Extreme Birthday

We drove to South Carolina to celebrate the birthday of John’s sister Chris. This was a zero 041516 Happy Birthday Chris.JPG birthday for her, but don’t try to set her age by a photograph. She looks 20 years younger than she is.

The extreme part of the celebration was not her milestone. It was the division of the day into thirds. We drove five hours to get there, visited for five, and took five to drive home. John loves these driving exploits and walked briskly into our house at the end of the day. If there had been a video, you would think his walk was normal, and mine was in slow motion. Neither brains nor feet were anywhere near the vicinity of swift.

We had a wonderful time with them and their daughter Barbara. John and Steve conspired to make our visit a surprise, and Barbara joined them in the deception. The SC contingent had a birthday outing that morning to go to a lighthouse. It was canceled because of 8-foot swells, so the conspirators found excuses to stop at various places on the way home. I think they were at the house only half an hour before we arrived. We ate lunch at a lovely Japanese restaurant, enjoyed a chocolate birthday cake at the house, and then we left.

041516 Chris JC BE Steve.JPG — Chris, John, Barbara, and Steve

041516 Chris birthday cake.JPG — Chocolate!

041516 John Anne Chris Steve.JPG — John, Anne, Chris, and Steve

There were lots of laughs at old and new family tales. The most dramatic story was Barbara’s concerning her dog. The dog and two others they were keeping for a short while went out in the dark before going to bed. The animals were uneasy, so Barbara used a powerful flashlight to search the yard. Under a tree beside the swimming pool was a bobcat. He leaped over the fence like a superhero and disappeared into the darkness.

Would I do this whirlwind trip again? For them yes, but not more than once per person.

Have you ever been involved in an extreme celebration?

Bilt More or Less and Thomas Wolfe

We were tourists in Asheville, starting with the gardens at Biltmore. Gerhard opted to skip the house tour, because he could go to any number of palaces in Germany. We drove directly to the gardens. I was surprised that the tulips were still blooming. The pink tulips were gone, replaced with white and yellow ones.

041316 Biltmore tulip walk.JPG

041316 Biltmore Gerhard John.JPG

We also went to the boarding house where Thomas Wolfe spent his young years. His mother owned and ran it. I was sorry I couldn’t remember having read anything he wrote, but the tour guide told anecdotes that gave us an outline of his history. His first novel included stories of people who lived in the boarding house, some of whose names he had changed. People resented him so much that he left town. Years later he returned and found he had no time to write because people kept interrupting him. I used to think I’d like to be well-known, but I’ve changed my mind. I suspect there is no such thing as a little notoriety.

041316 Thomas Wolfe boarding house Gerhard John.JPG

Party for the End of Easter

On our street, we don’t need an excuse to party. I said our dinner was to celebrate the end of Easter, only because we had split pea soup made with stock from the Easter ham. I wanted Gerhard to meet our neighbors, and I felt Shawn and Bob would enjoy him. We missed Amy, who was out of town. As it turned out, we also celebrated the birth of Shawn and Bob’s second grandchild. The baby boy was born in Turkey that morning, mother and baby doing well.

Gerhard brought a gift for Logan from Germany, a toy book wagon. There were four horses pulling the covered wagon, and two barrels were visible on the outside. Gerhard explained that long ago books were shipped in barrels. Who knew? I wish I’d taken a photo of it.

041216 Logan's gift from Gerhard.JPG

People often find things they have in common if they have a chance to talk. I was surprised that one link was a relationship with Amish people. Gerhard taught in State College PA for over 24 years. Early on he found it easy to converse with the Amish, because he was used to reading German from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. This was the basis for their language today. He has lectured about the group and has photos to go with it.

Shawn and Bob interacted with the Amish in Ohio. They struck up a conversation with a man and were invited to his home! He took them for a carriage ride, and two handsome boys gave their daughter a ride on a pony. They wrote to each other from time to time, as Shawn and Bob moved to Florida and then North Carolina. One day the man called, saying he was passing through, and could he stop by to visit. When he was about three hours away, he called again. He had a bus load of people, maybe 15 to 20, and could he bring them, as well.

Shawn said, “I called people in the church, and they baked cakes and desserts to serve the group.”

Bob added that the people were very personable — laughing, joking, and poking fun at each other. Most Americans see only the staid and sober side the Amish show the outside world.

People know I’m going to take their photo unless I forget. I made them pose at the table, but everyone said Logan should be in it. We pulled him away from playing games on John’s computer, and he dutifully smiled for the camera. We were sorry the evening had to end. Nevertheless, we packed in a lot of conversation. As you might guess, we think we have the best neighbors and friends in the world.

041216 Bob Shawn Gerhard JC Logan.JPG — Bob, Shawn, Gerhard, John, and Logan

A Day in the Mountains

One of my favorite things to do is ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway with guests. We have nice views from our house, but it’s more spectacular to be cruising along, face to face with the mountains. Although we hopped out at several overlooks, I didn’t get any good photos. We did stop at my favorite waterfall for a photo op.

041116 John Gerhard my waterfall.JPG — John and Gerhard at my favorite waterfall

We had lunch at Pisgah Inn where there were things to look at inside and out. The waitress deboned rainbow trout at the table, as advertised on the menu. Our eyes were glued on her hands as she wielded the sharp knife, deftly opening the fish and extracting the bones. When I asked, she said everyone there does it, and she likes the task. The view overlooking the mountains never fails to bring pleasure.

041116 Gerhard at Pisgah Inn.JPG 041116 Looking Glass Falls

We went through the visitor’s center at the Cradle of Forestry and walked a little way on one of the trails. Going a few miles further, we got out to see Looking Glass falls. What a contrast from summertime when you can’t get near it! For a few minutes, we were the only ones there.

On the way home, we bought a bag of apples so that Gerhard could feed the horses in the neighbor’s pasture. This is becoming a feature of a stay at our house. Neighbor Bob heard that the young people who own the animals are going to be riding them soon.

Home Grown Funnies

I’ve been quoting neighbors with comments that made me laugh. John and I can make our own funny things.

We were getting ready to walk and didn’t know whether Gerhard would go with us. We knew he had been up earlier. I remembered we’d said we would walk at 7, so I asked what time it was. As John turned to look, I saw the clock behind him at 6:53.

John said, “It’s seven of seven.”

That’s not what I heard. I clearly heard, “Seven enough.”

Seven enough seemed to say we could go without fear of leaving Gerhard behind. I stopped to write this, so it was several minutes after seven when we actually left.

Sunday Excursion

Our college friend Gerhard arrived, and he went to church with us as he always does. We ate lunch at the nearest nice restaurant, which was Japanese. The place is never crowded, even if the Baptists get out of church before the Lutherans. I might have expected John to be a bit antsy, since we were taking time to eat before we went to find the steam engine. I have jested that John worships trains, but I should set the record straight. Worship involves salvation, but he knows the only thing a steam engine will save him from is boredom.

A man from the Long Island Live Steamers was riding this special excursion train that traveled from Salisbury to Asheville. I’m sure I heard the reason for this trip, but both John and his friend Jim thought it might be the last time it would happen.

041016 Engine we came to see.JPG — Steam is in front of the trees, clouds behind.

We watched the train go by slowly, appreciating the chuffing of the engine. John figured out where Jim would get off while the switching was going on. They turned the 21 car train around using a Y near Biltmore Village. We had plenty of time to visit with Jim before he reboarded.

I took photos of Gerhard and John, finding them more interesting than the train. John’s whole body was concentrating on that steam engine, while Gerhard was focused on recording the event with his good camera.

041016 Gerhard John seeing engine.JPG

041016 John looks Gerhard takes photos.JPG

Portable Pansies

I know that pansies should be hardy, but the ones we bought had been in a protected area 040916 Portable pansies.JPG away from strong winds. After being transplanted and hung on our exposed deck, their little faces were not smiling. Thinking it would be for one night only, I brought them into the bathroom when the forecast was for a hard freeze and high winds. Well, the weather was dancing from arctic winter to fickle spring. Every two days I lugged those pansies in and out. They will soon be too tired to bloom, and I’ll avoid looking at them. Note to self: don’t bring anything home from the nursery until after tax day.

I wasn’t the only one with premature tendencies. Neighbors on the next street must have put in tender shrubs. While I was walking and hoping to see a few snowflakes, I saw they had used buckets and styrofoam ice chests to protect their investment. At least my mistake was not quite so public.

040916 Styrofoam over shrubs.JPG

How Much Do You Like Cheese?

I was chatting with neighbor Amy, and we were talking about food. Nothing new there! A conversation is not complete without a discussion of some good recipe or other. She described a dish that included asparagus, hard boiled eggs, and cheese, lots of cheese.

Amy declared, “I love cheese. If you put it on a shingle, I’d lick it off.”

Dog Walking Without a Dog

I was analyzing the way John and I walk and came to the conclusion that we take turns being the dog. We don’t wear collars or leads, but we shift as conditions change. If there are no cars in sight, John is always one or two steps ahead of me. He says he lets me set the pace. That means he slows down if he doesn’t hear my panting to keep up with him. I must look like an obedient dog, walking at his heels.

He is chivalrous, letting me walk on the edge of the road. When we hear a car approaching, he slows and steps behind me to walk in single file. Pedestrians are vulnerable. There is no way we want to tangle with a vehicle. If I hear a car and don’t know that he is aware of it, I call out, “Car!” The pitch and firm tone would most certainly translate to a dog as the command, “Heel!”

We’re telling the neighbors if they see us walking on the road, they’ll have time to decide which of us is the dog.

Boots on the Ground

John and I walk through a service station on our morning walk, one that has a popular café under the same roof. Drivers are not always aware of us, so we try to walk defensively. Hungry drivers might be especially dangerous. A large pickup truck whizzed into a parking spot and rocked when it stopped abruptly. We were about to walk behind it when we saw the backup lights go on. I almost put out my hand to stop John when he saw the danger, too. I was wondering when we would know it was safe to go forward, and then I knew without a doubt. I could see under the truck as his boots hit the ground.