One of those Big Birthday celebrations

Norris has a Big Birthday one this week - we don't have to say which one, do we? His family, concentrated in North Georgia just outside of Chattanooga, threw a really great family get-together for him on Saturday evening.

Here Norris has just blown out the candles on the tasty cake after our delicious dinner. You can see by his expression he was quite pleased to still be breathing. Brother-in-law Marvin is glad too - although he helps run his son-in-law's ambulance business, they were all counting on the day off. Norris also got a great present - his very own pulse oximeter so we'll be able to tell if he's going to need emergency services.


Next, we need to feature a photo of nephew Tevin and grand-nephew Kason. Tevin was in charge of the Main Event for the meal on Saturday night. Norris had requested smoked ribs. Tevin stayed up all night Friday to prepare not just the ribs (scrumptious, not falling off the bone until you bite into them, exactly as prescribed by the Kansas City Barbecue judges), but also brisket and chicken, all perfectly done and so flavorful. Marvin and Tevin are gearing up for a barbecue competition in just three weeks. We think they are more than ready.


Kason probably didn't do much cooking, but he was completely charming.

The photo of Tevin and Kason, like these next two, was taken on Sunday at the Chattanooga Market, which has become a favorite of Norris'.

Here is Norris with his mother Ella - some of the family showed up to buy fresh produce, lunch on great street food .....
and listen to local bluegrass band Slim Pickin's, seen here during a mandolin solo. They performed with the traditional single mike.



We'll have to head back to Chattanooga soon - Marvin and Marla just bought a new house!

Cabinets Get Glued Up

As a follow up to yesterday's posting, both cabinets have now been glued up and clamped. Each cabinet needed 10 clamps to hold the joints in place while the glue dried.

Progress on Woodworking Project

Norris has been working on the first two parts of the shelving units we will put in the closet under the stairs. He has made some other projects in various classes, and has cut some wood for use around the house, but these will be his first start-to-finish projects in the garage shop here.

Here he is preparing to do his first complicated glue-up on one of the units.

How to make a cat happy

We recently got an internet order in this box. The packing material was plain old paper like the stuff you get when they wrap your household goods for a move. It does have a nice crinkly sound.


Lu only looks drunk. He's really just happy to have gotten the papers arranged so when he gets his tail pulled in, he can have a nice nap.


Meanwhile, Moki has shown no interest in this box.

Our Town featured

Norris and Cheryl were lucky to get a free subscription to Our State magazine for attending the local Second Saturday event at the Vance Birthplace. We just learned that our little town will be featured in next month's edition. If you are interested in a warm-hearted desciption of this place, you can read the on-line version here

Our State Travel - Weaverville

Norris has gone to class with the young firefighter who is shown in the video/slideshow (which happens to be accompanied by some nice banjo picking). The barber has cut Norris' hair since we moved to NC. We have several beautiful pieces of pottery from the Mangum studio, and the Well-Bred Bakery made such a good first impression on Cheryl it helped sell her on the property we bought.

Mt Mitchell Crafts Fair and hiking

Today, Norris and Cheryl headed to Burnsville, a 45 min drive to the north, to check out the Mt Mitchell Crafts Fair, which is the largest in western NC. Burnsville is a scenic town nestled in the mountains, so we had to get a few photos of the setting.

In one of the festival tents, old time crafts were being demonstrated by volunteers in period costume. Here one the volunteers shows young girls how quilting was done on a frame.

This shot of the library shows another "biggest" in this part of the world (after Mt. Mitchell's claim as the highest point east of the Mississippi, and the Craft Fair) - Burnsville is the epicenter of the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina, which is responsible for the largest collection of quilt blocks on buildings in the country. Here's an example, right downtown at the library. It's an amazing community effort - you can read more here.

After the fair, we took the scenic route home via the Blue Ridge Parkway and did some hiking near Mt Mitchell, where it was a very pleasant 66 degrees. We hiked along a segment of the NC Mountains to Sea trail which is mostly tree-covered, but there are a few clearings where scenic views pop up. This view is looking back toward the water supply reservoir for the City of Asheville.

Here you can see a view back towards the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This segment of the trail is known for its natural stone stair steps. Its a little treacherous in some areas where the steps are high and the stones are mossy, but its very scenic. In this area, you are walking along a pretty steep dropoff to the left. (Cheryl called it "the goat trail.")
Some of the stone stairs looking back the opposite direction.

new in home dec

After Norris' family came and told us our new great room furniture was much nicer looking in person than in the pictures we posted here, maybe we should not do this, but it's been over a week since we posted anything at all. It's just been so hot we've not been very active and the gardens are not doing anything special. So after hanging up a few new items in the house last night perhaps we'll just use interior shots.

First a pair of photographs by a Northern Virginia artist - gifts from good friend Dorry. When we moved in, we thought a picture of a hawk would be appropriate in this spot - they do patrol this cove, particular just up the North Knob slope behind our driveway.


We thought the colors in this next hawk photo from Dorry really came out next to the new hall bath paint color. Photo taken with flash so probably anyone who comes to the house will think the paint looks totally different in real life.


No matter about the paint color - the hawk looks majestic.

And here's the leaf quilt in its setting in our bedroom, with a new lamp and a decorated painted gourd we bought at a special event at the Vance Birthplace. This is a North Carolina historic site less than two miles from our house, but of course, we don't stop there very often.



This photo is dark because it was taken with natural light and it's hazy and cloudy this morning. The quilt may appear to be hung a little high in relation to the furniture, but Cheryl wants to be able to rotate the quilts hanging in the spot, and most will probably be larger.