Medical Updates and A Hike with the Boys (Pisgah Forest, NC)

Today is Saturday.  Debbie drove her face into the gravel last Sunday.  Not surprisingly she is healing just fine.  She couldn't bring herself to go to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Vanity is a powerful emotion!  We were off Thursday and Friday.  She returned to work today.  She looks MUCH better and everyone reassured her repeatedly.  Thank you folks.  Her vanity is still a little fragile but she is handling the challenge like a big girl.

On a smaller scale, my little finger is fine.  I removed my own stitches yesterday.  Debbie freaked some.  I recall some comments about sanitation?  I had an appointment back in Charleston but I didn't want to drive 5 hours each way for a 2 minute appointment.  Ardi, our retired RN friend, tells me the finger looks good.

So, we (I) worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  I spent the first half of Thursday cutting grass.  We are required to cut the grass around our campsite.  It's not a large area but once I got started I decided to cut everyone's space.  That took me a couple hours.  Then I spent the remainder of my day cleaning the outside of the camper.  It's a BIG box!  One of the great challenges of cleaning a camper is the dreaded black streaks.  As rainwater runs off the roof and down the sides it often leaves black streaks.  Their removal requires mega elbow grease.  The finish product looks good and I don't have to do it too often.  YEA!!

Friday we played.   We went to Chimney Rock State Park.  It was privately owned until the last couple of years.  The park is adjacent to Lake Lure.

View of Lake Lure from Chimney Rock

All this is just over an hour away.  Initially we were not going to take the" boys".  But as we prepared to go they "told" us that they really wanted to be a part of the outing.  They danced from foot to foot, smiled and pleaded.

How could we resist these faces?

From there on out all we had to say was "get in the truck."  They don't know it's a car but we're going to teach them the difference.  They travel like champs and they travel in style.  We also carry treats for them as well as a collapsible water bowl for hiking.

The primary focus of Chimney Rock is, act surprised, a LARGE rock.  The park also includes hiking trails a waterfall and impressive shear cliffs. 

Chimney Rock

Duane and the Boys on one of the Chimney Rock Trails

HA!HA!

Hickory Nut Falls (mostly dry) 

We spent about five hours there hiking trails which included hundreds of steep wooden steps.  Lots of hazards for the dogs but they did great!  Not surprisingly, we speak of the boys as if they're our children.  So we often spoke of the fact that they will certainly sleep well on the way home.  They did. 

Bo and Laska in the backseat with their "blankies"

(they were asleep in minutes) 

As we headed for Brevard we picked up pizza, bread sticks and bruchetta, oh yea and brownies.  I can hear our arteries slamming shut.

Life is good!

Duane

"To Hell With The Hackers" (Pisgah Forest, NC)

I've been "gone" for a while but now I'm back.  Debbie and I went "home" to SC Sunday-Wednesday for some medical appointments.  We drove the Highlander and took the dogs.  We had a couple of offers from friends to stay with them, dogs and all.  We didn't want to just dump our boys on anyone while we were at the hospital so we spent Sunday and Monday at a Best Western that permitted dogs.

Sunday night we had a fun dinner with our good friend Evelyn.  As we departed she made it clear that we are always welcome at her home.  It was kind of like "My Casa is Your Casa."  Thank you Evelyn, we love you!

We went to SC to have a cyst removed from my little finger.  We had started the process way before we left the area but it took forever to get appointments.  So to work within our health insurance we returned to complete the routine.   I didn't think the cyst amounted to much but my daughter described it as OMG.  My view may be more accurate.  Having said that, the event resembled a big deal.  It began with a hospital gown of the current fashion.  Then there was a crowd of medical personnel complete with a trip to la la land.  The next thing I recall with any clarity is a wheel chair ride out of the hospital.  The procedure was Monday afternoon.  That night we went back to the Best Western.

Tuesday morning Debbie had a doctor appointment.  After that we then went to see our realtor friends Jan and Tom.  They've helped us buy our last two houses and now they manage those houses for us as rental property.  One day they'll sell those houses for us.  We visited with Tom and Jan at their office.  If there had been a bouncer he would have thrown us out.  We had a roaring good time!  More love and we greatly appreciate their friendship.

We then went to see Linda and Glenn.  We took the dogs with us and spent the night.  We have traveled and camped many times with these friends They epitomize southern hospitality.  We would marry them both.  That may be a stretch but you get the picture.  Lots of love!

We drove home Wednesday afternoon and worked Thursday and Friday.

Friday was Aubree Elizabeth''s 26th birthday.  Aubree, I'm mighty proud of you and  I love you!

We had a hike planned with our volunteer friends Dave and Ardi Hacker for Saturday morning.  Our destination was Rainbow Falls at Gorges State Park.  This is something less than an hours drive away, near Lake Toxaway.  The morning began cloudy, maybe a little mist.  We didn't consider not going.  It was a nice drive and only misting at most when we arrived.  The hike was to be 4-5 miles round trip.  It was quite steep at times, rocky and rooty.  Much of the time the hike followed the wonderfully rocky, mountainous Horse Pasture River.  Our first stop was at a smallish, but pleasing waterfall.  No rain as yet. 

Dave and Ardi preparing to photograph small waterfall

 

Small Waterfall

We then moved on to our primary goal, Rainbow Falls.  About the time we arrived at the Falls it began to rain a little.  Dave, Ardi and Debbie, the photographers, broke out the cameras, tripods and umbrellas. 

Rainbow Falls

After the photo shoot we pressed on to another great area that included  a waterfall with a sliding rock.  There were lots of young folks sliding over the rock.  We don't have any pictures of this area or activity because  the pace of the rain had increased significantly.  More rain, much more.  We decided there was nothing to loose so we went on to a third falls location.  By now it's becoming a deluge!!  We stayed there a minute then returned to a rock overhang, dry enough to stand and eat a sandwich.  

Dave and Ardi were mostly prepared for the rain.  Debbie and I less prepared.  I had brought the umbrellas and 2 ponchos.  I paid $2 for 2 ponchos.  I knew they were a disposable type but I was misled.  They were nearly worthless.  OK, not worthless.  I'd value them at $.12 each.  They did help to trap our body heat but not keep us dry.  As we hiked in we made some effort to avoid mud and wet spots.  You know, lets keep those hiking shoes clean.  As we exited, we were merely slogging through the mud and water with total disregard as the skies poured upon us.  We had to watch our footing closely. We were drenched.  Debbie's greatest concern was keeping her new camera dry.  Dave and Ardi had invited us to hike with them so they were concerned that we held them responsible for the less than perfect conditions. We enjoyed several witty suggestions about how we would describe the hike in the blog.  We reassured them repeatedly but, at their suggestion,  we settled on "To Hell With The Hackers."  Today, a dry day later, we refer to it as a memorable hike.

We worked today.  The day ended with an unfortunate event.  Debbie and I were walking one of the Cradle trails with the dogs.  Somehow Debbie lost her footing and fell.  She'll be fine but she did take a face full of gravel.  There was lots of blood.  She cut her knees, hands and several cuts to the face.  A little understatement,  we were ALARMED so as soon as we got back to the camper I went to get Ardi.  She's a retired RN.  Ardi cleaned Debbie's cuts and put her at ease.  Thank you Ardi!!  I now refer to Debbie as Rocky.  Pretty funny, don't cha think?!  You know the gravel and all. 

Good to be back.

My finger is fine.

Duane

Loss of a Friend (Pisgah Forest, NC)

I know I am not the blogger, but I just couldn't let the recent death of my Beta Sigma Phi sorority sister Nancy Thames go unmentioned.   Although I had only known Nancy for about a year and a half, I knew her as a bright, fun, kind and caring person.  I enjoyed our conversations so much.  Nancy had been diagnosed with Leukemia only a month ago.  She passed away on Tues. August 10th.  Her death was sudden and unexpected and so very sad.  My deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Nancy at a sorority function in May 2010

Rest in peace sweet Nancy.

Debbie

Random Thoughts

We "worked" Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  It was all quite pleasant.  Debbie reminded me that she has plenty of pictures of where we work.  So we'll show you some, along with pictures of our co-workers some of whom we've probably already introduced.

Entrance to Exhibit hall

Front Desk

Kids love the scavenger hunt they can do in the exhibit hall 

The wax figures are extremely life-like

Water Exhibit

Helicopter simulator

Dave in the Cafe

Dr. Charles (our team leader) and Mike at the Front Desk

Debbie (Mike's wife) working at the Giftshop

Sue (Dr. Charles' wife) loves Snickers!

 

Artie (Dave's wife) in the Cafe

Much to our disappointment, our new friends Debbie and Mike had to leave. Mike had to go home to address a multitude of health issues. Debbie's grandmother is 104, I believe, and her health is failing. Their vacant campsite is a daily reminder of their absence. Mike and Debbie, if you're reading this, please know we miss you terrifically! We will find a way to catch up with you somewhere.

I've had a cold all week so we haven't done much on our last two days off.  Thursday we went to Walmart to get more Sudafed etc.  I'm feeling much better as I Blog this evening.  Today we went to get haircuts.  When we were "home" we didn't have to give much thought to that subject.  But now that we're vagabonds, it will always be a shot in the dark.  So we, that means Debbie, selected a salon for us.  My hair is normally longer than Debbie's.  We sat down in our respective chairs at the same time. We finished at the same time.  Neither hair cut was particularly good.  Debbie''s hair cut cost exactly twice as much.  Why?

At the risk of being way too redundant, let me tell you more about our Hummingbirds.  We were having breakfast this morning.  We were having bacon, eggs and toast.  We were sitting together at our dining room table.  All of this so far is mighty unusual!  But now my point.  The Hummingbirds were swarming the feeder that's attached to our window.  They behave as if we're not present.  We're so close, with only a window between us, that we can see them with amazing detail.  We see their little bulging eyes, their tiny feet and every colorful little feathers.  Even more interesting, we can see their whole head throb as they suck (like crazy) the sweet nectar from the feeder.  It's pretty cool.

 

 

 

Now my last thought..... for the moment.  I've recently recognized that much of what we're doing and much of what I share, is not all that thrilling.  In fact, much of what we do is probably what lots of retirees do.  The surprising thing for Debbie and I is that WE ARE retired.  Over the years we've (me to excess) given work a high priority.  The result is that we've already enjoyed many great experiences.  Granted, we always enjoyed these great experiences on the run, but they were great none the less. But now it's like we're done.  We worked frantically right up to the day we left SC.  Now we get to cruise along at our own pace.  We get to make all these pleasant decisions about where to go next and just what shall we do.  The great decision for today was whether or not we should stop for ice cream.  We did. We currently have tentative travel/volunteer plans that will carry us through the winter of 2012.  But for now, it's great to just cruise! 

It''s an exhausted phrase, but we are truly blessed and we are grateful!!!

Let us all count our blessings!

Duane    

A "Blue Ridge" Day (Pisgah Forest, NC)

Friday we worked.

We were to be off Saturday and Sunday.  However, we were required to work a half day on Saturday because the Forest Service was having a big happening at the Cradle.  Saturday was a celebration of Smokey Bear's 66th birthday.  I heard that 800 people came through the gate to attend.  That number seems high to me but what do I know.  There were lots of activities for the children and Smokey made several appearances.  I monitored coolers of water and HI-C.  Debbie and the other Debbie were in charge of Smokey Bear Bingo.  My position was brainless, Debbie was on her feet the whole time "enjoying" the children.  Please note that I refer to Smokey Bear, not Smokey the Bear.  All my life I thought it was Smokey THE  Bear.  Not true.  It is Smokey Bear.  A learning moment compliments of the Forest Service.

Saturday evening we went to Brevard to have dinner with Mike and Debbie.  We asked Dick and Sue to come as well.  Sue is the charming, fashionable grandmother I've referred to before.  Dick, her husband, is a retired truck driver with slightly more than 4 million miles of driving.  They're in their mid 70's.  Quite delightful.  We went to an Irish pub.  I won't bore you with what everyone ate, except me.  I had Shepperd's pie.  Very Irish I think.  I'd never had Shepperd's pie and I enjoyed it greatly.  I should mention, because  this is important.  I also had a large order of onion rings on the side.  Debbie made me share them.

Sunday was another great day.  I guess I say that often, but the beauty is that it's true.  Our lifestyle comes with many great days.  We decided the "boys" needed an outing.  They spend a lot of time in the camper.  We walk them at least three times a day and often the walks are quite long.  Regardless, we wanted to take them to a dog park where they can run.  We're thinking maybe they miss their backyard.  So we headed for Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP).  This is another one of those cool things about being here.  The BRP is 4 miles from the front gate of the Cradle.  The BRP is a primary vacation destination for lots of folks, especially in the Fall.  But here we are just down the road.  We've already been on it several times and I'm sure we will be on it countless more times.  In addition to the beautiful scenery, it also is the route to many wonderful trail heads and Asheville.

Blue Ridge Parkway View

Our first stop was the NC Arboretum right off the BRP.  There are great trails there and really nice gardens.  The trails are mostly short and easy. The gardens include formal settings, some of the best Bonsai I've ever seen, water features and lots of Appalachian flavor ie flagstone paths, rock walls and natural plantings. We were there about 3 hours.  The boys are now pooped and overheated.  Poor Mr. Bo is jet black, just right for soaking up all the heat.  His little legs go ninety miles an hour to lead the pack (alpha dog you know).  And he's built like a sissy.  We found a shaded area with a bench for me and large flagstone for the boys.  Bo immediately plopped down and hugged the cool stone to compose. Laska was happy to join him.

Bo resting

Laska happy

Debbie strolled a bit taking flower shots with her still new camera, the boys chilled (literally) and I napped a smidgen. 

 

Debbie was glad this bee never seemed to notice her!

We find interesting mushrooms everywhere we go 

Eventually we left and headed for the dog park.  We took a couple wrong turns but then found the park.  It was 91 degrees.  We decided the boys weren't too excited about any more heat so we headed home.  At the mountain top, our home, it was 73 degrees!

After we got settled I did the laundry.  While I waited I called Bro Rowe.  I didn't get him so I'll call later.  I did speak with Aubree Elizabeth.  She'll be 26 soon. 

We work the next 3 days.

Happy Trails

Duane

Happy Anniversary (Pisgah Forest, NC)

Monday morning arrived with significant clouds, a little rain and heavy fog.  I strolled up to Dave and Ardis' campsite to get their vote on to hike or not.  We decided it's all about the journey.  Our friend Debbie went with us and we followed Dave and Ardis to the Mount Pisgah trail head.  (Debbie's husband Mike has COPD and doesn't have the wind to hike.)  Remember Debbie fell on our last hike.  Knowing that, Dave gave her his hiking sticks to try to see if she liked them.  They can be pricey so we wanted to know if they were comfortable for Debbie. The hike was 3 miles round trip, quite steep (gained 770 feet) and rocky.  The sticks were great.  Thank you Dave, nice gesture.  Let me tell you about Ardis.  She's 68 and weighs about 100 lbs.  She's wonderfully pleasant, highly motivated and a dynamo.  She led the hike and we followed.  My guess is that she could have easily left us in the dust if she chose.  Bravo Ardis!  The view at the top was great. It wasn't always clear but it was cool to see the clouds move in and out.  When it was clear the view was great.  The only blemish is that at the top there is an enormously large and ugly communication tower. 

The view from the top

The "other" Debbie

Dave and Ardis

The trip down was pleasant as well.  The best part coming down was that there were scads of butterflies.  The Debbies and Ardis were excited about taking multiple pictures. 

We arrived safely at the bottom and went our separate ways.  Later that day Debbie and I went shopping for her sticks.  They were pricey but they're going to be very helpful for Debbie.  We finished the evening at a cheapo Japanese steak house, yuck, bought provisions at the grocery store and headed back up the mountain.

Tuesday was another pleasant day.  We lounged about in the morning, then, like a big boy, I went to some stores in Hendersonville by myself.  Not just any stores, but the best.  Home Depot, Lowe's and Sam's.  That evening we went to Debbie and Mike's camper for a get together.  There were 8 of us there for appetizers, burritos and margaritas. I stuck with my Diet Pepsi.  We had a most enjoyable and animated evening.  We were there with people we genuinely enjoy and both Mike and Debbie were wonderfully gracious.

Wednesday was a great day.  It was our 20th anniversary!  We began with breakfast at our no frills place in Brevard.  Then we headed for the trail.  Without putting together the connection, our destination was Bridal Veil Falls in the DuPont State Forest.  (Bridal....Anniversary ....get it).  We've spoken of DuPont in earlier blogs.  We continue to learn interesting things about the place.  The land was originally owned by DuPont Chemical.  In addition to the location of their plant. it was a recreational location for executives etc.  Eventually Dupont shut down their plant and left and ownership changed hands a couple of times.  The last owner, prior to the state of NC, was a home developer.  Also, part of the forest was an upscale camp of some sort.  The developer had begun construction of an upscale subdivision before a group, determined to save the forest, convinced the state of NC to buy the land from the developer.  The information we read said the state paid the developer four times what he paid for the land and he immediately left, leaving buildings, etc in various stages of construction. The result is that there are multiple structures, in various stages of completion, throughout the forest.  This includes log cabins, lodges, docks, barns and even an airstrip.  Some of this is interesting but my strong practical side grieves about the waste of these resources.

So we did our hike.  It was 6.5 miles and we were out about 5 hours.   The area has over 90 trails.  Some are gravel roads, some are narrow trails but all are well marked.  Our first destination was Bridal Veil Falls.  The falls are a loooooooong sheet of rock with variations that create the falls.  The sight is great, but even more so, it's like a big kids playground.  There's some juvenile pleasure in walking up the rock, between the paths of the waterfall.

Duane at Bridal Veil Falls

We had a blast but we moved on.  Officially the hike didn't register a great elevation change but it was continually up and down.  We eventually came to some of the structures.  The first was a large, well maintained structure with a great view overlooking a beautiful Lake Julia.  The  NC Fire Service Rangers now occupies the structure.  Nice assignment! 

Ranger's work view

Next we came to a largely completed log cabin and later a huge lodge.  The lodge is only half completed and I'm guessing 6000 to 8000 sq ft.  Maybe more.  It's rotting.

Partially constructed (and deserted) lodge at DuPont State Forest

This location was also on the shore of Lake Julia.  Debbie and I sat at a picnic table eating a granola bar enjoying the view of the lake.  There wasn't  another soul around.  It was raining slightly and we marveled at the tranquility.  A very nice moment! 

Our private view while eating our Granola Bars

The lake was small, picturesque and even had a nice gazebo.  We had a nice conversation there with some "younguns" (20 year olds) who were swimming.  We completed our hike in the next fifteen minutes.  We were pooped but pleased. 

I can't conclude the description of our hike though without our usual wildflower and mushroom pictures, so here's a few.

Our plan for the remainder of our anniversary was to go to a nice mountain restaurant called the Pisgah Inn.  Guess what?  We decided we were just too tired!! We stopped for carry out pizza, bruchetta, bread sticks and the restaurant owner threw in 2 great big brownies.  We carried all of this home, pigged out, rubbed each others' feet and crashed.  Way Good!

Today we worked and ate left over pizza.  Tomorrow we work.

Duane

Weekend Work (Pisgah Forest, NC)

Saturday and Sunday were work days.  Saturday I worked the gift shop and Debbie worked the scavenger hunt post.  Sunday I worked the front desk and Debbie worked the gift shop.  All the positions were pleasant and, as always, we enjoyed our coworkers. 

One of our coworkers, Ardis, wrote an eighty page book about her mother who died at age 95. I'm reading the book. It's extremely well written and it's my pleasure to read such a memorable family treasure. I'm also finishing a piece of junk "who killed who" book. One of our perks here at the Cradle is that we have access to the Brevard library. I'm going there tomorrow to pick up some sort of biography or other historical gem.


After work yesterday, Debbie noticed an impressive number of hummingbirds at the feeder we have attached to a window.  Although she's still learning her new camera, she did manage to get a few good close-ups of the little guys (or girls).

Tomorrow we'll be joining Ardis, her husband Dave and the other Debbie to hike Mount Pisgah.  It's identified as a strenuous hike at 3.2 miles round trip. It's also one of the highest mountain peaks in southwestern NC at 5721 feet.  Should be great.  Dave and Ardis are in their late sixties.  They volunteered here last year and they're motivated hikers.  Consequently, they know the area well and seem to welcome our company.  They also have traveled extensively - they're quite interesting.

We'll be off M, T and W.  Hopefully I'll have great things to report.

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend!

Duane