Music, frogs and tacos, and a cowboy town in western NC

Buck and I attended Friday night’s concert at the Blue Ridge Music Center’s amphitheatre, just across the state line into Virginia. Although there were many talented musicians, the highlight was Doc Watson’s singing and playing.

Every year at Merlefest, I wonder whether Doc will make it to the next Merlefest. Next April will be the 25th Merlefest. Doc is amazing; he seemed old already when I saw him perform 34 or 35 years ago while I was in college. He is 88 years old, so I guess he would have been around 53 or 54 years old then—my age now! On Friday night Doc seemed to be having a little difficulty remembering lyrics on a couple of songs, but his voice is still magically soothing and his sense of humor shone through. He is surrounded by people who treat him gently and respectfully—Jeff Little, David Holt, and T. Michael Coleman—and who value what a treasure he is.

We all sat through a brief rain-shower Friday night, wishing we had carried the raingear from the car, and were rewarded not only by Doc's wonderful music, but also with a gorgeous rainbow rising from the mountains beyond the stage.

The next day at the Wayne Henderson Festival we enjoyed three performances on the Grayson-Highlands Park outdoor stage before it rained so hard that they had to temporarily halt the music. We heard George Hamilton IV,

*notice the "IV" on George Hamilton IV's vest?

and Eddie Pennington, and last, the April Verch Band.

April is a Canadian from Ottawa and must weigh 100 pounds, if that. As soon as you see her high-energy show, you understand why. She fiddles and tap dances at the same time! She sings also, but not while playing the fiddle, of course.

Just before the finals of the guitar contest, trees started whipping around in the wind. Then umbrellas popped open as the deluge began. After we were all caught unprepared the previous evening, we had carried our raingear with us this time, even though it seemed unnecessary when we had parked the SUV. Always the gentleman, Buck put the Frog Tog pants he had brought along on me instead of him to keep me dry. (Thanks to our brother-in-law Thomas for the Frog Togs Christmas present!) Buck gave our friend Greg the Frog Tog jacket since I had a poncho and Buck had his normal rainjacket (which we discovered didn't really stand up to the downpour like the Frog Togs did). After the rain began blowing sideways in sheets of water, the umbrellas did no good and our chairs became puddly. When the music was interrupted and we had no idea when the performances would resume, we left Grayson Highlands Park and went on to the bed and breakfast to change into dry clothes. Everything was drenched except for what the Frog Togs covered.
The Glade Valley Inn was a very large, modern log cabin off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each room is decorated according to a theme associated with a place the innkeepers have visited. Buck and I stayed in the Mauna Loa room and our friends stayed in the Yellowstone Room. We especially enjoyed sitting out on the porch in the rocking chairs that evening, looking at the view, playing with the cat, and talking with our friends.
North Carolina has some of the most beautiful mountains and beaches in the world. The sunsets can be spectacular. My camera can't show the scenes in their true magnificence, but here are a couple of shots from this weekend:

In addition to natural beauty, North Carolina has some great musicians. We are lucky to have convenient access to them. Buck and I attended a performance by “thumb-picker” guitarist Moon Mullins at the South Rowan library Wednesday night and then a show Thursday night at the Cook Shack in Union Grove by pianist Jeff Little and banjo/guitarist Steve Lewis. They are extremely talented. I love listening to Jeff’s "Route 88" CD when I am driving by myself, although his impressive rendition of Orange Blossom Special, a fiddle tune, is on another CD called "Piano Man of the Blue Ridge". Jeff's high-energy piano-playing keeps me awake and alert as I move on down the road.

Sunday we were hungry as we passed through North Wilkesboro, so we stopped at a Mexican restaurant that seemed to be doing a brisk business despite its appearance:

My tacos included marinated pork, grilled pineapple, onions, and cilantro--delicious! The prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was like a tavern or cantina.

On the way home, we stopped by Love Valley because we had all heard about it, but none of us had ever seen it. There wasn't much happening there on this particular day, but you can see how horse lovers who are into western riding would love this place. It is built like an old western town--dirt streets, boardwalks in front of the buildings, and no motor vehicles allowed. Trails lead off from the main street, and there are stables to board your horse as well as a hotel (Miss Kitty's) and a campground. Here are some of our photos from Love Valley:

A cow creation, the only steer I saw in this cowboy town:


We had a great weekend, and as usual on our trips, we added a few activities to our "to-do" list, including biking the New River trail. We'll be back to this area soon.

Rowan Rocks

Long views of pastureland and distant woods undulating over rolling hills in parts of Rowan County can make you catch your breath if you are lucky enough to look at them on a clear blue day or during a spectacular sunset. High Rock Lake also offers nature lovers a treat as the moon or the sunset reflects off the waters.
In contrast, the beauty offered by our county's unique geology often goes unnoticed. A magnificent boulder--yes, that's a house beside it--

or a huge exposed stone surface the size of a parking lot fails to attract any attention because it is "just part of the scenery".





Stone churches

and houses occasionally catch the eye of a passerby but the large rocks protruding from the ground nearby

rarely do. We ignore them until we have to plow a field or dig a foundation, and then we suddenly notice that we are on a surface which isn't easily relocated.
Often you can see boulders the size of a VW "beetle" piled off to the side of a structure. The boulders have been blasted to make way for a home or church or other structure, and then they are left on the property, cast aside as though they are compost.

Occasionally large boulders are piled into aesthetically-pleasing arrangements, but it takes some effort to do this, as you can imagine.





Boulders provide backdrops for flowers and other things.

Boulders make great yard art as well as a built-in playground.

These rocks provide a secure place for trees to grow.

Masons all over the country have cut Rowan County stone, primarily granite, for use in prominent buildings.
In Rowan County, granite is used to construct functional landscaping walls

as well as walls in buildings, fireplace hearths, countertops, steps, tables and benches.






A stone wall can look natural, like a row of piled rocks, or it can be made of cut stone laid in neat rows

Neat rows can be made with almost-uniform-size stones:

or with rocks of different sizes:

Sometimes stones in a wall are placed in a less orderly manner.

The stone buildings in Faith

have a variety of colors and patterns.





Regardless of which style you prefer, you have to agree that they look solid:

I admire the craftsmanship that created the curves in the stone entrance to the Faith Fire Department:

Notice how the larger, heavier rocks are at the bottom of the structure:

Look at the neat, linear work of the stone mason who filled in the window to the right of the door. (The slightly-arched lintel delineates the spot behind the air conditioner.)

Some masons add some interest or whimsy to their work, such as the diamond shapes in this chimney:

The eastern part of Rowan County, in particular, where lie the aptly-named towns of GRANITE Quarry and ROCKwell, have impressive boulders protruding from the ground, still attached to the bedrock beneath the grass. Those are the boulders I love to see—the ones still attached to the rock below ground.

Buck and I traveled to Granite Quarry, Faith, and Rockwell in search of these yard boulders. One of my favorites was this whale-shaped “Moby” Rock.

(#56)






Others

looked like shells of the giant tortoises I saw when I was a kid at the Alligator Farm in Florida. The employees let us ride the old tortoises! The tortoise-keeper explained the difference between a turtle and a tortoise, and also told us these tortoises we were riding were between 80 and 100 years old. I felt guilty about riding an old “granpaw” tortoise, imagining his achy, arthritic legs struggling to carry me at around 65 lbs. Later I learned that these huge Galapagos tortoises can live to be almost 200 years old and weigh up to 600 pounds. I guess the Alligator Farm wasn't abusing the tortoises.
The man at the alligator den who was demonstrating how fast and powerfully an alligator can close its mouth was missing one of his hands and forearm. We wondered if maybe one time he hadn’t been quick enough. He also showed us how he could keep the alligator’s mouth shut quite easily because almost all of its muscles were oriented toward biting down instead of opening. But I digress…
If you have a favorite yard-boulder, send me a photo of it, along with its general location.