Wednesday, October 26, 2022

October-Stranger Things/Dracula

 










Covered bridges! There is just something so appealing about them, don't you think?

The covered bridge pictured above is at Stone Mountain Park.  Cars are allowed to drive on it but they have a space for folks to walk over it too. (We always walk!)  Funny I just told you about walking over the bridge in Chattanooga on my last post and now I have this one in Georgia! (This one was built almost at the same time, it was built in 1891.)








Does the change of leaves make me happy? You bet it does! Let me show you some of the beautiful photos from October from Georgia...


























The most wonderful thing? Our leaves in the Metro Atlanta area do not peak until the first week of November, so we still have lots of color to come. I think I will just sit on this bench and watch til then.... dang, I am so funny!
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Hey! Y'all will never guess but my husband and I have finally watched the TV series "Stranger Things"! Yes, I know everyone else knows all about it but we have just been watching the shows and they are so good! The VERY best thing for me, the setting is supposed to be in Hawkins, Indiana but believe me, it was filmed in Georgia! I can't tell you how tickled I was to actually recognize places that are very familiar to me. I can't remember what season it was but there was a scene filmed at a 7/11 store and as soon as I saw it, I said, "That's in Conyers!".  Sure enough, I researched it and of course, I was correct! Very special to us though is that many of the scenes filmed in the woods were filmed at Stone Mountain! AND any of the scenes where the actors are walking on a train track were all filmed at the train track at Stone Mountain. (This was a very good thing too since the train there is only one that is run for tourists so therefore, the train rarely runs on the rails. So, very safe for the actors!)

The other thing I need to tell you- I read "Dracula" this month! Oh, I am sure you are saying that you know the story very well but admit it, have you ever read it?  If not, please do so!  It is such a wonderfully written book, I was that surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I was dusting a bit at my home and since our son left a load of books at our house, my eye fell upon "Dracula" on his bookshelf.  I tried to read the paperback but my poor old eyes were not up to the fine print so I went to my local library and checked out such a beautiful copy that my dear husband has now ordered the very same book for me. It is a Penguin Classic. This book not only has the story of Dracula but it also has an interview that Bram Stoker did with Winston Churchill! It also has letters between Bram Stoker and Walt Whitman! And there is even a piece that was written by Bram Stoker's mother. Isn't that amazing? (You can guess that she also was a great writer.)

It seems to me that "Stranger Things" and "Dracula" have some parallels.  They both have characters that are interesting and that you really care about. They both have great friendships that try to overcome evil. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Just as "Stranger Things" would make me happy to see scenes from Georgia, "Dracula" also has placenames in London that are familiar to me. (I realize that last bit is a personal thing for me, but hey, I am "Georgia Girl With An English Heart!")



Just in case Dracula comes around here, I have my cross ready!



48 comments:

  1. I'll have to check out Stranger Things, sounds good.
    I love the Autumn season.

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    1. Oh, I hope you like it as much as we do! Both the autumn and Stranger Things! LOL!!

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  2. I haven't watched the "Stranger Things" series yet but it IS on my "to see" list. How cool that it was filmed in Georgia and on Stone Mountain! I too love watching movies/TV shows that were filmed in cities/towns that I know here in Canada. It's fun to pick out the familiar locales!

    Yes, I've read the original "Dracula" book too and you are absolutely right -- it's a great read! Much better than the often-cheesy movies based on it! I can see why the book was such a sensation when first published. The classics are like that!

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    1. Isn't it a good book though? Our son told me that he had the book because he had to read it in college, but he really liked it too! Please, watch "Stranger Things"! You will thank me, I think!

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  3. My sister keeps telling me about Stranger Things, but so far I have not been interested enough in actually watching it my self. Similarly, I have never read Dracula, but I have been to Whitby several times - and of course you know that this is the place where Dracula arrives when he lands on English shores. The abbey ruins at the top of Whitby, overlooking the harbour, are a wonderful place, no matter whether one visits it for Dracula or just for the fantastic view and great atmosphere.

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    1. I'm sure that you know that the description of the ship running aground in Whitby is something that actually did happen! And of course, I want to see Whitby now after reading "Dracula"! I well remember all your trips to Yorkshire and all the lovely places you have told us about! I would love to see those abbey ruins overlooking the harbor, it sounds lovely. So, my friend, you MUST see "Stranger Things" and you MUST read "Dracula". I do hope that you will enjoy both. (Your sister is right! LOL!) I hope you and your sister and Mom are keeping well. I am thinking of you all. x

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  4. Lovely pictures, super colours. The one with you sitting looking up at the leaves is a great shot!

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  5. I have read Dracula but have not seen the Stranger Things. Our colors have already peaked here. Nice you get to enjoy them yet until November. By then our trees will be mostly bare. Enjoy all the fall colors. Nature is amazing ! Love, ma

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    1. Hey MA! Yes, I love the colors of the Fall but then, I also quite like to see a blue sky through the bare branches of Winter...as long as the winter doesn't last too long. LOL!!

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  6. I've watched every Stranger Things with my grandson. We are fans! Lovely trees in your part of the universe.

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    1. What a nice thing, to watch that show with your grandson! And we do enjoy our trees, you might recognize them in "Stranger Things"!

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  7. I have not seen Stanger Things but I have read Dracula. It was required reading when I was in high school.

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    1. Lucky you, I remember having to read "Catcher In The Rye". Didn't like it one bit! I liked most books but not that one!

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  8. Dear Kay, your delight in life and your always finding good in everything, rather than looking for the bad and inspiring gifts to all of us who read your postings. Your youthful spirit and joy just leap off the page as you write and share. Thank you.

    Oh, and by the way, I lived in New Hampshire for a year back in 1972-73. Three of us rented a 1807 farmhouse that was just across the river from Vermont. And . . . there was a covered bridge that went way back. .. way! As I walked over it, I thought of all the people who'd done the same and felt connected to them in a special way. Thank you by the way for your showing us and sharing with us the beauty of the South. Peace from Dee Ready (cominghometomyself.blogspot.com)

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    1. Oh my goodness, what a sweet comment! I always say that the glass will most likely be half full...that means someone will knock it over and I will have to be the one to clean it up! LOL! I think that there are lots more covered bridges in New England. We are lucky we have that one at Stone Mountain. It was elsewhere in Georgia but was moved to that location at Stone Mountain. Peace, my friend!

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  9. Oh, how lovely, I do like a covered bridge. (I don't think there are any in Australia!). This one is very attractive with the lattice along the walls. I have only seen one in Canada, and one or two in Pennsylvania, years ago. How gorgeous are the Autumn leaves, like someone has painted all the trees! I have not heard of Stranger Things, or read Dracula. So I am behind the times, methinks. But I have read Frankenstein - does that count?

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    1. I just said today that I wished that I had an easel so that I could capture this beauty of colorful leaves on canvas! As much as you love art, I thought of you recently with all this people throwing food and things at works of art. I mean, I know we should think about climate change but why can't they chain themselves to a gas station or something? Now, please watch "Stranger Things" and see if you like it as much as we do. The writers and directors are twin brothers from North Carolina, the Duffer brothers. Be interesting to see what else they come up!

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  10. I would be wary of taking my car over a covered bridge built more than 100 years ago, but covered bridges are picturesque. I have never read Dracula and confess that I never watched a movie version. Is Dracula a vampire? I also haven't watched Stranger Things, but maybe I'll give it a chance sometime.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. The bridge has been so well reinforced that it looks brand new on the inside. AND I just looked it up...it was moved to its location in 1965 and re-installed atop cement and granite piers connecting the park to the Indian Island across Stone Mountain lake. So, one should feel very safe, I would think. Yes, Dracula is a vampire and the book is excellent! Stranger Things is something that I truly didn't think I would care about but I loved the characters. Most of them anyway! LOL!

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  11. And thank you for your Dracula recommendation. I have just borrowed it for my Kindle. :-)

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    1. I told my husband he had to read it but he says he doesn't need to- I read so much aloud to him!😊 Hope you enjoy! And I just had to buy some Halloween chocolates for myself- Hershey's Kisses but Dracula Kisses each one filled with red cream, strawberry flavor!

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  12. I love the leaves at this time of year. I read Dracula, and the scene where he is creeping down the wall is unforgettable!

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    1. Aren't we lucky with the leaves in Georgia? You would think I had never seen them before the way I go on and on about them. LOL! YES! That creeping down the wall bit, it was unexpectedly spooky. Such a well written book.

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  13. I haven't seen Stranger Things but if you recommend it I know it will be good! I have not read Dracula. You would think with my love of Halloween it would have been a given! I love the Fall colors and ours are about done. It's been a fabulous Fall up here and I'm so grateful for the beautiful weekends we've had. I think I blogged about the covered bridge at Mohican State Park that we went to when my family was here in early October. So beautiful. I laughed when I read that scenes that are supposed to be in Indiana are filmed in a mountain area. There isn't anything as flat as Indiana except for Illinois! Ha! Have a Happy Halloween tomorrow!

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    1. I had no idea that Stranger Things was so popular! I am so out of it! I can see why it is so popular, you will especially love the first series when the kids are so little! Yes, I do remember your covered bridge! You must have lots more in your state than we do here. It's funny, we will be watching a TV series and as soon as they show the very first thing, I will say, "THAT was filmed in Georgia!". I can almost always tell, there will be trees in the background and since I've lived in small towns my whole life in Georgia, they truly do look very much alike no matter where they are in the state! Happy Halloween!! Don't eat too much chocolate. You know I won't. LOL.

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  14. I love Stone Mountain - it was so different 55 years ago - but it is nice now too. Say I lost all addresses and emails and blogs and I am trying to start up again. Thanks for coming by. Would you send me your email address? skcz@comcast.net Sandie

    HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

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    1. Sure I will send you my email when I can get on my computer today! I remember going to Stone Mountain as a kid and they were still working on the carving! I'm so old! ☺Happy Halloween to you too!

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  15. Great post, Mom! Glad my leftover books can serve some purpose... though the print was too small for you to truly enjoy. I look forward to hearing about your thoughts on season 4! "Wunning up that woad, wunning up that hiww..."

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    1. Hey son! Thanks for leaving a comment here, you have made my day! Happy Halloween! Remembering your costumes from when you were a kid, you always had a good time. xx

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  16. Lovely bridges and autumn colours. When I first heard of Stranger things I knew I'd like it but have not seen it yet as I buy cheap box sets from charity shops for a few quid each and despite looking it's never appeared. I'll get it someday though. They had a Dracula (book and films) retrospective here recently (100 years old?) and the general concept must tap into something fundamentally primeval/human as the idea never fades and is reworked for each new generation (True Blood, From Dusk to Dawn, Twilight etc) so in one sense, in truth, so far anyway, vampires are immortal and still very relevant in 2022.

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    1. I think you would like Stranger Things. And have you read Dracula? Please do! I bet you think you know it from films but the book... To me, the emphasis is on the goodness and importance of good friendship. I think the Duffer Brothers( the writers of Stranger Things) knew this too. I believe they read Dracula! Take care, and keep your good friends around you always!

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  17. Well, Kay, I may not know anything about Stranger Things and I've never read Dracula either. However if ever there was anything to lift my hearts it is the colours of Nature that you have shown so beautifully.

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    1. Graham! So lovely to see your comment here! Can you tell from the photo of me under those red leaves how happy I was to pose with it? You would think that tree was a movie star! I do love nature here but every day I mourn the loss of habitat. The whole of the Atlanta Metro area will be one big parking lot and highway system soon. It seems that way. Still, Stone Mountain Park should be safe so you might be seeing more photos from there! And honestly, I do think you should read Dracula and watch Stranger Things and see if you see the parallels also. It might be that we search for the light and the goodness in life and we recognize it when others do as well.

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  18. Being an Anglophile, I wouldn't have dared Not read it!...lolol
    Love all the photos and you do indeed look happy!
    Enjoy!
    hughugs
    Donna

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    1. Hey Donna! And Whitby in Yorkshire plays such a role in this book, I simply must visit there! London is the furthest north I've ever seen in the UK! Enjoy your autumn. Hugs to you. xx

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  19. Such lovely photographs, the colours are beautiful.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hi Jan! Our Fall colors have been beautiful, even prettier than these photos can show.

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    1. Hello! Thanks for your comment. If you are able to see "Stranger Things" you will see the background scenes were filmed in Georgia, where I live!

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    1. Maybe you can see it one day. Just enjoy nature in your part of the world. Peace!

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  22. Dear Kay, it's been a while since you posted. I so hope you are okay and that you're feeling healthy in everyday. Hope also that this day surprises you with delight. Peace from Dee Ready.

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    1. Hi Dee! I'm pretty good really, just busy with bits and bobs. I will try to post soon. Thanks for thinking about me!

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  23. GA is beautiful! Hey I lost all my blogs and addresses - would you send me yours? skcz@comcast.net
    I am glad you posted and commented on mine. I am dipping my feet in posting again. Watched some of Stranger Things. Did you ever watch Heartland - it is excellent.

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    1. I haven't seen Heartland yet. I am going to try and go right now to my email and send you an email! Take care, my fellow Georgian!!

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  24. Hi Kay! I just love the way your express yourself about October, the Fall months, and other things. I'm so glad I have found you in Blogland.

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