Laurie and David's Wedding

We went to Memphis for Laurie and David's wedding. We stopped in Bravard the first night. The next day we went through the beautiful mountains. It was so cold, the water had frozen in the waterfalls. These are pictures of the falls and some icicles on the side of the mountain.

The wedding was really pretty. This is Kaisey and Grandpa. She couldn't wait to get out of her high heels.

McKay and Grandpa. He walked his mother down the isle.

Maddox and Grandpa. He walked his mother down the isle, too.

Taelyn, Grandpa and Bailey. Their dresses were beautiful.

Cutting the cake. Laurie made about 12 cheesecakes for the reception. Each one was a different kind, and really good.

Laurie and David leaving for Nashville.

Things I Love About North Carolina

1. Dyion. He's a lot of fun to be married to. He likes people and wants to be doing something fun all the time. In this picture he's grilling some hamburgers for some friends who came to ride horses with us.

2. Bluegrass Music. I've always loved Bluegrass, but I get to hear it a lot more here. This group is called "The Front Porch" and we've heard them 4 or 5 times. There are some really good groups around here. Most of them have been playing all their lives and learned from their parents, and they are just very good.

This was some man at the last bluegrass event we went to doing a little "flat foot." Flat foot is a cross between old Irish dancing and clogging. You don't have to move your feet much to do flat footing if you don't want to, or you can really get into it and dance like crazy. I love to watch people do this. Usually, it's the older people who do it.

3. Pig Pickin's. This is a cooker that is pulled behind a truck. They are very common around here. You put a whole or half pig on the cooker, close it, and let it cook for 10-15 hours. When it's done some of it is chopped up with vinegar-based barbeque sauce on it, and some is left to "pick" what you want. Contrary to Heather's opinion, pig pickin's are wonderful. You just have to be careful not to overdue the vinegar barbeque sauce. Dyion said before these cookers were made, a pig pickin was done by digging a hole and lining it with stones. Then you burned hickory logs in a different area, and when the logs had been burned down, you put the very hot wood in the hole. Then you put a grate over the hole and put the hog on the grate and stayed up all night keeping it hot with new coals and turning the meat. It would be done by the afternoon of the next day.

This shows a half of a pig ready to eat. They've chopped some and left some for people to "pick" what they want from it.

This was a lovely t-shirt a girl was wearing at the last pig pickin we went to. It says, "Fish Naked. Show off your fly rod. Maggie Valley, NC." Just had to through this in.

There's a long line of side dishes with a pig pickin. They usually serve coleslaw, pork and beans, hush puppies (worth the whole meal), potato salad, banana pudding and sometimes pig pickin cake. Pig pickin cake is a mandarin orange cake with cool whip-pineapple icing. There's always tons of food and you can go back over and over and get all you want. They usually have soft drinks, water or sweet tea (blech).

4. The Bible Belt. It's so interesting to live here and see how the protestants (usually the Baptists) try to integrate Church and State. Last year our board of education passed an agreement allowing the Gideons to pass out Bibles in the schools. Everyone thought what a great idea that was, until someone pointed out that if they do that they will have to allow other churches the same privilege. So they changed their minds and made a statement on the news and said they realized they couldn't do it without letting Muslims and Mormons pass out their literature, too, and that wasn't going to happen. End Of Bible Day.

5. The beach. I love to go there when others have all gone home. It's so peaceful and calming. I don't go there enough.

6. The Church outside of Utah. Totally different attitude.

7. Having a fun place for my family to come visit and spend good time with them.

8. Horses. Who would have thought I'd like horses, but I do, and we have a lot of fun riding and driving them. This is a new horse we got last summer named Gypsy. We hooked her up today for the first time and she drove like a charm.

9. The Trees. There are trees everywhere. Very beautiful. In the western part of the state the trees are hardwood and are beautiful in the autumn. The trees here on the coast are mostly tall pine trees.

Indian Summer Ride

Today was a beautiful Indian Summer day -- temperatures in the 70's, so we decided to get together with some friends to ride. This is Eric, our nephew, getting his horse Lady Red ready to ride.

Fred getting Faith ready. Dyion is on the other side helping Cindy with Big Man.

Dyion's beautiful Palimino, Buc.

This doesn't show up very well, but this is our nephew, Bryan. He came down from Sanford to hunt today, but took some time off to ride with us. He's on Ebby.

Me at the hitching post on Summer.

On the trail through the woods. Dyion, looking back to see if everyone made it through the water. Afterwards we grilled hamburgers and ate lunch together. Perfect day.

Hay Season at Almosta Ranch

Life on Almosta Ranch is very busy during hay season.
This is the conveyor that takes the hay up to the loft. When it gets to the top I grab it with a pea rake and pull it to the end of the loft.
















Dyion putting the hay on the conveyor belt.

Several pictures of Dyion stacking the hay in the barn loft. They are very heavy, and I don't know how he reaches up so high to stack them clear to the roof.









































Farmer Skipper feeling very glad that the barn loft
is full of hay.

Two of our hay burners, who are also glad that the loft is full of hay!

Still Planting Perennials

One thing I enjoy but have found frustrating is gardening in NC. The soil here is mostly sand, the rainfall is different than Utah and the humidity kills plants that loved the clear mountain air. But I have had some successes.

Two and a half years ago a friend gave me some spider lily roots. I planted them, and eventually the leaves surfaced. Then they died. The next year the leaves sprouted again, and died. I gave up on them and stopped looking for them or even watering that space. Last week when I went out to water the garden, there was a spider lily blooming away, after two and a half years. What a surprise. Maybe more will come back next year.



Last spring I planted seeds for Texas Star hibiscus plants. I planted 40, thinking maybe three or four would survive. They all survived and thrived. I planted over 20 of them and gave the rest away. I didn't expect any blooms from them until next year, but one of them had a bud opening up this week. That was another nice surprise. See how much faith I have. I'm still planting perennials!!

Entering The 21st Century / Bluegrass Festival

Can you believe it. I've finally entered the 21st century. I'm not sure how I did it but here I am
With Scotts help, I have set up a blog to keep you all informed of my extremely interesting life.
So keep checking back and you will see just how much fun NC is!!

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Dyion and I went to the Coastal Bluegrass Festival Saturday. It was really good, and not too crowded. They had four bands that played in the morning and then again in the afternoon. They were SO good!

There was a band with a guy who played the washtub bass. He was really good. His was actually a washtub with a broomstick and nylon string. This bass was made by a guy in Shallotte. He made a wooden "broomstick" for it with a level on the back. When you play it you move the level down for higher tones and up for lower ones.

This one's for you, Shelley!!