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.

Lots of links and photos in the post for you to check out.  I did a gallery of photos becasue there were so many but also because I wanted you to be able to see larger photos of the mountains.

Our friends Lynn and Bob B. drove up from Charleston SC (4 hours) on Thursday and we spent the next three days creating a wonderful weekend memory for all of us.   We had planned on driving directly to the wineries in the Yadkin and Swan Creek in NC.  Bob B. suggested taking a little longer route and driving part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.   The rest of us were more interested in going directly to the wineries but he convinced us, thank goodness.   Bob and I have driven the mountains int he fall and thought Maggie Valley was pretty spectacular.  This was even more beautiful and our short journey about 20 miles long. I think we hit peak color and around every bend we raved about the view.   It was cloudy and at one point we actually drove through a cloud.  We stopped at many overlooks.  This drive in the fall should definitely be on your list of things to see.  The drive starts in the Shenandoa Valley and goes 469 miles to the Great Smoky mountains.

We stopped in a cute little town called Little Switzerland for lunch.  The pumpkin photo is from there.

We stayed at a charming little bed and breakfast called Home Coming in Elkin NC and had a fantastic dinner at 21 on Main.  We all agreed it was one of the best meals we have ever had.   Bob and I had gumbo soup, a butterknife tender fillet of beef with goat cheese mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus and a trio of chocolate desserts.  I think maybe there were also a few bottles of fantastic wine.  It was worth every penny.

Check out a few photos.  Click on the little photo so see a larger photo.

Here is a link to all the photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/fchoban/2009_10_16?authkey=Gv1sRgCPuGh6fNp4-z1QE&feat=directlink

Since it was cloudy and we didn’t spend a large amount of time on this first trip, Bob and I are driving back this Wed. and taking our chairs, books, wine, cheese and fruit picnic basket and really soak up the beauty.

In my next post I will tell you more about the wineries.

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.

A final entry as we conclude our Bryson City trip last week.  The round trip to see both waterfalls was a mile.  Fay went slow uphill for the first .3 miles and then it was all pretty flat surface.   We were almost the only ones there.  They were in Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  There were a couple other water falls close by but more of a hike.  We ended with a stop at Maggie Valley.  The pictures don’t do the view justice.     Enjoy.

This waterfall was about twenty feet and split into a few tiny waterfalls.   I bet they are really something in the spring.   Water level is pretty low right now.

The weather was brisk, about 40 so we dug out our hats and gloves before we hiked.   We also tried our new walking sticks for the first time and we both thought they were great and really helped.  We bought them when we were in Bryson City two years ago!

This one was about 80 feet. 

Maggie Valley

Magie Valley is a small cute little tourist town along a stream.  Lots of nice little shops, we stopped for NC apples and hot apple cider.  Here are more photos at google images.  

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=maggie+valley&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

I just got my new copy of Pinnacle Studio 12 and will see how the movies come out.  I loaded it on my Vista laptop so I hope it will run a little faster.  Loading them was faster.  Wish me luck!

This museum has thousands of model trains as well as a huge model railroad city with many tracks, mountains, ponds etc.  When we were there 4 trains were running.   I would say it is about 40 ft by 60feet in size.   See their web site for many more pictures: http://www.smokymountaintrains.com/index.shtml

Even those who don’t think they are interested in models will be hooked.   They have a cute scavenger hunt where you can look for all kinds of cute tidbits in the city.  I counted at least 50 cabinets each with at least 40 train cars.  They range in price from $50 to $2500.   All from two collectors!  Bob took movies but I have not seen those yet.

On Wednesday morning we took a 4 1/2 hour train trip through the mountains, past Fontaina Lake (created by Fontana dam-4th largest dam in US and built in just 3 years in 1940) and into Nantahala Gorge.  The fall colors were incredible and the photos don’t do the colors justice.  The train wasn’t crowded so we had plenty of room to roam around and get comfortable in our big chairs and even put our feet up.  The train only went about 10 miles an hour so very relaxing.  The railroad opened in 1880 and brought new life  from Asheville NC to this “NC wilderness” and it closed in 1985.   In 1988 it reopened as a tourist excursion and again brings new life to Bryson City.  You can learn more at http://www.gsmr.com/about/history.php.  Enjoy the photos.

The train in Natahala Gorge Outdoor Center.  This center is a HUGE whitewater rafting, canoe area that takes people to 3 or 4 rivers and also does team building retreates for business.

This is Fontana Lake.   We thought it was low because of the drought but they pump it down over 50 feet each fall to prepare it to accept the water and snow melt that comes down from the mountains in the spring.  By then the water will be back to the tree line.

View from the train window

Notice the kudzu on the trees below.

This is a creek by our one hour stop by the Nantahala Outdoor store.

 
Bob took lots of movies so hope to figure out a way to show you some of those in the blog.   I will work on those when he is in MN. next week.

After our snowstorm travels and the Cherokee Indian Nation we went to our Inn in Bryson City NC for a couple nights.  It is called Fryemont Inn and is on the historic register and built in 1923. http://www.fryemontinn.com/

Not fancy but very comfortable and friendly and welcoming.  Breakfast and Dinner are included and was very good.  The place is only on it’s third family owners.    Here is Bob in the huge lodge getting warmed by the fire.  Yes, that is his computer in his lap.  Rooms had no tv and no phones which I thought was great but I must admit it was wonderful to be able to see that the stock market went up 900 points.
 

Entry to dining room

The rooms were huge!

I think for Bob and I the highlight of this stay was meeting Ed Simon.  You need a fireplace and a cozy place for this to happen.  On Tuesday night before dinner I was sitting in the lobby by the fire and this elderly gentleman started a conversation with me. I looked up the stock price while we chatted and we shared our joy to see that the market had improved.   We chatted for about a half hour and I expected to see him at dinner with his wife, who he spoke often of in our conversation.  When we got to dinner I saw he was all by himself.  I felt so bad to see him alone.  At the end of the meal I went over to say hi and he thanked me for making his day by telling me the market was up.   I asked him to join us for dinner the following evening.

The next morning I saw him before we left for the train ride and he told me that day was his 88th birthday and he was so pleased to be able to celebrate it with us.  He had called his daughter and told her he would not be alone.  We had one of the most enjoyable meals and conversation that either Bob or I can recall.  He is from Lake Charles LA and worked all his life for the phone company.  He has traveled quite a bit and was full of stories.  He was driving from LA, up to this Inn where he and his wife had stayed many times, was going to FL to see his daughter and neice and then back to LA,  driving all the way by himself.  I gave him a copy of my book for a birthday present and he was delighted.  I got his address and will be sending him the two photos we took of him and Bob and I.   We saw him again on Thursday as we were checking out.  What a wonderful experience. 

Our first stop on this three day get away was at the Cherokee Nation Indian Reservation, two hours from our home.  We had visited there a couple years ago and wanted to return to go throught the museum. 

See http://www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php?page=56 and
wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee  for more information.

The first part of the museum tells the story of the Cherokee from ancient prehistoric times until the white man came.  The transition from a hunting environment to a farming environment brought profound changes.  With less time being devoted to getting food they had more time for relaxation and time to make new tools and pottery.  A decade ago I have to admit I really didn’t see the value of history as it relates to today.  Now I get it.

The middle part of the exhibit tells about the treatment they received from the US government, the broken treaties and most horrible of all the Trail of Tears resettlement of the Cherokee and four other tribes from this area to Oklahoma.  Andrew Jackson arranged this in the early to mid 1830’s.  The loss of life was significant.  The Cherokee tribe lost 4000 of their 15000 people. My book club at the U of MN had read 13 Moons by Charles Frazier and so I was familiar with the story. 

Since I was a very little girl and read my first book and Lewis and Clark and their female Indian guide Sacajawea I have been interested in what the white man did to the Indians.  The behavior of our ancestors makes me feel very ashamed.   I wish now I had taken more time to learn about the Indians in MN because there is much history there also.  My friend Lester borrowed me a book awhile ago and when I find it again I will have to read it.

The last part of the exhibit tells the story of three Cherokee, Emissaries of Peace, who made a trip to England to see King George III in 1762 with British officer Lt. Henry Timberlake.  There journey is well documented both by the memories of Timberlake and the British newspapers and is delightful. 

My favorite memory of the exhibit was a section that had conversations between the English and the Cherokee on religion, politics, treatement of women, etc.   Here is one sample:

Timberlake: “…who would seek to live by labour, [if they can] live by amusement? The sole occupations of Indians, are hunting, and warring abroad, and lazying at home. Want is said to be the mother of industry, but their wants are supplied at an easier rate.”

Corn Tassel: “You say: Why do not the Indians till the ground and live as we do? May we not with equal propriety ask, Why the white people do not hunt and live as we do? The Great God of Nature has placed us in different situations …

On religion (and I don’t remember the exact quote but it went something like this):  The Indian Chief was asked about the bible and he replied “It seems to be a good book but I don’t understand why the white man is not better (more imprved) having had the book so long”.

You leave the exhibit on an upbeat note which was nice.  I want to go back next summer to see their outdoor play Unto These Hills.

The Trail of Tears broke the Cherokee nation into an eastern and western tribe.  in 1989 after 150 years they

After that we went for lunch and had Indian Fry Bread with Chili and Cheese.   Delicious!!!!!!!!!

Bob and I like to think that between us and our 118 years of lifetime experience we know quite a bit but this had us stumped.  We saw it at the Outdoor Center.  We know after doing some research but do you know?  We  have some competitive types who read this blog so this is for you.  Bob says I should tell you the winner of this “contest” gets an all inclusive 3 night 4 day stay at the Choban SC resort, airfare NOT included!  Leave me comments if you want hints.   Have fun!  Isn’t the expression on Bob’s face great?