas, Sacagawea and The Navajo Code Talkers- Indian Givers

Happy that I recorded "This Is America, Charlie Brown".  It is a animated show about the first Thanksgiving and they must show it every year but this was the first year that I noticed it.   It made me do some research...there is a great article just here.   You should always be ready to learn from anything even it if it is something that is intended for children!

Squanto- All American children should know his name as the Native American who helped the Pilgrims from the Mayflower.  He was able to act as an interpreter for them as he spoke perfect English.  Why was this so? He had been kidnapped and taken to Spain. While there, the monks helped him to escape to England, and he spent two years in London.  Upon his return to America, he found that his entire tribe had died from disease.  Why did Squanto help the Pilgrims?  I would like to think that he took pity on them, he saw that they were totally out of their depth and that he helped them out of kindness.

Pocahantas-  The Native American woman who helped the settlers at Jamestown, Virginia, she married the Englishman John Rolfe and sailed to England with him and died there at the age of 21.




  Statue of Pocahantas at Gravesend, Kent in England (Believed to be near her grave.)



Sacagawea- The Native American woman who assisted the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She traveled thousands of miles with them from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, much of it while she was pregnant with her first child.  (A good book for you- "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose.)

America has a beautiful one dollar coin with the likeness of Sacagawea with her infant on her back. It is so beautiful that hardly anyone uses it!




The Navajo Code Talkers- You might have seen a mention of the Navajo Code Talkers this week, some of the surviving veterans from World War II  met with Trump this week and unfortunately, much of their story was lost in the uncouth remarks from President Trump.  This was a shame as their story needs to be better known. I hope that it made more people look up their story. Their unbreakable code from their language enabled American military victories in the South Pacific.  You may read more just here.  (They were forced to keep their story secret until the 1960's!)
If you notice from the photo on that link, Trump met with these Native Americans in the Oval Office of the White House and there is a portrait of Andrew Jackson behind them.  Insensitive to say the least...Andrew Jackson was the President of the United States during the time when tribes were forced to leave their lands and to stay on reservations.   (Anybody thinking at the White House? Anybody?)

Years ago, I read a book by Jack Weatherford..."Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed The World".  It is a fascinating read!  Of course, he uses the expression "Indian Giver" in the true sense of the word!
Another one for you, "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown, is a book about Native Americans in the American West in the 19th century.

Both of these books are very well written and very much worth reading.




"Indian giver" is an American pejorative expression, used to describe a person who gives a "gift" and later wants it back, or who expects something of equivalent worth in return for the item.   

When the settlers first came to America, I can see why they called it "FALL".  The leaves from all those trees must have been spectacular and a true sight to see.

Keep Your Hands To Yourself

You might think that the title of this post could somehow be related to all the recent news of sexual harassment cases.  It is true that almost anything will remind me of a song but in this case it is because I saw a film and I heard a song during the final credits. The song was by The Yayhoos.  Turns out that Dan Baird has sometimes performed with The Yayhoos. Who is Dan Baird? Why, he was with the Georgia Satellites and their big hit was "Keep Your Hands To Yourself! 

Oh, I thought to myself, I wonder what he is up to these days...I looked him up and just this past year, he was performing with his band in England but became very ill.  His bandmates insisted on him going to hospital. (In England, you go to hospital...in the USA you go to THE hospital.  Don't ask me why this is said this way.)
Anyway, I was sad to learn that Dan Baird is now battling leukemia.   Interesting article about him just here.
Dan is quoted at the end of it by saying about his music, "Just go out there swinging as yourself."  I admire people who don't look at current trends or fads but just honestly perform their music as they want to do it, not how others think that they should.

(I still am working on my post about music, my friends.  Look out for it, prize winning stuff, I am sure!)

In the meantime, Keep Your Hands To Yourself!

Dan Baird, if you should somehow read this post, I am thinking about you.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and to all my American friends!  And happy Thursday to the rest of the world!

Sad news, I see that David Cassidy has died.  One of the main things I remember about him- he was devastated when a young woman died at one of his concerts as a result of trampling. Seems to me that the press can be very cruel.  I found a piece from a newspaper just here. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to have had that wild fame that he had in the 1970's and what it must have been like for someone like him to have to live up to his name for the rest of his life.  May he rest in peace.

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                                                A u t u m n   C o l o r s !

The Mystery of Lucy And The Dark Woods (A Book Review)

I read a book of fiction...and I liked it!

If you have been a reader of my blog for any time, you will know that the main books that I read are non-fiction, so when I read fiction, I must tell you about it... 

"The Mystery of Lucy And The Dark Woods" is by Diana Kosmoski, one of my blogging friends!  The story is about Lucy, but I honestly think it is a thinly veiled story about Diana herself.  Lucy is born with a "sixth sense" about things in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania (just like Diana).  Lucy, like Diana, did not have a very good relationship with her mother. As Lucy grows up, life brings joys but sometimes heartaches with various romances (as I must imagine must be the same for our gorgeous blonde, Diana!)  Throughout the book, there are many references to the music from the 1960's and the 1970's. Y'all know how crazy I am about music!

So, you see how this book could appeal to me...even though it is fiction, I was delighted to read the book and then to connect the stories in the book to the posts that I have read on Diana's blog! 

One of my favorite stories in the book-Lucy discovers that her granddaughter has inherited her "sixth sense" about life and wonders how this precious child will handle the gift that has been bestowed upon her.  (I know exactly which granddaughter she is talking about, since Diana has told us many stories about her!)

"With resolve and determination", that is the way that the book describes Lucy's way of handling the world around her.  I think that Diana must be the same. 

Now, I have given you a very personal book review but even if you do not know Diana from her blog, I think that you would enjoy reading this book!  Diana has her book for purchase on her Etsy shop and you may find it just here!

(Just realized that I forgot to tell you- Diana's blog is Nana Diana Takes a Break and you may find it just here!)

Will I leave you a video of one of the songs mentioned in the book?

You know I will!

The fact that I chose a song from one of the British bands...another personal thing about me, I have that English heart, you know!

   

Dawn French

Dawn French

Hello! You all might remember the actress/comedienne Dawn French from the TV show "The Vicar of Dibley". (It was very funny!)  In England, she was well known before that from her work with Jennifer Saunders. (Just read that they will reunite for a show at Christmas! They have such special TV shows at Christmas in England, we never get to see them in the USA, I only read about them!)
Anyway, she is very funny and what I really wanted to tell you is that Dawn French just celebrated her 60th birthday in September.
I loved what she had to say about turning 60 and I wanted to share it here with you!   Click on her name at the beginning of the post. Hope you can see and hear it!

Don't you wish you could be walking on this pier in Eastbourne in England?

You know I do!

(The owner of the pier has this lion painted in bright gold.  I preferred it like this, don't you?)

My friends, I hope you are all doing well and finding something to make you laugh or smile! Just recently, one of my blogging friends said in a comment to me that I always make him smile.

Thank YOU, Graham! You always make MY Day!

As do you all who read my blog and leave me comments. Thank you, one and all.  Y'all are just the best.

Armenians Love Strangers (Roll Out the Pomegranates!)

Hello, my friends!  Does anyone remember me telling you that my son's girlfriend is from Armenia? 

When he first told us this, I was pleased that I had some vague idea of where it was in the world...but not much else, I fear. Now, I found a great piece on the BBC about the fact that Armenians are very welcoming to those who visit them.  You may read the article just here.

Christopher and Shoghik (pronounced "Show-Heek", that is as close as I can get to it) came to see us at the end of September. I might not roll out the red carpet but I did my best, I gave her some gorgeous Yellow Daisies to admire!  Also, I gave her my very best cooking... I made JELLO!  I am not kidding!  I have told you all this before but there might have been some who have missed my wonderful recipe so...I will give it to you again. (We had more food than just Jello, of course, but doggone if I can even remember what I prepared! LOL!)

KAY'S  JELLO:

1 big box of Strawberry Jello

Follow directions on box!  It will say to mix Jello with boiling water and dissolve and then, to mix in cold water.  Instead of the cold water, use 100% FRUIT JUICE, not water!  That's it!  EASY!

Now, the juice that I used was 100% Fruit Juice-Cranberry/Pomegranate.  Why did I choose this one?
I did my research on Armenia!  The Pomegranate is ... oh look- this is what Wikipedia has to say about it.

The pomegranate is one of the main fruits in Armenian culture (the others being apricot and grapes). Its juice is famous with Armenians in food and heritage. The pomegranate is the symbol of Armenia and represents fertility, abundance and marriage.


Fertility, abundance and marriage! Oops, please note those are not MY words, Shoghik and Christopher!  I am just quoting here!

"When you encounter hospitality in Armenia, you are unlikely to forget it".  That was the last sentence in the BBC article.

Where in the world have you experienced the best hospitality?
Tell me!

(I have a friend who spent some time in Australia once.  When he was asked what would he like in his coffee, he replied that he liked cream and sugar.  His hosts looked at each other but said nothing. The husband left the room and was gone for the longest time.  He found out later that the host had left and driven for miles to buy the cream! Note to the rest of the world, we Americans say "cream and sugar" but we just mean milk and sugar, or Coffee Mate and sugar, we are not fussy!  Love those Aussies!)

Love to you all! 

Our Son, The Writer

Hey! You know you all want to read about the Atlanta Hawks! Our son is writing for "Soaring Down South", the blog about the basketball team here in Atlanta.  You may read his piece just here!
What? You don't care much for sports? You might like it anyway.  I always say if something is well written, it is always worth reading.

Perhaps beer drinking is more of your style? If so, I have you covered on that one too.  C. has also written for The Beer Connoisseur Magazine.  You may read the article that he wrote about The String Cheese Band and their brewery just here.  

Christopher will have a birthday at the end of this month so for me, November is a time of not just Thanksgiving and the beautiful autumn leaves but for celebration of a very special loved one.  His birthday is sometimes on Thanksgiving day or very close to it. 

Read this post from Dennis- Let's All Be Thanksgiving Babies.

                                 C. With His Papa- Christmas 2008 
                                       
                     

Tallulah Gorge? Tallulah Gorgeous!

Hello my friends! I have no shame, I totally stole the title of this post from a billboard on the way to Tallulah Gorge which is right here in Georgia!( It is only just in Georgia, just drive some miles north and you will be in North Carolina, drive to the east and you will be in South Carolina.) Nevertheless, it is in Georgia and we can claim it!
Now, it is not that far from Toccoa which if you notice from my profile,  is the place of my birth and where I spent my early childhood. (I have ancestors from this area too which makes it special to me.)  One of my earliest memories is looking down into the gorge and seeing the beautiful colors of the autumnal leaves.  Richard and I went recently and while the colors were just beginning to turn, it was still beautiful...

It was very warm this day and sunny so the photos might not be as clear as they could be but hey, Richard took them so they are still good and I think it gives you a good idea of this beautiful area.

Tallulah Gorge is two miles long and almost 1000 feet deep. There are several rim trails and you know that Richard and I enjoyed those! As I mentioned in a precious post, we walked 321 steps to the suspension bridge which is 80 feet above the gorge...then, you have a similar set of steps to climb up on the other side! We did it though and it was worth it! (The bridge is 80 feet above the gorge.)

I bought a post card of this view but guess what, this photo that Richard took is really a much better photo even if I am in the middle of it!

There is a series of six falls that cascade through the gorge and the town next to the gorge is named after them- Tallulah Falls.  Let's  not hear any banjo music but...the canoe scenes in the movie "Deliverance" were filmed in the waters of Tallulah Gorge.   That is NOT my favorite movie, folks! Let's not have any negative vibes from that film influence the way we think of this place of natural beauty, okay?


You can still see the remains of a tower that Karl Wallenda used to attach a wire in order for him to walk over the gorge.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Not only did he walk across on the wire but he stopped and did two headstands! By the way, he was 65 years old when he did this. (This would have been in 1970.)

Tallulah Gorge must have been magnificent in the days before the power company built a dam to contain the powerful waters. (The sound of the water could be heard for miles.)  It was a popular tourist destination with many coming by train. Some local people fought against the building of the dam (which was completed in 1913.)  One of them was Helen Dortch Longstreet.  Also known as "Fighting Lady" she was a newspaper reporter, editor, publisher, postmistress  and business manager. She earned her nickname from championing causes such as preservation of the environment and civil rights.  She was much younger than her husband, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet, and she spent a large part of her widowhood to ensure that he was "accurately portrayed by history".  They married in 1897 when she was 34 and he was 76.  He died in 1904. 

Even though she was unable to stop the dam, her hard work paid off in the sense that this area is now a state park.  One of the trails is named after her- the Helen Dortch Longstreet Trail.

 So, what do you think about Tallulah Gorge?  Gorgeous, right?

Concrete Evidence (Stunning Buildings In China AND In Conyers, GA.)

  Concrete...

Concrete gymnasium in ....was it Japan, Singapore, China?

I can't find it, I saw it on a website and it was exquisite! Has anyone else seen this? Tell me! (Do you also love beautifully designed buildings as much as I do?)


Happy to say, I found what I was looking for!  It was from the BBC and the piece was entitled "Stunning Buildings" and you may see them just here!  You have no idea how much time I spent looking for this but I finally found it!  Specifically, there are two photos of this gym, one view shows the building with people playing volleyball and the other view shows the inside swimming pool. The light! 
The building is made of concrete and I very much agree, it is stunning. Look at that link and tell me if you think so too. (It is from Tijinian University and I want to write the architect a note of thanks for creating such beauty!)

I have written before about a very beautiful building  that is only a few miles from my home.  Here is a photo of it...

The Monastery! All of that is concrete (except the dark wood at the very top of the ceiling between the rafters) and the monks built it all.

Concrete evidence!
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Friends, what is the weather like for you all in your part of the world? For Georgia, we had a warm Saturday but it rained late in the day. A cold front moved in, and the high today was only about 42 degrees! With the wind, it make if feel like it was in the 30's!
This made it a 24 degree difference from the day before.
Not to worry, after a cold start in the morning, the temp will climb to 60 as a high tomorrow and we are told that it will be a high of 76 by the end of the week! 
Pay attention to the weather forecast so you know how to dress.