Up and Down the Winding Road on Sapphire Mountain

In these parts, there are two kind of speeds, slow, and slower.  The locals naturally are the ones driving these roads slowly in anticipation of the next curve.  The ones that are going even slower are the tourists like you and me.

On this day, I was the appointed driver.  I was instructed to roll as slow as possible so that my passengers could take in all the scenery, and they would be at the ready for any Kodak opportunity that would pass by.

Our first stop was at Fairfield lake.  During season this lake is full of activity, including swimming, canoeing, and paddle boats.  The water was so clear you could see the reflections of the trees off the water:

In one curve, was a small give shop and restaurant that didn't  open until late afternoon.  As I pulled into the lot, the bridge in the next curve caught my eye.  In a small opening between the trees there seemed to be something that might be of interest.  As I pulled closer, we noticed that the road ahead was a private drive.  We all thought, what the hell, they can put the cuffs on us when we return.  This is what was around the bend of that private drive:

Toxaway Falls

We made a few inquiries for other stops on our journey today.  One stop recommended was Whitewater Falls.  The drive was short, along the many curves, and winding roads.   The location for the falls was within one of the national parks, and this one allowed hiking and overnight camping.  The trail to the falls was only a half mile, with a scenic vista along the way.  The sight was worth the walk as you can see from these photos:

Whitewater Falls

These pictures do not do the views justice.  We also posted a video of the falls on Facebook.                     

We ended our day with a dusk ride to the top of Cold Mountain.  We were in search for wilderness critters like turkeys, deer or bears.  The waitress made the suggestion during our lunch break.  We made it to the dead end top of Cold Mountain with not one critter sighting on the way.  Not feeling defeated, we made our way back down retracing our route in hopes of maybe seeing something.  Apparently seeing was not what Mother Nature had in mind.  Five miles from our weekend home we passed through the recently sprayed smell of skunk!  Two miles later, we spotted one of these striped critters crossing the road.

We could not wait to return to the safety of out wine, beer and bourbon, along with a.slow burning fire!  Now settling in with the anticipation of tomorrow's adventure!

Sapphire Mountain Here We Come

Never been much of a mountain guy.  Growing up, these kinda excursions didn't exist.  Beach bumming was easy to pick up, just some sand, surf, umbrella, chair, and a cooler bag of frozen margaritas and you are all set!

The mountains of North Carolina, now this is a whole nother ball game.  The umbrella and chair get left behind.  No shorts, tshirts or flippers this trip!  Had a sample last fall with a quickie to the tourist trap mecca of Gatlinburg with the offspring and girly friends.  At least I'm in the company of the spousal unit and some fellow beach nuts, so I won't go ape crazy by my lonesome!

Beaching is easy.  Just get in the car and go!  This mountain thang is a whole different kind of adventure.  Coming from central Mississippi, it becomes quite an adventure.  First thang is to load up the GPS with a destination.   This in itself is quite a challenge when using the spousal unit's new smartazz car.  You can't just use your normal southern drawn out voice when speaking to Dora the Explorer.  Like any woman, Dora has a mind of her own!

We headed east to Atlanta.  I'm used to the traffic, no biggie.  I figured that Dora would take the I385 loop around  Metro Atlanta.  Nope!  Straight shot on I20 then I75/I85.  It was around noon, but traffic in this town never slows.  I was tempted to take the commuter lane, but ole Dora was in charge.  Got to scratching my head once we were on I85 north bound.  Made no sense to me.  Heading north to first go through South Carolina to get to North Carolina.    But hey, Dora was in charge, and if I screw up, she doesn't mine, she just says "recalculating" in the nicest tone of voice.

But poor Dora.  This trip she was to be out done by directions written on a piece of paper.  The Spousal unit has a folder full of info, and it was full of turns and twists that poor ole Dora could hardly keep up with.

The exit off I85 could confound the average first timer.  It was a combination exit and rest area combined.  All the 18 wheelers pulled on the side of the road added to the confusion.  Once we got on State 11 we are off and running on the highways and byways of the rural of the Carolinas.

After a while, we got a look at our potential destination.  The sky was quite overcast, but in the distance, we could see what looked like either more clouds, or maybe it was the mountain tops of our destination.   It was only a matter of time before we would know for sure!

As we made our way, the four lanes turned into two lanes.  The straight paths began to get more windy. Up we would go, then down we went.  It was almost like a slow motion roller coaster in the comfort of our smartazz car.  Around one curve, there were a bunch of fellas on the side of the road, in hunter orange caps leaning on their pickups chewing the fat about today's hunt.  Two curves later, there was a covey of game warden trucks parked in a cluster.  I wanted to yell "they're two curves back!" But that's just not kosher in hunting country!  We quickly noticed we had no cell service, and around the next curve there was another member of the orange hat society, talking on a short wave radio.  If this is Carolina moonshine country I could see why!

Finally, a significant road sign ahead, "now entering the great State of North Carolina ".  How and why they chose that spot for the border beats the hell out of me.  Mountains on one side, Gulley on the other, and nothing but curvy roads behind and in front of us!  Destination less than an hour away!

One thing became very clear to me.  Back home, we have trees that go through the seasons of change, with a bit of color at the end.  Those trees are in the minor leagues!  As I was driving, I almost felt the urge on this cloudy day to put my sunglasses on.  The foliage hanging from the trees and road brush were almost literally on fire!  The brightest reds, oranges, and yellows that you can imagine were lighting up our two lane windy pathway.  So THIS is what it's all about!  This ain't  the beach, nope, it's a fall color wonderland!

Finally, another road sighting!  Saphire Mountain community!  So close!  Even saw the Wyndham Sapphire resort on the right, a possible return destination.  We knew we were close.  The road is now steeper, the speed is much slower and the smartazz car is using all kinda gears on some of these climbs.  We notice all the houses from the roadside.  The front doors are road level, but the rest of the houses are hanging off the side of these mountain!

We are now on roads that are less traveled.  The falling leaves far out number the cars that can blow them to the side of the road.  This is what we came for.  Destination has been reached!  Multi-storied four bedroom "house" that I consider a castle, stuck on the side of this mountain!  You walk through the front door, and in front of you is an open floor plan with this amazing view.  Dorothy, we ain't in Kansas anymore!

We unloaded our supplies and luggage and immediately began taking in the views!  The night was capped off with a roaring fire, a beautiful full moon peeking over the mountain top, and lots of stories, aided by wine, beer, and bourbon.

Can't wait for what the morning brings!

Tailgating is a Wonderful Thang

Each home date on Football Saturday is a unique tailgating experience week in and week out.  Today's  experience was no exception.

Our crew is quite a collection of souls, all joined together for the common purpose of tailgating, Grove style.  Some are from the Jackson metro area.  Others are from the Gulf Coast, Vicksburg and a few other Mississippi communities.  But, we have others that come each home game from Birmingham, and some from as far away as Kansas!  Today,  one guy and his wife made their annual trek down from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.  This group of folks all have one thing in common, their love for their university and their team called the Rebels.  We unofficially call ourselves the HYDR 38 Tailgating Crew!

Our table is always overflowing with quite a variety of food galore!  Many a stranger from a visiting team has stopped by with an inquiry and left with a full stomach, leaving with a passing comment of  "wait til the boys back home hear about this!"

Texas A&M was here for the first time since joining the SEC.  We saw quite a few Texas tags on the way.  The Grove dress color for the day was navy blue.  The flow of fans into the Grove was a stream of blue, as suggested for the day, mixed with a hint of maroon  from the visitors from east Texas.

The fashion police was on duty, at the corner of Grove Loop and University Avenue.   We were not to be disappointed.   We had out chairs all lined up, several dad's among us.  The dresses were indeed blue.  The dresses were indeed short.  The dresses were indeed sheer.  Commando was the word of the day.  Some of the dads were on hand to see it for the first time.  Within minutes they all were in agreement, they had heard about it, but had to be here to see it them selves.  Each with a teenage daughter, and all commented, "not on my watch!"  I just chuckled and said, "well you will be living up here and watching her walk out the front door each morning!"  One word responses : "yep".

It more than the dresses.  Eyes became trained to catch the oncoming herd, searching out that unsuspecting soul with the thin Wallyworld bag in hand.  Alert!  Alert!   Will the Popo see it too?!  And yes they do!  The looks on these folks, young and old, is priceless!  We begin to add commentary to the looks they are giving!  The best one was from an elderly TSUN statesman, "you are not serious.  Do you realize the size of the checks I write to the University every year?"  Popo "yes we do, and thank you very much!"

The funniest one, the guy is cool, calm, collected, following the crowd past the Popo station.  Someone suggested that he might want to cover it up, he does, but it's too late!  Busted!

The biggest haul came early.  A pickup truck, just in from east Texas, pulls up to the corner,  two guys dressed in maroon jump out, and they quickly stack up six cases of brew in the grass next to the sidewalk.  The early bird Popo walks up and thanks them for the early delivery.  He then instructs them to carry all six cases over to the red trash can and begin popping and pouring!

The funniest transport was a red radio flyer wagon.  No handle.  Dude had rigged up a net to use to pull it along, with the wagon swaying back and forth as he walked and pulled.  In the wagon was a mint green $400 Yeti full of beverages and ice.  The dude can afforder the cooler and contents, but has this jack leg wagon contraption???

Our neighbors, year in and year out at this spot are a group from Eupora.  They are the snooty kind.  They pay to have their tents, tables, and chairs at the ready each game, but only come to a few.  Some weeks back the elder statement of the group made a comment that our tents, chairs, and guests were much too close to their setup.  We subsequently made arrangements to have "some space" in between.  Well, on this day, a new tent has arrived,  setup in "their" green space.  The dude was overheard saying "this will not do at all.  Wait till I talk to our tent setup guy!"  Good luck with that!  I looked over on his table and saw this nice, new shiny red soft sided cooler bag.  On the side was a logo, "University of Mississippi Loyalty Foundation ".  I'm guessing this new bag cost this old fart $10,000 or more!  Hobby Lobby big boy!

I saved the best for last.  The spousal unit got an email early in the week, from a guy from Chicago, who we met six years ago in the Grove.  He still had her business card.  He was coming down for this game, and remembered how much fun he had on his last visit.  The spousal unit gave him directions on how to find our group, and gave him a refresher course of "Grove Etiquette", i.e. beer containers, etc....  the guy shows up, with eight of his buddies from a variety of northern countries.  They all flew into Memphis, rented two cars, and had rented an Oxford house for the weekend.  None of these guys had any ties to the school, but a niece from Texas was a freshman.  It was all about experiencing the Grove and SEC football!  They, as instructed, had their beer in several Styrofoam coolers, with loose fitting tops.  One guy was holding his a bit too tight, and as he walked up the top popped up.  Busted!  The insuing conversation with the local Popo was hilarious!

It seems that each week there is a new story to tell, but it all starts with friends and fellowship of the HYDR 38 tailgating crew!  Hobby Lobby!  A few more games left, stay tuned!

Dawg Day Afternoon

I got to wondering how this day was gonna end early this morning.  While primping this morning, I got word that one of my favorite eateries in the Destin area closed one of their locations, my favorite one!

First stop out of the gate was Donut Palace, the home of the Vietnamese apple fritter.  I walk in and folks are seven deep.  The fritter rack is looking mighty thin.  Finally, I'm  next in line, but there is only one fritter left.  Figured I'd give it to the spousal unit and get me something else.  Wouldn't you know it, that fella in front of me just ordered it as the last item to put into his bag!

Having to settle for something else, I told the cute little owner that if she found that guy lying out in her parking lot, it was over that last fritter!  Cinnamon roll had to do.  :-(.

No tailgating this trip since the man cub skipped town to go to Georgia with the MSU disc golf team.  We decided to do the park and shuttle ride to the stadium.  We are on the bus, ready to go when some woman yelled "STOP!"  A woman dressed in LA Tech  blue jumps off the bus and is running to her car.  Apparently she had accidently bumped her keys in her pocket and the Suv hatch done popped open!  Don't those women for Monroe carry purses anymore???

Stopped at the concession stand and picked up two large drinks and three jumbo dogs.  Total came to $29, for hot dogs!  At least they weren't those Carolina Pride thang that were so awful two years ago!

Before we knew it, my Dawgs were down to their dogs by 0-14.  Things weren't looking too good for the home bullies at that point.  Fortunately we took the lead before halftime with the help of a blocked punt.

Half time was special, with freshman maid Stevie Flynt, escorted by her lead dad on one arm and her lead dog on the other.  She was absolutely beautiful in her royal blue dress!

I've been working on the little woman that sits next to me and she never says anythang.  When she stands up and I'm sitting down, we both are eye to eye!  After working on her the first half she finally  looked over at me and said "Your friends that were in your seats last game must not get out much.  You have chair cushioned back seats and they sat on the bleacher two seats down till they were asked to move!"  I just about fell off my seat!  What an ice breaker!

The little feller sitting in front of me wasn't too happy that his dad came back with only one bottle of water.  Sharing was not what he had in mind.  I could not resist and told him the secret about back washing and not having to share.  Dad cracked up and Mom gave me that look!

The boiled peanut guy came by and I couldn't resist.  Took one bite, and no heat, just plain mushy peanuts!  What's up with that???

The gal behind us tends to clang her bell at ear level.  Today I brought ear plugs, which is kinda cheating, but the spousal unit was gonna go deaf.  For a minute there, I thought I had lost my clapper when I couldn't hear it go clang!  Ear plugs will be making return visits!

I'm not too sure how these young gals behind.me are being raised.  Several of them did not know how to properly hold their bells during the pause.  It sounded like a bunch of cows hanging out at the hay bale.  Clang, clang, clang.....

Since the man cub will be working the black tent setup next game, I passed my tickets off to kinfolk.  I told my fellow bleacher buddies to keep an eye out for them and to remind them that I always  buy everybody a drink and popcorn at halftime!  Surprise!  Surprise!  Lol!

Dawgs won big.  The return shuttle ride was quick and easy and we were home before we knew it.  We actually got home too early, while listening to the Alabama vs TAM on the radio.  Got the TV turned on and there was Burne and Garwy on CBS.  Almost went back to the car.  Almost!

With a split household, next weekend is gonna be interesting in Oxford.  TSUN beat Alabama, who beat TAM today.  And da shark bears lost to Memphis!  Crazy days in the SEC west!

Stevie Ray

I've  got a special little friend that I've  watched grow up from a little bitty pup to a sweet, beautiful young woman.  She is special in so many ways, but the one that means so much to me is that she just wants to be like you and me.  Stevie has never been like you or me, because she takes being like you and me to a whole different level.  My friend Stevie has been blind since birth.

I met Stevie through our travels on the soccer field.  She was the little sister of one of the team mates.  When she would meet you for the first time, she would want to feel your face.  Through her hands she would immediately know what you looked like.  She would then ask you if you had a cell phone.  She would cuddle it, just like she did your face, making you wonder if you and your phone had been cataloged in her head together!

As she got older, and spent more time with her family at the soccer fields, one day she asked her dad, Mike, "daddy, why can't I play soccer too?"  Well, Mike being the parent that he is, took that question to heart.  It almost broke him, until he discovered a small program called "Top Soccer".

 Mike brought Top Soccer to Mississippi.  It was a soccer program for children of all disabilities.  He got people like My good friend Tommy Wolf involved.  Tommy pulled me in.  Best investment of my time I ever made!

Stevie was able to play soccer with the assistance of a guide, and a soccer ball with a bell inside.  That ball was the most magical thing I had ever seen.  It opened the eyes of so many kids and parents alike!  I kept a watchful eye while I was assisting the kids with down syndrome.  After the sessions were over, the parents of all these special kids were begging for more!

Stevie went through out school trying to be a normal kid.  She attended the same schools as her brothers.  Stevie in no way could ever be just a normal kid.  Her drive to get there sent her over the top.  She was given a talent for music and playing the piano.

As a senior, she spent time in New York, learning how to me more independent.   In this past year she got a life partner in her guide dog, named Nala Belle.

This summer Stevie went off to college at MSU, becoming a pledge of her mother's soriety.  Not only did the soriety take in Stevie on bid day, but Nala Belle was made a sister too!

My friend Stevie!

Nala Belle

As you can see, Stevie has never been a normal anything.  Tomorrow, at MSU's homecoming, Stevie will be a freshman maid.  I'll be in the stands cheering her on with a smile on my face and my cowbell clanging away.  #HailStevieRay!

Stevie on the far left!

New Route to NOLA

For years our trips to NOLA have always been down that awful stretch of highway called Interstate 55.  With the construction around Byrum, its almost like taking your life in your hands with the narrow lands and no where to go for an emergency stop if you are in the inside lane.

The spousal unit and I have made several trips back and forth to Picayune related to her business.  Picayune is south of Hattiesburg on Interstate 59 and is less than an hour from NOLA.  We go through Puckett then Mendenhall to get to Highway 49, then to Hattiesburg, before heading south on Interstate 59.

I have a deep hatred for Highway 49 south of Hattiesburg, with a close encounter with death by highway still etched in the back of my mind.  The best part of this new route is the town of Picayune!  Picayune is the home to Paul's Bakery and two butcher shops that make their own sausages.

At part of this trip, I was gonna deliver two of  ice chest cooler boxes to a friend girl of mine that is married to a preacher down there.  With a little time to kill, I planned to stop at a local butcher shop to place an order that I would pick up later in the day.  Much to my surprise, the  shop was closed!  Damn!  Double damn!  They have the best chicken apple sausage and hot sausage I've ever eaten.  The owner was recovering from surgery and would be closed for a couple more weeks.

This sign on the door almost brought me to tears.  I had visions of his sausage in my red beans for the upcoming Alabama vs MSU game.  I was gonna get some treats for my dad's birthday gift.  What a way to let the air out of my balloon!  Well, at least the     owner was gonna live to stuff another sausage!       

I get up with my friend, the wife of the local Methodist preacher, at Dockside Cafe.  They catch theirown shrimp and crabs that are sold in the restaurant .  Soon the preacher joined us at the counter.  After we sampled a few of the dishes of the day, we put in our order.  Turns out the owner is one of their flock.  She said lunch was on the house!  Well,  I ain't  exactly the preacher looking type, and my friend said this was the first time this has happened!  My guess is the almighty had just laid a blessing in us that we were grateful to receive!  Even got a sample of bread pudding  out of the deal!

Lunch was now history, and now time to.deliver the two cooler boxes to the preacher's house.  During lunch I commented on how fast this woman could talk, compared to yours truly.  Turns out she drives even faster!  It seemed like only minutes had passed and before I knew it, the spousal unit was buzzing me to come get her.  Chauffeur duty calls!

After picking her up, we went looking for another butcher shop, just up the road a bit.  The GPS led us to a supermarket parking lot, WTH???  Surely a place called Nick's can't be that hard to find!  That's  what I get for using the Yeller Pages app to find the directions!  As we retraced our way back to the interstate, there was Nick's,  two blocks back!

Nick's  is an old fashioned butchershop  with any kinda meat you would want.  We were on a sausage mission.  Nick and his Dad run the place.  There was no chicken apple sausage today, but come back next week!  One conversation topic led to another and before we knew it, the old man was feeding us samples of everything in the meat case!    The spousal unit and I had our first ever taste of Hogshead cheese!

Soon, the place was full of other customers.  Believe it or not, they were all there for the Hogshead cheese!  Since the other butchershop was closed for an illness, this was the only place in town!  As we were waiting our order to be finished, a boy and his momma were in a debate over a biscuit vs a croissant.   Really???

The spousal unit and I joined in on the debate and explained the differences in the two to the momma.
The momma said "they're the same thang".  Son said "no they ain't! "  the spousal unit and I chimed in and explained the difference.   She didn't know nuthin about baking since she spent most of her helping the daddy in their body shop business next door!  The boy was wanting to make a Sammi with a croissant with Hogshead cheese and a piece of boudin!   You gotta love these people!

Next stop before heading home was Paul'Smith bakery.  We had canollis on the brain since.our last visit.  They have every imaginable dessert inside multiple display cases.  One fella picked up the.last king on the shelf.  He was on.his.way back to Laurel, having just left NOLA.

You can tell a lot about the local clientele by the signage on the.wall.  in this case it was posted at the register:

I just about fell out on the.floor when reading it!  While this wasn't the highlight of the day it was a good explanation point!  Few hours later we were pulling into our driveway.

Hoping next trip I eventually end up in NOLA, with a side stop in Picayune,  of course!

Beaching, It's All About the Prep!

Yep, beaching season for me was over a little over a month ago.  But that's not the end, it's only the beginning for the planning of the next one!  For me, anyway!

We do our thing using our timeshare.  It's not for everyone.  It begins with planning a year in advance.  Picking the place is easy, and we pretty much know where we will be staying.  Looking at the calendar a year in advance is the hard part with a work schedule that already includes a lot of travel.  So far, all the reservations are on the books, with one to go in early September.  Just waiting for the window of opportunity in the world of reservations to open up!

With all the salt in the surf and sand, the beach toys take a beating.  Already got new chairs in the garage.  Not just any chairs by the way.  These are built to handle my big azz!  These usually last about three years with all the beach trips we make.

The umbrella of choice is the Sports-brella.  It's light, folds up compactly with a collapsible pole and UV protection built in.  I usually get two years usage out of these, so I'm always looking for a bargain!

Our favorite drink of choice is of course the frozen margarita.  My niece and nephew scored a Rita machine 50% off and sent me this pic.  I've still got a spare, just in case of a disaster!

 One cannot do as much beaching as we do without replacing some basic required beaching personal items like flippers, swimmy suits, and.of course hats!  Me and my buddy Clarence have a watchful eye out beginning the first of August.

I've already scored some replacement Reef  flippers for $9.  Some beaching caps for $8, and suits on Clarence for $10.

One item I picked up this summer is a small travel sized router box for the internet.  Some buildings have walls so thick that they only provide a wired ether net plug.  This little box works great for WiFi phone access, put not recommended for more than one laptop connection at a time.

Always a shopper, I'm  currently on the.prowl for a new beach cart, on sale, of course!