0051 - Grow up, will ya?

What is it with grown people acting like children lately? I'm not even going to go into it, it's just experiences I've had and things I've seen. Really juvenile stuff, it's pathetic. Stop it and grow up. Life can be a lot less complicated than you make it.

Last night there was a thunderstorm. It was really nice - it hasn't been long since it rained, but it has been a long time since I've gotten to sit through a thunderstorm. First there was a lot of wind that blew leaves past the window... sounded like it was raining, but I didn't hear any drops on the roof. I opened the windows and let the breeze cool the room, and I listened to the pitter patter of the rain drops on the roof of the 5'er while I read and had a glass of muscadine wine. My new routine seems to be that about nine or ten I head to the bedroom with a glass of wine to read for an hour or two. That also gives Mike time to play PS3 games or watch something I'm not interested in, too.

I lit a couple of candles since the last storm knocked the electricity out, and after my eyes got tired, I put the book away, turned the light out and just relaxed. Gracie jumped up on the bed and settled in next to me. It was very relaxing, and it reminds me that I used to do that kind of thing on a regular basis... unplug, light a candle, relax. Relaxing is something I don't make time for anymore. I realized that I should.

I don't know why, but every once in a while I crave stupid horror movies. Most of the time I don't watch them all the way through, either they're too graphically violent for me (hooks, axes, intestines), or so stupid I can't take it anymore. Today's movie will probably get changed for the latter... Grizzly Park. Seems like Chiller is more violent than SyFy... I'm taking my chances, hahaha.

Tonight is date night. We're staying in and having baked potatoes, trying to clean out the fridge a little before we depart. Big thrills in the ole' household tonight!

0050 - Chillax

No one was at the pool this afternoon, which is rare, so we decided to go for a swim. I don't swim a lot because I don't like public pools with screaming kids and so many people that you can't do anything but stand in the water. It's not that I want to do laps, I just like space to move around. We didn't go anywhere today so that was our exercise, and our time outside of the house. Instead, we cleaned and started putting things away, and relaxed. We also visited with Ron a bit, and I got to play with his dog, Rocky. Rocky is ADORABLE, just a tiny little Yorkie that always seems happy. The most adorable thing he does is when he stands on his hind legs and paws at the air to get your attention. Today we played fetch, he likes fetch. Who doesn't?

Anyone else watch Mountain Men? I think it's an interesting show. It showcases three different families living in a primitive manner. My favorite is Eustace who lives in North Carolina. His family pretty much lives off the land, I guess they all do, there is just something about him that I like better than the others, I suppose it's a calmness about him and a larger support system. In a lot of ways I would like to live they way he does... not bothering anyone, kind of doing my own thing and living off the land with friends and family along for the ride. I told Mike the other day, it's a shame that we have to go out into the world to make a living these days... in the not too distant past, it was enough for people to raise their own livestock, grow their own gardens, and trade for things they needed, but they primarily supported themselves. These days there isn't much choice. Even if you got yourself completely out of debt you still have to pay taxes and medical bills... there's no way to really get by without money. And most people don't want to put any effort into living, so it's a way of life that is dying out. It's kind of a shame.

Another show I am (surprisingly) fascinated by, is Meet the Hudderites. I guess I think it's interesting when someone can stick so steadfastly to their beliefs in today's society. Although I feel like they're a little looser about things, or they wouldn't be cursing, and they wouldn't be on tv. They're like Amish-lite. But again... they live in a manner that appeals to me... farming, hunting, etc.

At this point all I want is a place to call our own, time to put in a garden, some chickens, goats and a mini-moo cow... a horse would be cool, and some wolfdogs. That's about it...

0049 - Dead ant, it's not just part of the Pink Panther theme song

Ants. I hate them. We have giant carpenter ants, primarily in the kitchen area because the slides give them an access point, and well, there's food. No matter how clean I try to be, emptying the garbage on a regular basis, washing dishes, picking up things that fall onto the floor... they still find something of interest. I hate them. Mike hates them. In the past minute I have killed five... excuse me... six, about to be seven... make that eight. For some reason they're extremely active at the moment. Dammit they're driving me nuts. Part of it is the recent rains stirring them up, some of it is the nature of the RV park, being wooded and no gravel or concrete, just dirt. Everyone is complaining about them.

Today we at The Rose Garden in Covington, TN. I wanted catfish. The catfish at the Marina down the road was really good, but they are closed Monday, Tuesday... and Wednesday. So... I chose a random name off the list the GPS provided, and it turned out good. The catfish would definitely pass my mom's sniff test - AND the hushpuppies were also delicious. Mike and I both subbed fried squash for the coleslaw, I was expecting pan-fried, Mike was expecting the battered and fried disks that came out, except he prefers thinner slices. Fries were exactly what I expected, neither good nor bad. So I consider The Rose Garden to be a success. We also split a piece of chocolate pie, and it was *almost* like my grandma's, which is a compliment. This place says Home Cooking and they mean it.

After that we went to Edgar Evins State Park. It was a nice place, but it doesn't translate well to film, and it was drizzly and slick along the trails, which were pretty rocky. The trails also weren't marked very well, in terms of signage telling you where to find them. We found a couple of them and started down one... which one we don't know, because the sign didn't specify. So we walked a little, then drove around a bit, saw a cardinal and a couple of deer and headed home via Cookeville.

That's about it for today... Tomorrow we are going to clean house and start stowing things in preparation for our trip to Huntsville this weekend.

Pics...

Marina. The boat ramp was STEEP... I would hate to back my truck down that.

I call this one... I Want to Live. It's hard to see it, but most of this tree is floating in the air and two of the roots have been amputated.

This pic looked more interesting after I did a color correct, so I decided to keep that version.

Dam.

We see deer on the side of the road a lot around here, most bound off into the woods when we stop, but some just stand and look at us with their ears twitching, nothing else moves. This one stayed put while I took a few pics. Wish I could have gotten closer, but the more I zoom, the more pixelized it gets.

0048 - Burgess Falls

I love my new camera.

This is a closeup of the Harley Quinn statuette Mike got me for our first anniversary. Amazing. Mike and the camera. :)

Today we drove into Cookeville for lunch because nothing in Gainesboro is open on Monday or Tuesday. We landed at Stroud's Barbecue. One of the reviewers said it wasn't barbecue... I tend to agree. The bbq nachos I got were good, but it was slow cooker pork, nothing smoked or grilled.

Along the road to Gainesboro we always pass by what I call The Cave of Mystery. What the hell is it? I don't know. It doesn't go anywhere. Mostly I see graffiti on the walls, and occasionally there will be a big rig using it as a parking area.

After lunch it was on to the Amish-run Malco Farms stand to get veggies and butter. They have ripe tomatoes and the best avocados I have ever had. Today I wanted to make dry soup. I don't know if my mom invented it or what, but it is one of my favorite things to eat. You basically chop a tomato, boil some corn and cut it off the cob, make some fried okra, and some black-eyed peas, and then you mix it all together and eat it with cornbread. I'll skip ahead a bit and say that I made it and it was delicious. I've been craving veggies. It was the first time I've ever made fried okra and it was a success, so I'm kinda proud of me! Mike helped me out and made cornbread using an Uncle Bob's mix. It was denser than we're used to, but it was good... sort of sweet... some field corn mixed in would have put it over the top. I kind of want to make strawberry shortcake with it.

Afterward I wanted to go somewhere that I could put my camera to use taking pics of 'something pretty'. So we ended up at Burgess Falls. It started off pretty easy, but the further along the trail you go, the steeper and more complicated it gets. There are roots everywhere - which is awesome because I love all the tangly roots and have started to wonder if maybe the ancient Druids used them as the basis for some of the Celtic knots you see today - and sometimes there were trees in the middle of the path, or narrow paths with a steep dropoff, or you had to duck down because of a rocky outcropping. Not complaining, just giving you an idea what to expect should you attempt it.

This was the smallest of the falls and it was instant gratification since it's pretty much right there when you hit the trails.

An example of the path with roots sticking up.

A close-up of some moss growing on a rock or a tree.

These were the middle falls, slightly larger than the first. Pretty spectacular.

I love macro mode, I can get right up on something and take a picture.

Did I mention that Mike and I are fascinated by the twisty roots? They're freakin' awesome. The first one almost looks like one of the black and white photos where one thing in the photo has been colorized. I think it's neat.

Wet-weather waterfall. The rock in the area consists of several layers all the way down. It's neat to see them exposed like that.

Interesting picture of a tree.

Twisty limb.

On the one hand... I want to slap everyone who participated in the mutilation of this tree. On the other hand... I have to admit it makes a strange and compelling art piece.

Moss on tree bark.

I guess this is really what they consider the Middle Falls. Looks kind of like a big footprint.

The viewing platform.

We found this tree with pretty mushrooms growing along the sides. They were so pretty. This is a closeup of the underside of one of them.

They look almost like ivory flowers.

I was about to rest my hand on the bark to steady the camera when I saw this guy. First my brain told me he was an earthworm, but it didn't compute. I asked Mike if it was a centipede or a millipede and he agreed I should leave it alone. He snapped a pic though.

Mike saw this cool lizard. I was trying to get a really closeup shot but Mr. Lizard only stayed put long enough for Mike to get a few shots off, then he ran and hid. He wasn't friendly like the Geico gecko...

Thus began our descent toward the largest of the falls. This was the easy part because there were stairs. After this point it was up to us to find a way down the rocks to the bottom of the falls. So... Mike ventured out and I stayed on the trail for a bit... I was afraid I'd lose my footing and fall. Until... this family passed me by... a family with small children... and an older gentleman who said he'd been down to the falls many times. It kind of shamed me into giving it a try. So I slid down a couple of boulders and worked my way down further until I found Mike, hoping like hell I'd be able to get back up. Glad I did, it was nice down there and gave me a little bit of confidence in myself, too. I always tell Mike that I have almost twisted my ankle a thousand times, but I have become very adept at "falling" before it does damage. Mind you, I don't exactly fall, I manage to recover my balance before that happen. He's seen me skate through a puddle in my Crocs without falling on my ass... he knows why my name isn't Grace.

Rocky outcroppings above us on the way to the falls.

At this point it felt like we were in a rainforest, it was humid and very much like being in Romancing the Stone.

Mike captured this wee fella. I chased one unsuccessfully for a while and gave up. Every time he landed and I almost focused on him, he flew away.

If you enlarge this one it's almost an optical illusion, the moss on the rocks shows through the water and makes it look like you can see the forest through the water.

This one looks neat to me because at the top of the falls on the right hand side, the water almost looks like an owl's head.

Green dragonfly. The butterflies may not have liked me - but the dragonflies LOVED ME. That's cool. I love dragonflies, too.

White dragonfly.

Bronze dragonfly.

You can tell that at some point the water was higher and going very, very fast, because this boulder caught a bunch of fallen trees.

Blue dragonfly. Never seen so many different kinds. Some people like birds... we like dragonflies.

This is the kind of terrain we were climbing.

Going back up.

The top of the falls were cool, too.

And back in Granville... This is just down the road from where we're staying.

This is behind us. You have to walk down a short trail to get there, but it's gorgeous.

Random hibiscus on the trail.

Closeup of a vine winding its way around a branch.

The End. :)