Missing.....

It's missing.....my computer, that is!  I do have (thanks to wonderful SOWER friends) the use of a laptop, so I can get on the internet, but all my photos, software, etc., are on MY laptop!  I'm a blogger who gets motivated by the photos I take, so there's not a whole lot of motivation right now (for me, anyway) to post.  I did want to let you know, tho', that we are doing fine....the September project here at Doe River has ended.  A lot of work was completed, and now we are on a two-week break before the October project starts up.  In the meantime, we are checking out the area (property and houses) and planning a trip to see friends and family in the Nashville area....plus continuing to help out some around Doe River. 

Hopefully, my companion (laptop) will be repaired and returned to its home before tooooooo long!  But until then, I'll probably just store up all those stories to be shared....

Rain, rain go away....

"It's raining, it's pouring, the ole man is snoring...!" 

A rainy day like today takes me back to childhood and the old rhyme we used to sing when the rain would keep us inside on a day when we would rather be outside, but it also takes me back to a day 9 years ago....and the anniversary of 9/11.  It wasn't raining outside that day, but after the Twin Towers were hit, it was certainly raining in our hearts.  We remember those who lost their lives on that day and those who lived through the horror of it firsthand.  It has left a scar on each of us, and we will never forget.

Even tho' we will never forget, life does go on....and our lives are no exception. We had plans for this day, but the rain has changed those plans...instead of enjoying the great outdoors and lots of scheduled activities, this is our view for the day. No mega zip line, no greased pig races, no carp wrangling...at least not today, tho' I understand the fire is going getting ready for the mega (170 lbs) pig roast. Since we are confined to indoors today, how 'bout I share some photos of our adventures earlier in the week?

Tuesday night we, along with King and Jackie Fulton,
made our way over to Jonesborough, home of the International Storytelling Museum. The Cranberry Thistle, a quaint coffee house, hosts storytelling every Tuesday night.  On this night we heard three local storytellers, along with a story by the visiting StoryTeller in Residence for the week at the museum.  What a fun night!  If you are ever in the area, it's a great bargain (5 whole smackeroos) for an entertaining and relaxing evening.  Did I mention they have wonderful scones?  Jonesborough itself is a neat little town to stroll around.

Thursday was the day chosen for our traditional Ladies Day Out, and we didn't have far to go to find a great place for lunch....the Coffee Company.   After a yummy lunch we strolled through the "downtown" area, and then went on the hunt for bargains, along with the obligatory stop at WalMart (the RVer's best friend).

Later in the afternoon, "Mark the-train-man" took us for a ride on the narrow gauge railroad up the gorge...through two tunnels...to the first trestle with beautiful scenery and wonderful views of the river all along the way.

Yes, we did have one brave (?) soul (Rusty) who ventured across the trestle without the benefit of a safety line.  But he's a former Marine, so we weren't surprised....probably would have been more surprised if he hadn't!  The rest of us just watched from the safety of good ole terra firma.

And then my honey took me out to dinner....at a little roadside cafe

where we enjoyed the best Philly Cheesesteak sandwich we had ever had.  Great ending to a great day!

Yesterday dawned with beautiful blue skies and fluffy white clouds....

just calling out to us to get out and enjoy the day...so we did, taking two hikes...one up the rail trail to gather some wildflowers for my pressed flower cards and one up the river to enjoy God's handiwork.

Besides the beauty of the river, there were other sights that made us smile....like what we named "Butterly Shoals"....

and these wild daisies bravely hanging on against the coming fall....

This has been a lengthy and photo-laden post, but I ask you, "What better way to spend a rainy day, than remembering all the fun events of the past week....unless it would be to curl up with a good book and cup of coffee?"  Oh, wait......I think I'll do just that, so until next time.....here's to rainy afternoons!

Work? Yes!!

I know I have shared a lot of pics of the wonderful area where this project is located, but we really have been working......I promise!  Two weeks of the project are complete, and several things have been accomplished, but there is still work to be done!

This weekend is one of two Father/Son Retreats to be held at Doe River this fall, and the eight cornhole boards

made by the guys and the corn bags made by the ladies (see previous post from Sept. 2nd) are already in use this weekend!  In addition to varnishing the walls in the rooms of Mountain Lodge, the men also disassembled the bunks in that lodge for a thorough cleaning after the rush of summer camps was over.  They also designed and built several sawhorses... 

and are now in the process of reconstructing a crossing up at the railroad near the first tunnel.

Willie had the fun of designing and constructing a "carp containment" device (as he so affectionately dubbed it) which is presently housing a number of carp for the "Carp Wrangling" event tomorrow (gotta' get pictures of THAT).

 As part of their duties, the ladies spent a lot of time catching up on the mountains (literally) of laundry and making bed/towel rolls

We helped out by doing the twice weekly office cleaning and also some weeding of the lovely landscaping/flowerbeds around the office.  Word has it that we may be vacuuming mattresses next week, but we will be glad to do whatever it is that is asked of us....because we are doing it for the Lord!

Check back in the next couple of days, and I'll have another post about some of the excursions we have taken and the goings-on around these parts.  Hey, we're in the mountains of eastern Tennessee....don't you think I'm picking up the lingo?!

Symbols

One of my favorite symbols of the renewal of life, the new birth....and something beautiful arising out of something plain and ordinary....is the butterfly.  I have realized as I have enjoyed the numerous butterflies flitting around Doe River Gorge and other places we have been recently, that these symbols of metamorphosis will soon be flying south in search of warmer weather.  So I am taking the time each day to enjoy their beauty.....and their symbolism.

Even those of us with wings a little worn and tattered are beautiful....

....just as are the newly "birthed"....

for after all...HE created each of us!  What a wonderful reminder of the love and care of our Heavenly Father....thank You, Lord, for reminding me that yes, You created the butterflies with so much care and made them a thing of beauty...how much more You love each one of us, as You created us in YOUR image!

Time for a hike

Yesterday was the first day of our weekend....and while I caught up on laundry and some household-type chores, Willie took a hike....starting out from the camp, going through the tunnel and then was met with this sight....

It took a minute or so before the deer knew he was there, and then it headed up the mountain, and he continued on through the beauty of God's creation

until he reached the first signs of civilization

Instead of calling for me to come pick him up (like he did last year) when he reached the highway, 

he just kept on walking making his round trip at least 12 miles!   Not bad for someone who keeps talking about how out of shape he is!  Then we finished the day with a dinner with the other SOWERs on the project, plus another SOWER couple who live in the area (FINALLY got to meet the Webergs).  Talk about yummy food....curried pork tenderloin with jasmine rice, spinach salad with manadarin oranges, garlic monkey bread, topped off with almond cherry cheesecake....oh, my!!

Today we headed out for a day of exploring....leaving the camp mid-morning and enjoying the blue skies and white clouds

We drove some of the most crooked roads through some beautiful mountains, but Willie wanted to check out the trailhead for a portion of the Appalachian Trail that he is thinking of hiking.  Thank goodness I'm not so prone to motion sickness as I was as a child....we'd have been in big trouble!  As it was, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and then we saw a sign for a tunnel ahead...not so unusual in the mountains, but when we saw this

we just had to stop.  Would you believe, the world's shortest tunnel?  Originally, it was a railroad tunnel through Backbone Ridge, and was later converted to a road.  See those people on top of the ridge....

well, when we made our way to that same spot, this is the view that awaited us...

It's also a VERY good thing that I am overcoming my fear of heights!

We also hiked up to Backbone Falls

....with no mishaps, thankfully. 

We even enjoyed an impromptu lunch of cheesesticks and clementines down by the river

where I was capativated by the crystal clear water and the reflections in such shallow water....

Then it was time to "hit the road" again

as we headed for Damascus, VA and information on the Virginia Creeper section of Rails-to-Trails.  Willie and I both were astonished at the incredible number of vehicles there...it's a VERY small town, but it obviously owes its existence to the Trail.  We are very excited about making this one more thing we check off our "list" of to-do's.  Then we made our way through Abingdon, home of the Barter Theatre,

and Bristol, all via any road we could find that was NOT an interstate.  After all, this was a day for exploring and we did...explore, that is, even stopping at this Flea Market (where just about everyone was packing up for the day)

until we finally returned to our current home, which was being enjoyed on this Labor Day weekend...

Looks like while we were out and about having fun, they were having fun right here!  

We are looking forward to the Lord's Day tomorrow, and to another productive week ahead....you never know what God has in store for those who serve Him!