Family Visits in Georgia - May 23 & 24 2015

Saturday, we drove to Tucker, GA, to join our niece, Jenna, her husband, Scott, their 3 year old son, Owen, and my brother Bobby (who drove up from Largo, FL) for a cook out.  What should have been an hour and a half trip took twice that time due to an accident on the interstate just 5 miles from where we got on.  We were at an exit, so we got off the highway and went on back roads to get to the interstate further south.  Traffic was still very heavy all the way in.  We had trouble finding our hotel, then trouble locating Jenna's house, but we finally got there a little after 4.  They put out a very nice  spread of cheeses, salads, snacks, lunch meat, and my brother grilled some hot dogs which hit the spot.  Owen entertained us with his bubbles and singing.  He said he was having a good party, and that I was his new friend.  He also told his grandpa how happy he was to have him there and how much he loved him.

Jenna and Owen

Bobby in Jenna's backyard.  In the background is a three tier planter that he made for her.

Jenna, who is an interior designer, made this stove for Owen.  The door opens if you want to bake something.  If you turn it around, it is a washing machine.  It looks as though his fried egg is ready to eat! 

                                            Wow, Owen! Those are some bubbles!

 



Owen and Scott enjoy the champagne bubbles

Bobby, "O" and Jenna

 

We spent the night at a pet friendly hotel, then Sunday we drove east to Snellville to visit with cousins Cindy & Wally, whom we haven't seen in six years.  They have a lovely home there.  Originally from Illinois, they moved to New Port  Richey, FL, and then settled in Snellville, Georgia.  True to their farming heritage, they have a large vegetable garden in their back yard.  They treated us to a lovely Sunday brunch, and all too soon we needed to head home.  Although traffic was not as bad going back, believe it or not we got stuck in a traffic jam at the same exit, only this time in the northbound lanes.  We couldn't get to the off ramp in time, so we sat there for almost an hour.  Thankfully, no one was killed in the 3 car crash.  We knew we were lucky it wasn't us!

 



OK, everyone put your hands in your pockets and say "cheese"

Cindy, Wally, & I

A rear view of their garden, although they had more yard behind where I was standing. They have corn, squash, peppers, beans, blueberries, grapes, and lots more growing here.  Wally might be retired, but he still works!   

Fifteen minutes from home turned into a  55 minute stop over.  We usually won't travel on a holiday weekend, and this just reinforces why not.

 



More Waterfalls - May 21, 2015

Another gorgeous day here in  the up country.  Perfect for a ride to see some waterfalls that are on our list.  First stop is at Chau Ram County Park to view Ramsey Creek Falls.  The brochure listing the 31 falls in the area didn't mention the county park is 200 acres of scenic beauty.  It is the site where the  Chauga (pronounced Chawga) River meets Ramsey Creek, thus the  name "Chau Ram".  The park offers picnic sites, hiking trails, 25 overnight camping spots, some with hook ups, playground, fishing, and swimming.  We plan on returning another time to picnic and fish.

 

 

 

 

 

Suspension bridge over the river

View of the river and bridge from one of the picnic sites 

 

 

Our second destination was the Brasstown Falls further north.  The brochure didn't mention that the falls were in the middle of Sumter National Forest via a gravel and forest service dirt road, and although it did say it was a short walk to the falls, it didn't explain that in order to see the 4 sets of falls, you'd have to walk down a steep trail.  Consequently, we didn't get to enjoy its beauty other than looking at pictures of it on the web!

FS 751, the road at the falls trail entrance 



Evidently the water isn't the only thing that falls here.

This is the best photo we could get of the upper falls, and Bob had to venture out to a rock  cropping to get it.









 







 









Trip to Six Mile May 14 2015

We never did find the actual town of Six Mile which is about 25 miles northeast of us, but we finally found the marine canvas shop we were looking for  after two attempts.  The seats on our pontoon boat are in need of recovering.  Our park owner suggested Janice's in Six Mile.  We towed and left the boat there to have the work done, which will take about 3-4 weeks since there is a backlog of orders.
On the way, we passed the Oconee Nuclear Power Plant on the Keowee River, Lake Keowee, and the site of Pickens Court House.  After dropping off the boat, we decided to check out the historic site.

The town called Pickens Court House, named after a famed Revolutionary war hero, Andrew Pickens, was established in 1828 when settlers heading south decided they didn't want to go any further and stopped on a knoll on the banks of the Keowee River.  The town had a jail and the court house, and later it was decided by the clergy that it needed a Presbyterian church, so one was built around 1838, although the date is not certain since all church records have been destroyed.  In 1868, politicians decided the population growth warranted dividing the area into two counties, so Oconee County was formed, with Walhalla as the county seat, and a new town called Pickens was established as the county seat for Pickens County.  Little by little, folks moved from Pickens Court House to either Walhalla or Pickens, some literally taking their house with them. The old court house was moved to Pickens.  Except for the church which was spared, whatever buildings remained in Pickens Court House met the same fate as Portman Shoals.  Everything went under water when Lake Keowee was created in the 1960's.

 

 

 

 



The church is open for tours on Sundays from 2-5 pm.  We might go back another time to see the inside.



Rural Townville May 2015

When we first arrived, we saw some type of grass being grown in the fields around the farmlands.  It amazed us to see how fast it grew, especially with all the rains in April.  Once it became dry looking, it was mowed, left to dry more, and then rolled into hay bales.

In 2 months, the grass grew over 2 feet high

 

Letting the grasses dry

A pasture of rolled hay appeals to the country bumpkin in me. It also looks as though the grass is starting to sprout again.



Now the farmers have planted corn.  It will be fun to watch it grow.

This is Happistance...Charlie's new veterinarian clinic.

 This is looking at  entrance to the clinic from the office.  The two doctors have several buildings and barns on the large property, in addition to two horses in a pasture.



Their black horse was being camera shy

 



GSP May 4 2015

Our sister-in-law, Amy, needed a ride to and from the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) since she was flying to Tampa to attend her grandson's first Holy Communion the first weekend in May.  The airport is east of Greenville off I-85.  Although traffic was heavy around Greenville, especially at the exit to I-385 towards Columba, it was amazing how laid back it was at the airport itself.  

 

The road to the airport off I-85 looks like you are driving into a state park

 

                                                     The terminal  is behind the fountain

                                  A view of the fountain and flags from the terminal sidewalk

The folks around here dearly love sculptures

Hope you had a good flight, Amy!









Anderson May 2015

A historical marker on Rte 24, a road into Anderson, commemorates Portman Shoals. Approximately 1000 feet north of the sign was a power plant.  Back at the turn of the century, it provided the longest high voltage line in the country.  Its supply of energy is what gave Anderson its nickname of The Electric City. What the marker didn't mention is that the town of Portman Shoals as well as the power plant totally disappeared underwater in the 1950's when Lake Hartwell was created.

 

 

A view of the lake near the historical marker turnoff

 

 

The main branch of the Anderson County library is in the downtown historic district of Anderson.  It is a beautiful two story structure.  Various sculptures are near the entrance.

 

 

"Poetry" is situated between the front and side entrances

 

"Huckleberry Fish"

The Family benches





 

Not far from the library is a pavilion where the Anderson Farmer's Market is held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings from May until November.

Parking area near the pavilion and across from the Anderson Art Center.  I love the pedestal clock.

I went to the market at 9 am on May 2, the first day it opened.

 The vendors had some home baked goods, lots of jewelry and art, one was a beekeeper who sold honey and candles made of bees wax, but only one  had any vegetables, and those were mainly lettuce and radishes.  I think it was too early in the season.  I will give it a try another time.

 

 







K-5 Update

The April rains turned the red clay on our lot into thick, red mud.  The park owner agreed to put a load of gravel in the area where Bob parks his truck since the ground there was sunken in from when a pipe was put underground.  Bob plans on leveling the lot with fill dirt and then plant grass to prevent future mud puddles.

What we thought were cute jumbo bumble bees turn out to be wood boring carpenter bees which are known to cause major damage to wood structures.  Bob found out that an aerosol, such as an automotive brake cleaner, sprayed into the holes where they nest kills them almost instantly.

We now have two vegetable garden areas.  One has roma tomatoes, green peppers, and has been seeded with dill which have not yet sprouted.  The other against the shed has pickling cucumbers and sun flowers.

Bob organized his shed, but now the work benches are covered with pieces and parts of a remote control hydroplane he is building.  If he finishes it successfully, the game plan is to fly and land it when we are in the pontoon on the lake.

Great for mud pies!

 

Work camper, John, leveling out the area once it dried up

Nice gravel parking spot, but wouldn't you know, we haven't had much rain since.

At first glance, this looks like a hole made by a drill, but it is one of the entries to the carpenter bee nesting area inside the roof joist, bored out by one of the bees.

Bob spies another culprit in the timber under the deck

Take that, you wood eating bee!

Boy, chasing bees is hard work.  Bob the Bee Killer takes a break

Peppers, tomatoes, and (fingers crossed) dill in between.  Behind the planter is a flowering vine, the name of which I've forgotten.

Newly planted cukes and sun flowers

Not exactly his old two car garage, but a man cave workshop, nonetheless