Last Wednesday, a day where it poured rain all day, we went to the beautiful historic Poinsett Club for a Newcomers Holiday Luncheon.  The club, originally a home built around 1925, is stunning.   It is about 40,000 sq. ft, including two newer additions, a ballroom where we had our luncheon and three floors of beautiful decorated small and medium sized dining rooms.   What a mansion it must have been when it was built.   We visitied with our new friends and at our table had a lively discussion about all kinds of local issues.   The facilities definitely were 5 star.   The food was just average.

Monday night we went with our neighbors Vickie and Ed to the annual Greenville Woodworking Guild Holiday party.  There were a couple hundred guests there.   We had turkey dinner with all the fixings and then wonderful entertainment provided by the head of the John Campbell Folk School.    The school has 850 craft, art, writing classes every year.  Some for a week and some a weekend.   You can stay on site.   A very well educated historian, musician, storyteller and craftsman who told folk stories and played old folk ballad music.   Very Upcountry SC and charming.

For me the biggest part of the evening was to see the 1500 wooden toys that the members have made to donate to 14 children’s groups here in the Greenville area.  Is this impressive?

It was pretty emotional to see all these toys and realize the 4000 hours of work that went into making them and think about how many happy children will receive them.

There were many door prizes for the guests (wives).  Below are a couple examples.  I got a door prize but not one of theses, darn.   The man who made these helped Bob sharpen his new tools and taught me a little about wood turning.   He and his wife are so nice.

The bowls and ornaments are about 6″.   Guess what some of you will get for gifts next year?

On Friday we go to a special Cocktails R Us Newcomers party at a clubhouse in one of the developments and will have a band!  We each bring whatever we want to drink and a snack or dessert.   I’m actually getting some use out of the three dressy items in my wardrobe!

Saturday morning I have a neighborhood coffee party to attend and weather permitting I think Saturday afternoon we will go to see Travelers Rest Christmas Parade.  Sunday we will go to Easley (30 minutes) to see an ice carving exhibit (100 sculptures including an 8000 lb sleigh – that’s not a typo it is 8000  not 800) and then to Pendelton (another 30 minutes) to see Christmas in a historic plantation home, complete with Christmas little skits written from the information in old letters and diaries.  Sounds like pretty simple Upcountry holiday events.  Hope I can get some good photos to share with you.

My birthday is Tuesday and we might go to Asheville to see the Gingerbread Houses but more likely to downtown Greenville for dinner (have a discount coupon for restaurants there) and to see the Christmas Trees that light up downtown.   Supposed to be pretty.   Maybe a trip to a museum or art gallery in the afternoon.

Wednesday night we go to Roper Mt. with friends from Newcomers to see the Light Show there and after Christmas we go to see Hollywild Zoo 100 acre light display.   I guess we take a trolly through that area.

As you can tell there is lots going on and all of it is quite inexpensive plus we don’t have 3 feet of snow and sub zero temperatures to dress for.

Bob and I have been assembling 8 pens and pencils so as soon as he gets home with a part for the lathe we will start turning.   Wish us luck!   We have had a few mishaps already.

I forgot to tell you about this.

When we were in Naples FL last month we got to spend some quality time with five 20 somethings young adults ( 21-25) realized something special.  We were a little worried about what we would talk about for a week.  Not to worry.   We worked hard all day but then at dinner or while we were cooling off in the pool Fay and Bob entertained them with stories from our life.   I guess I never really thought about all the things that have happened to us and what we have learned in our 60 years.  They definitely were  listening and asking good questions.   Bob especially has some over the top stories about his time in Vietnam and elsewhere in the service.   Made us feel good.

On Monday Bob went with the Greenville Newcomers Hiking Group for a 5 mile hike on Caesars Head Mountain State Park, about 45 minutes from our house.   He said it was a beautiful clear day and just the right temperature.   The park is about 11,000 acres and has a peak of 3200 feet and a 420 ft waterfall.  He had a really good time.

Enjoy the photos.

On Thursday we both went with again, Greenville Newcomers, for a pontoon boat ride at Lake Lure, NC.  It is a gorgeous one hour drive to that lake from our house.  The lake is man made in 1927  and surrounded by mountains. I grew up in the land of 10,000 lakes and many of them are breathtaking but this lake nestled in the Smokey Mountains is really spectacular.  The day was overcast but that just gave a feeling of  erieness.   You could definitely see wisps  of “smoke” in the mountains.  It looked like a film shoot from the TV show “Lost”.  This was also where part of the movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed.   They do many weddings where the gazebo is.  After the boat trip Bob and 20 ladies went to lunch at Larkens on the Lake.    Both Caesars Head and Lake Lure are places I would bring visitors to.

On Tuesday Greenville Newcomers had their Kick Off Coffee Party.  Bob came and took a movie of a cute skit we were in to introduce the officers and standing committees.   One of our big events this year is the play Wicken and so the skit was a play on that with Oz, Dorothy, etc.   Really cute.  The event was a huge success.  About 175 people attended.   Each of the 30 or so activity committees (hiking, bridge, golf, Cocktails R Us, Explorers, etc.) had a table to explain their activity and a large gift basket that people could bid on in a silent auction.  This year Newcomers will be supporting Safe Harbor. This event is one of several we have through out the year to help them.  Safe Harbor helps victims of domestic violence, providing safe emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and community outreach and education. A very worthwhile cause.  I was exhausted when I came home.  Many of the board at 6 p.m. went to the Greenville City Council to hear the mayor proclaim Sept. 15 as Greenville Newcomers Day!   Pretty cool.

The last week has been so busy I haven’t had time to get my photos off the camera and write in my blog.   We have gone hiking on Caesar’s Head Mountain, toured historic Kilgore-Lewis home in Greenville, attended the Greenville woodworkers guild meeting and learned all about Minwax stains and finishes, took a boat tour on Lake Lure NC, started Tai Chi classes and helped with a huge Greenville Newcomers coffee.  Bob also has been swimming and working on projects around the house and I am visiting the massage therapist and chiropractor to try to get my ankle better.

I will show and tell more in the days ahead.

It feels so good to help people out.  My neighbor and friend Kathy Hill had her son Logans wedding on Saturday.  Kathy mentioned they were having many family and friends from out of town and so I told her if they needed some place for guests to stay she should let me know.   I hadn’t heard anything so I called her when we were in FL and sure enough, three of the groomsmen and their wives needed a place to sleep so we made up the futon bed, blew up the two new air beds and we had a mini hotel for 6.

One couple was from Charleston, one from Orlando and one from Indiana.  We didn’t see them much but what time we did spend with them revealed six very polite, thankful, talkative,  charming young adults.   It was our great pleasure to be able to help them enjoy the wedding and to make Kathy’s life a little easier.

Last week was a busy week for meeting people.   On Friday I went with 5 other people to a  small town called Landrum.  It was a beautiful 40 minute drive out in the country.  Town has several large antique stores.  About 5 miles away there is another town with a 40,000 sq. ft. antique mall.   I want to see that sometime.  This was a Life Long Learning Event.

On Friday night Bob and I went to Cocktails R Us, a Greenville Newcomers event.  We had a great time.   Probably about 70 people there.

On Saturday my new neighbor Vickie asked me to go shopping.  I found some great furniture and garden places that I don’t think I would have found on my own.   We were gone for 6 hours!

Yesterday I had coffee with another neighbor and will be going with her on Friday when she delivers Meals on Wheels and on Saturday will go to her monthly neighborhood coffee party.

I scheduled myself and sometimes Bob for several tours in April and May.

Everyone is so nice.

I attended my first Newcomers spring social yesterday afternoon.  There were about 40 people there.  We all introduced ourselves and as soon as I said what I did the president said “we need to talk”.   A few minutes later we talked and they need someone on the board as the computer person (manage the membership database, maintain web calendar and website, print newsletter labels) so after talking to the person who is currently doing this it  sounded like not to much work.  I am looking forward to getting to know the board members better and I sure learn even more about my new home.

Most of you know that while I am social I am not much of a joiner in clubs or organization.   I have my  reasons for not belonging to anything.  This feels different and I am ready to make the commitment.  I am really excited about this opportunity to help out and meet people.  It feels like a very good fit.

The group has 400 members and all volunteer. They think they are probably the second largest group like this in the country.  Texas has a larger group.  I was really impressed with their calendar of events and the nice people I met.  At the social there were a couple women that moved here from MN.   Most newcomers seem to come from the midwest and north east coast.   Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Conn., Rhode Island, New York etc.   Most were age 40-60 but a few women with smaller children.  Friday night Bob and I are going to Cocktails R Us gathering.   Yes, that is what the group is called.  There are two “coffee parties” each month, board meeting each month and lots of tours to area activities (tour of bascilica, antiquing, etc.),  gourmet food group, craft group, hiking group, garden group as well as many card/game groups and golf so lots to choose from.   Most of the activities are more women oriented but there should be a few things for Bob to go to.

Good thing I don’t work full time any more.  How would I fit work into my calendar?  These activities plus those in the Furman Life Long Learning program and all the Greenville activities should keep Bob and I from getting bored!

Last Saturday I went to a Chocolate Pampered Chef party.   It started when I called to invite this neighbor I had never met to my Mary Kay Facial party and she invited me to hers.   There were about 10 women there and I met Two more new neighbors who I invited to my party.  People are really interested in making a connection.  Getting a “phone list” or “directory” of people in Glastonbury Village (name of our housing development) is one thing they are interested in as well as just meeting people and maybe doing a few community events together.

On Thursday I had my Mary Kay party and 7 women came, everyone I invited plus one who invited another neighbor.   We ranged in age from mid 20’s to late 70’s.  Tanya was also a big hit, she is one of the girls also.  One neighbor, Joy, is planning women’s self defense classes.   I handed out a sheet of paper to each of them and encouraged them to fill it out (name, address, a little about their family) and said I would start putting together a directory.  I gave them the one I filled out about Bob and I so they could learn about us.

One of the things I put on the form was “What do you have to offer the community?” and “What do you need from the community.”  So for Bob and I, I said we could offer computer network help, computer help, info on blogs, websites, publishing books and would be willing to house sit, take care of plants, pets, etc.   I said we needed a kitty sitter and a high school or college student to help Bob with yard work.   I also said I wanted to host a spa day this winter.   That was a big hit.   Several of the women made good use of our massage chair.   I asked if now we could go from being referred to as “the house with the big basement” to “the house with the massage chair.”  They said no, we were now “”the house with the big basement and the house with the massage chair.”  The women are from all over – California, Indiana, SC, NY, etc.

Also, last Tuesday morning, early, the neighbor Kathy who first asked me to coffee, called me again and asked if I wanted to meet her in Greenville while she waited for her daughter.  I said yes and we got to know each other better plus I found a nice new shopping center. 

I think I will have fun with this new group and maybe even find someone to go walking with or do yoga or tai chi with!  If any of you have ideas for us please let me know.

I find myself drawn to learn the history of those places we are visiting.   I hope by understanding the past I can get a better understanding of my new community.  This is from wikipedia on Statesville where we saw the balloon festival.  It is an old town and seems mostly industrial.

In 1753, Scots-Irish Presbyterians and German Lutherans, who originally settled in Pennsylvania, began arriving in Statesville to plant crops in the fertile soil where game and water were also plentiful. The settlement, known as Fourth Creek Congregation, was named for the fresh water stream, which was the fourth creek west of the neighboring settlement of Salisbury. The center of the settlement was a log cabin where the Presbyterians worshiped and where the First Presbyterian Church is located today.

In 1755, the colonial governor Arthur Dobbs authorized the construction of the colony’s frontier fort, which was located approximately three miles due north of the Fourth Creek settlement. Built and garrisoned by North Carolina provincial soldiers, Fort Dobbs defended the British North America’s western frontier in the colony of North Carolina during the French and Indian War. Fort Dobbs combined the functions of a military barracks, fortification, refuge for settlers, provisioning depot and center for negotiations with native Americans.

As early as 1833, Statesville’s leaders began laying track for railroads to connect the Piedmont area of North Carolina with the rest of the country.

Statesville served as the temporary capital of North Carolina during the final months of the Civil War when Union troops occupied Raleigh and forced Gov. Zebulon Vance to relocate the confederate state government.

By 1858, Statesville was growing rapidly and soon afterward began leading the state in the production of tobacco and tobacco products, the manufacture and blending of whiskey, and became a large distribution center for roots and herbs.

As we drove around the the Statesville area we came to a town called Barium Springs.   I noticed immediately a large “campus” of old an new brick buildings.  We were driving by the Barium Springs Children’s Home.   All of you know the story of Helen and the Owatonna Home for Neglected and Abandoned Children and I was soon to find out that this was very similar but unlike Owatonna that closed, this home is has evolved and still serves children.  I have an excerpt from their web site and you can learn more at bariumsprings.org.

In 1883, two Presbyterian women in Charlotte, North Carolina founded the Presbyterian Orphans Home,now called Barium Springs Home for Children. As needs grew and space did not, the Presbyterian Synod purchased acreage for the Home in Barium Springs, NC. The land they purchased was the site of the legendary, healing “Barium Springs.”

The Legendary Barium Springs

In the mid-1700s, the first settlers to explore the area discovered nine springs. These waters contained healthful minerals, with the largest of the springs containing barium. A company called The Great Human Repair Shop was formed and shipped water from the springs throughout America, England and Ireland. To accommodate patients who visited the springs, a 30-room hotel was built. This area and the business it created boomed until the end of World War I when the land was sold to Davidson College and then to the Presbyterian Synod.

The Orphanage Era

After purchase of the land, Presbyterian Children’s Home moved to Barium Springs. Over the next ten years, the campus grew with cottages, an infirmary and a school. Until the 1950’s, children coming to Barium Springs were mostly orphans who would stay for long periods of time. Many came as infants and stayed until graduation from high school or college. During the reign of the Home’s legendary charismatic leader, Mr. Joseph Boudinot (J.B.) Johnston (1922 – 1949), the children produced 85% of the Home’s food needs. The Home once operated a farm, orchard, dairy, laundry, print shop, and shoe repair shop, as well as a Baby Cottage, and had a successful athletic program in football, basketball, wrestling, and track. Christian education was a part of daily life at the Home.

Changing Times, Changing Needs

In the 1950’s, needs for an orphanage decreased, partially due to peacetime and advances in medical technology. Instead, children needing care had one or both parents still living; but suffered from abuse and neglect. Not only did these children need a place of refuge but they also required treatment and therapy..

To meet the needs of children today, Barium Springs Home for Children evolved to provide a group home model of care. Our stability lies in our deeply-rooted mission and a willingness to attend to the special needs of each generation. Services expanded in 1969 to include high-quality, full-day childcare for working parents. Later, an alternative school was founded for early middle school to high school students who have not been successful in traditional classroom settings.