Snippets From Europe...

Brady and I traveled to 11 countries in just over 7 weeks...with only a small digital camera (a gift from my in-laws for my birthday!) and a 3 pound backpack each.  I had only one pair of shoes til I found some purple polka dot high top sneakers in Slovenia.  I had one coat that I ditched in Budapest by giving it to our Airbnb host in order to purchase a thrifted cashmere number that I got for $3 US.  I actually gave away more clothes than I brought back!  And I only left with about 9 items not including undies and such.  What a different way for us to have traveled in comparison to past trips...and I'd do it again right now.  Now.  Nowowowow.

So, here are a few shots from the few pictures we took on the trip.  Included: Iceland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary and Holland.  Can you tell where we are in each picture?

I swear I'll share some of the stories soon but for now I'm off to help Athens celebrate UGA graduations...

Have a lovely weekend!

Tallulah Gorge, GA...

What does one do when you wake up early and stare at the sunrise with a cup of tea warming your hands and the day is just full of a promise of the fleeting Georgia spring?  One gets in the truck (yes, we have a truck now...long story), opens the sunroof and drives to the place they've never fully explored - Tullulah Gorge.

The rim of the canyon didn't get above high 60's in temperature *happy dance* but the gorge floor was much warmer due to the rocks soaking up the sun.  And when you spend 45 minutes climbing over boulders that are slick as glass you work up a sweat.  Luckily there are some freezing cold, and I do mean COLD, swimming holes that you can brave.  In your underwear.  Because you're classy like that.  And alone.

I'm honestly astounded that we hiked the gorge floor (and skimpy dipped, as I've started calling our stripped-down-but-still-somewhat-clothed shenanigans) because you have to have a permit to do so and they are usually gone within a few minutes after the park opens.  Seems that today no one but us chickens were willing to brave the trails or take a dip.

And I must admit that I'm so, so, so sore right now thanks to this 6 hour adventure.  Brady and I have a tendency to take a chance on hiking particular trails that inevitably lead us to cool places BUT they come with unexpected hours added to the trip or a weird rainstorm or a shit ton of climbing to do or something like that.  We actually laugh about it but it still catches us off guard every single time.  We never learn and today was no exception.

If you're thinking of visiting Sliding Rock and Bridal Veil Falls at the Gorge then be prepared!  It's a strenuous hike to-and-from the area and it's very slippery on the rocks.  Do not bring anything you don't want to get splashed (my camera barely made it out and only did because I crawled on my knees with it held above my head to cross the streams) and be sure to bring lots of water.  I also do not recommend this with younger kids or anyone with any medical issues.  It's actually a bit dangerous if you're not diligent.  They'll tell you it's a 2 hour hike round trip.  THEY LIE.  It's at least 5 hours to complete the floor and the rim.  But it's all worth it to slide down the Sliding Rock into a cold pool of water while hawks circle overhead...

Atlanta History Center...

Brady has an internship in Atlanta this semester and his first meeting was last week on a very stormy day.  A day that I decided to drive with him to explore the Atlanta History Center.  A day that will live in infamy as the day that I careened into what seemed to be a lake in the middle of the road near downtown Decatur...at 45mph...while other folks drove at 75mph and almost killed us all.  Needless to say, by the time I got to my final destination of the AHC I was thankful to be on solid, albeit flooded, ground that I wasn't driving on.  I was also thankful that there was an exhibit on folk art in the ever changing south.

The exhibit was extensive and I spent several hours in there listening to old stories including one about a talking ghost dog that was hilarious.  In the music section there was a whole faux chapel set up for shape note singing which is something I grew up with in my youth and despite my lack of religious affiliation I still find the hymns something beyond beautiful to hear...

Hand-in-hand with stories and singing go quilting and weaving and stitching.  Quilting bees and the motif of quilts often gave women a chance to mingle and to express themselves and commemorate events. The ladies in the picture above were from the Collins family, a big part of the weaving community in a small town here in GA and the possessors of some mighty fine hats.  They never sold their work (the blanket in the picture was gifted to AHC) but they did enter the occasional item in textile competitions in Atlanta where they inevitably won.

There were also exhibits on basket weaving (I dream of owning a sweetgrass basket), sun bonnets, net casting, embroidery, lace making and so much more.  Oh, and pottery!  I love folk art pottery.  My learnings from the The Folk Pottery Museum came in handy on this adventure and I tried to identify styles and makers without looking at the information plaques.  Alas, I didn't fair too well but I had fun refreshing my memory...

There was an excellent display on 'modern' folk art and it focused not only with innovators in the field as well as the controversies that arise from different factions of artists but also how the immigrating population has infused southern folk art with their own cultural art.  I loved this part!  And I loved the paper planes that were displayed as part of the changing faces of old traditions...

The torrential rain meant that some of the outside exhibits and interactions weren't really open to the public.  But when the weather let up for a minute I walked around the historical farm and snapped just a few shots before it began raining again.  I cannot wait to go back and explore some more!

If you're in Atlanta for the day I highly recommend that you stop by the AHC and spend a few hours looking around.  There are lots of exhibits I didn't feature in this post including an Olympic display, a Civil War piece, Native Americans in GA (which a bit lean but had a great collection of brief documentaries that played) and one on some famous golf guy.  I skipped all those but the Native American one because the museum closes at 5.30pm and between the rain and an out-of-the-way trip to Revolution Donuts, I was very limited on time.  But, hey, vegan vanilla bean DONUTS!  It was totally worth it...

Toccoa Falls...

After having to be very careful about lifting, moving and, well, almost everything for several weeks, I finally got clearance from the doctor to get back in the swing of things full force.  For me, that kind of talk means only one thing - road trip!  You'd never seen a happier person behind the wheel of a tiny Kia in all your life.  I knew that I wanted to go up to North Georgia where it was cooler (a bit) and see some waterfalls and hike and maybe have some pizza.  I did it all, y'all.  I did it all...

Can you believe this waterfall?  In Georgia?  Toccoa Falls are the tallest east of the Mississippi...even taller than Niagra Falls.  There's not much hiking to get to them.  In fact, you pay $2 at the Toccoa Falls College bookstore then mosey out back and then you're gawping at the falls.  Easy peasy and pretty for those looking for a relaxing hour or so.  For us it just whet our appetite to do some real moderate hiking before the rain rolled in.  Alas, our adventures took a different turn than expected but that's for another time...

We did relax and take it all in though...no doubt about that.  The flora and fauna were quite varied due to the mist from the falls.  And there was no one there but us!

The falls are only about 45 minutes from Athens but there is nothing else to see in Toccoa for the most part other than some Civil War sites (not my thing).  It's a great beginning stop if you're heading to Tallulah Gorge / Falls, Lake Rabun and Black Rock Mountain.

Road trips, y'all.  I love them so much!

Sawnee Mountain Preserve...

Brady and I had to severely curtail our traveling adventures for the last few weeks due to work and family obligations, and due to the fact that I've been ill for a while.  Luckily, we were able to get out of the house this week and not only kayak the Broad River again but also spend the day roadtrippin' about 1 1/2 hours northwest of Athens.  There was food - Persian/Greek hybrid attached to a sketchy gas station (awesome!) as well as donuts (oh my fucking god, they were so good after 2 weeks of almost nothing but coconut water and split pea soup) - and then some mild hiking to Sawnee Mountain Preserve...

Sawnee Mountain is named after a Native American Creek who lived in the area and made it a point to help the settlers, well, settle in.  Unfortunately, his kindness didn't do him any favors, and he and his family were eventually forced onto the Trail Of Tears where they perished like so many Native Americans during the time.  The mountain that bears his name is now home to spectacular views and a state of the art information center, and is the site of numerous Cherokee spiritual rituals that illustrate the history and heritage of the people that live/lived there.  It's both honoring and supporting a culture that has seen, and still sees, a good deal of tragedy, misunderstanding and misappropriation...

Once you get to the top of the mountain you find the Indian Seats where changes in the rock resemble chairs and you can sit out suspended over nothing.  They're also used in some of the Native American ceremonies.  See the outcropping in the above picture?  That's one of them...

I can't believe how I climbed all over this mountain and stood on wobbly rocks to take in the view.  For someone whose been terrified of heights for years now, I think I've made some vast improvements.  Maybe it was just the mountain/adventure itself since it was so quiet (we saw no one during our 1 hour+ hike) and serene and full of things to see like snake sheddings and brilliant bird feathers.  Oh, and huge ants.  Giant.  Scary.  Stay away from me.  Allergic!  Not serene.  But other than those, yes, just perfect.

Arabia Mountain, Atlanta...

It was a hot, blustery day about a week ago and we were at a bit of a loss as where to go for our roadtrip adventure.

Too lazy to drive far?  Check.

Broke and needed something free/cheap?  Check.

Quiet place without hordes of crowds?  Check.

The answer to our search was the lovely and desolate Arabia Mountain area...

Arabia Mountain is older than Stone Mountain, which is a major tourist attraction here in Georgia, and is considered somewhat of a secret.  I can see why since there isn't too much to do other than hike/bike but this kind of thing is just perfect for us.  The sky seemed huge up there on the mountain...reminding us of Montana and Wyoming just a bit.  I wish I was a better photographer so the picture would really tell the story of how big the view can be. 

Let is be said, however, that photos don't capture the sound of wind rushing through the brush and trees and that was something I won't forget.  It sounded like a cross between a burbling creek and a grade school recorder/flute.  It matched the vista just right...

We spent most of our time hiking the mountain but there were also several abandoned quarries that we spent just a few minutes in since they were too spooky and too hot, as well as an animal rehabilitation program that we were immediately denied entry to.  Turns out we wandered onto that property a bit by accident!  Oops!

Oh, and there is something that grows up on the mountain that is unique to Georgia, rare and only in rocky outcroppings - diamorpha!  Also known as elf opine, this plant is quickly becoming endangered and there were notices about being very careful when hiking as to not disturb the growths.  It appeared that most people have heeded the advice but we did some damage to areas where the diamorpha lay dormant.  *don't like*

And you may be wondering what the heck the dome/cairn things are in the first picture?  Arabia Mountain is pretty big and most areas really look similar so they have the piles of rock there as a guide.  Even with them there you can easily get turned around if you wander too far from them...

We ended up the day with a bit of sunburn and windburn but our tummies full of some seriously good Thai eats we found in a very out-of-the-way location.  Gah, that basil fried rice we had haunts my food dreams!

Funerary Art - Charleston II...

Tomorrow I'm attending a brown bag luncheon lecture series (Books and Bites it's called...cute eh?) hosted by the Athens-Clarke County library and can you guess what it might entail?  If you said 'death, mourning and mortuary practices' then you'll be 100% correct!  Kate Sweeney, author of American Afterlife, will tell us about how folks in the US have dealt with death in the past as well as some the more current ways that folks are asking to be buried, burned, remembered or recycled.  And what better way to prepare for the presentation than by reminiscing about my visit to the lovely Magnolia Cemetery we found on our trip to Charleston months ago...

In London and in America, the Victorian attitude was to create large park-like cemeteries separate from a place of worship where mourning the dead became an art form. Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, SC is such a place. Founded in 1849 on the banks of the Cooper River, Magnolia is the oldest public cemetery in Charleston. Winding pathways and scenic ponds surrounded by large live oak trees with hanging Spanish moss encouraged Victorian era Charlestonians to spend the day among their deceased loved ones. - The Macabre Tourist

With the onset of that such said Victorian attitude we find that gravestone carvings became less religious and instead tend to be more artistic in nature.  Images of urns, wreaths, angels, weeping willows, flowers and other motifs (find out more about basic funerary art symbolism via my post here) began to appear on headstones and monuments all over the country but especially in the southern regions of the US.  One can even find evidence of Egyptian influenced art from time to time and, much more rare, a pyramid tomb...

Oh yes, this has definitely increased my desire to visit Charleston and Magnolia Cemetery again very soon.  I'd love to see what I missed (or at least a portion of it since the place is HUGE) and what everything looks like in the vibrant greens of spring instead of the golden browns of winter...